Kawhi Leonard and the Raptors beat the Golden State Warriors to take home the 2019 NBA Finals Championship. Soon after, the NBA’s landscape changed drastically as eight All-Stars packed up and changed teams, so far, this offseason.
Now, it’s time to grade some of the major changes so far.
Brooklyn Nets: A+
The Kyrie Irving-Celtics experiment did not work out as planned as the team got eliminated from the second round of playoffs by the Milwaukee Bucks.
Boston had talent left and right but had no chemistry as everyone wanted the ball in their hands each possession.
So, this free agency, Kyrie chose to take his talents to Brooklyn alongside Kevin Durant and DeAndre Jordan. Who would have thought the Nets would form a super team before the Knicks? My condolences to New York on another empty offseason.
Golden State Warriors: C+
Following the devastating injuries of Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant in the Finals, KD decided to take his talents elsewhere. DeMarcus Cousins also said his goodbye to the team after signing a one-year deal to join the Lakers.
Losing two high-caliber players made Golden State look weak. Then, on June 30, the Warriors acquired D’Angelo Russell in a sign-and-trade with the Nets.
D’Angelo and Curry on the same team is definitely a solid duo in today’s NBA, but they just lost too much this offseason, including Andre Iguodala, Quinn Cook and Shaun Livingston. The Warriors just don’t have nearly enough talent to compete in the West.
Houston Rockets: B
It was time, the Chris Paul-James Harden duo was just not working.
CP3 thrives in a passing-team type of basketball, while Harden prefers the isolation game. It just did not mix, and Chris Paul was traded for Russell Westbrook. That’s right, the 2017 and 2018 MVPs are on the same team.
This will lead to some high-intensity, fast-paced basketball.
I am curious to see how Rockets game style will adjust to this change. This will make for a decent playoff team, but they are not on the same level as either of the teams in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Lakers: A+
It looks like the Lakers hit the reset button as they only had three players on the roster for a small portion of time. They lost practically the whole team and brought back a new, improved team.
Anthony Davis requested a trade from the New Orleans Pelicans and is now playing alongside LeBron James as part of the greatest duo in the NBA this season.
In addition, they also signed DeMarcus Cousins from the Warriors, but he recently took a huge injury and will likely be out for most of the season.
Other notable additions are Danny Green, Quinn Cook and Dwight Howard. This team has all the talent it needs to become the 2020 NBA Champions, but it isn’t the only team with potential.
Los Angeles Clippers: A+
Los Angeles is the place to be this year.
The Clippers have created a super team to compete with the Lakers. It began with Kawhi Leonard joining the Clippers during his free agency.
That should be enough with Lou Williams, Patrick Beverly and a solid team by his side. But on top of that, Paul George was traded from the Thunder and landed a spot on the roster. This right here is the NBA’s second greatest duo with a great supporting cast.
The 2019-2020 NBA season will be one for the books. Will Kawhi win back-to-back championships or will the Lakers bring home the Larry O’Brien trophy?
One thing for certain is that LA will probably be taking a championship home this season.
What’s your pick?
