Taking a closer look at three teams that could be primed for an NBA Championship run after bold free agency moves.
The NBA offseason feels like it has just begun, but the NBA Draft is over and free agency is well underway. This year’s draft and free agency both lacked star power, but a few teams, including the 76ers, Thunder, and Mavericks, made significant improvements to their roster and now they have a legitimate shot at winning a championship.
Let’s dive into each of these teams and see why they are primed to make a championship run after bold offseason moves.
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers have had an extremely productive offseason, using the draft and free agency to bolster their roster for a run at a title.
Their offseason kicked off when they drafted Duke guard Jared McCain with the 16th pick in this year’s draft. McCain is an interesting prospect as he’s an elite shooter who can play off-ball and makes good decisions with the ball in his hands. He’s a bit undersized and he doesn’t have much creation upside, but shooting is highly coveted in the NBA and McCain’s analytical profile suggests that he may find more success in the NBA than other prospects with a similar physical profile and playstyle.
McCain may not have a huge impact on the 76ers as a rookie, but that’s fine because the team got the biggest star on the open market in free agency when they signed Paul George to a four-year $212 million contract.
It appears that most people underrate just how good George is even at the age of 34. Last season, he averaged 23 points, five rebounds, and four assists per game on 61.8% true shooting. He also had an EPM of +5.7, his best mark since 2019 when he was an MVP finalist as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Not only that, he ranks 10th in DPM, a plus-minus metric that creates forward-looking projections daily that factor in box score production, on-off numbers, and every single NBA game a player has ever played while giving more weight to most recent results. This means that even when you factor in George’s age and experience, he is still one of the best players in the NBA.
With George being an efficient three-level scorer who can shoot off the catch at a high level and is still an impactful defender, he is a perfect fit for the 76ers roster that now has a strong trio of stars.
If Joel Embiid can stay healthy and perform well in both the regular season and playoffs, the 76ers can be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference and they may give the Boston Celtics a run for their money if they meet in the postseason.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder had a remarkable season last year, exceeding expectations as they rose to the top of the Western Conference.
They proceeded to improve their roster in the draft by selecting Nikola Topic in the lottery, Dillon Jones at the end of the first round, and Ajay Mitchell in the second round. Topic is a tall, young guard who excels at passing and finishing at the rim, Jones is a do-it-all wing who can finish, pass, and defend, and Mitchell is a talented creator who can shoot from the perimeter and is a decent passer. It’s likely that none of these guys play much as a rookie, but all three are very talented and have the potential to be impactful at some point in their careers.
Where the Thunder really improved is in free agency and via trade. They started by acquiring Alex Caruso from the Chicago Bulls and then re-signing two of their top role players, Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins, to team-friendly deals before signing Isaiah Hartenstein to a three-year $87 million contract to bolster their frontcourt.
One of the Thunder’s biggest weaknesses last season was a lack of physicality down low, which is why their rebounding numbers were among the worst in the entire league. Adding Hartenstein, an efficient scorer who can grab offensive rebounds, is a solid passer for a big, and provides some defensive versatility, could solve that issue. For the last three years, he has been an analytical darling whose scoring efficiency, offensive rebounding, passing, and defensive versatility allowed him to rank 14th in the league in EPM last season.
Now the Thunder have a superstar in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, incredible depth, and more size in their frontcourt. Their roster is extremely good from top to bottom and they should be a strong contender to win it all next season.
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks had a tremendous playoff run this past season, taking down the Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves on their way to making the NBA Finals. Unfortunately, they lost in the Finals in just five games, but they proved that at their best, they are one of the top teams in the NBA.
Despite making the Finals, the Mavericks were not content with running it back with the same roster and they made some huge moves to improve their roster and prepare for another run at a championship.
Another big move they made was signing Naji Marshall, another young wing who is coming off a good season in which he was a great defender who hit a high percentage of his threes and was a decent passer. His first three seasons in the NBA were underwhelming, but he has developed a lot and there is a chance he can be a solid 3-D wing coming off the bench like Quentin Grimes. Having two wings like these guys coming off your bench is extremely valuable and it will make the Mavericks a difficult matchup in the playoffs.
The biggest move the Mavericks made in free agency was signing Klay Thompson, who they got in a sign-and-trade that sent Josh Green to the Charlotte Hornets and two second-round picks to the Golden State Warriors. Thompson reportedly received a few significant contract offers but took a pay cut to join the Mavericks on a three-year $50 million dollar deal.
Klay Thompson is an interesting player to evaluate because he has star power due to his contribution to the Warrior’s four championships over the last decade, but he is not the same player that he was back then.
Thompson is still an impactful player who is one of the best three-point shooters in the entire league. His three-point shooting has been absolutely incredible throughout his career and it has not regressed even as he reaches his mid-30s. However, the injuries that forced him to miss two seasons in 2020 and 2021 have impacted his rim finishing and defense and his usage rate has decreased exponentially.
Like I said earlier, he’s still an impactful player and his elite shooting is why, but it’s important to keep in mind that the Mavericks are not getting the Klay Thompson who was a strong 3-D player and made five All-Star teams. That’s why the Mavs were able to sign him for less than $20 million per year.
With the Mavericks adding three quality wings to their roster, they have improved their floor spacing, defense, and depth, which makes them even more dangerous than they were before. The roster they have built is perfect for their star ball handlers, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, and they appear to be one of the few teams with the roster construction to challenge the Boston Celtics in the playoffs.