Dallas Mavericks | Grade: A-
Players in: Klay Thompson (F), Naji Marshall (F), Quentin Grimes (G), Spencer Dinwiddie (G) | Absent players: Derrick Jones Jr. (F), Tim Hardaway Jr. (F), Josh Green (F)
Dallas made a surprising run to the NBA Finals last season but didn’t rest on its laurels, especially after shooting 31.6 percent in a loss to the Boston Celtics. The Mavs signed one of the best shooters in NBA history in Klay Thompson, which sent 23-year-old Josh Green (and his $12.6 million salary) to Charlotte. The Mavericks freed up money for that move by trading Tim Hardaway Jr. and his $16.2 million contract to Detroit, which cost them three second-round picks but netted a great on-ball defender in 24-year-old Quentin Grimes.
They also said goodbye to Derrick Jones Jr., a third- and fourth-tier forward, in free agency, replacing him with Naji Marshall. Marshall is probably a step below defensively and isn’t the world-class dunker that Jones is, but he’s a bigger threat than Jones, who was routinely ignored by the Celtics on defense during the Finals.
Eventually, they brought back former Maverick Spencer Dinwiddie on a minimum deal. Dinwiddie may be past his prime as a starting point guard at 31, but he’s a quality backup with plenty of experience playing with Luka Doncic in Dallas and Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn.
Overall, Dallas improved its shooting and point guard depth, shed two unwanted salaries and did it without giving up a first-round pick. The bigger question is how much energy Thompson has left. His offense was still very good last season, but his defense has fallen off, perhaps because the Warriors were still playing the 34-year-old 30 minutes a game. “Captain Klay” is in a great position to thrive with the openings Doncic and Irving give him, as well as the extra rest he expects. If that doesn’t work out, Dallas has given itself plenty of options.
Houston Rockets | Grade: B+
Players in: Reed Sheppard (G, 3rd pick), AJ Griffin (F) | Absent players: Reggie Bullock (F), Boban Marjanovic (C)
The Rockets made their big free-agent moves last summer, signing Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks and center Jock Landale. They made another move for the future when they exchanged for Center Steven Adams was injured in February. Houston already had six former top-20 players aged 23 or younger, including three top-four picks, so there was no rush to reshuffle the roster. Especially after the team won 11 games in March to get into the play-in race before ultimately falling short.
In the June draft, they added Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard, whose stellar performance in Summer League suggested he was ready to contribute immediately. Houston also took a gamble on AJ Griffin, Jr., the 16th pick in the 2022 draft, who turned 21 on Aug. 25.
For a team loaded with young talent, part of next season will be figuring out who will stick around long-term. Houston has managed to make some high-profile additions to its young core while positioning itself to have more than $30 million in salary cap space for another shopping spree next summer.
Memphis Grizzlies | Grade: C
Players in: Zach Edey (C, 9th pick), Jaylen Wells (F, 38th pick) Cam Spencer (G, 53rd pick) | Ziaire Williams (F), Jordan Goodwin (L)
After a disastrous season in which superstar Ja Morant played just nine games due to suspension and injury, the Grizzlies decided to come back strong. They selected a replacement for Steven Adams with their unexpected lottery pick in 7-foot-1 Zach Edey, who was national player of the year in his final two seasons at Purdue and then abandoned former lottery pick Ziaire Williams so they can re-sign sharpshooting guard Luke Kennard (45 percent three-point shooting last season).
It’s not a terrible bet, considering the healthy Grizzlies had the second-best record in the Western Conference over the previous two seasons. But aside from Kennard’s return, Memphis hasn’t addressed one of its biggest weaknesses: poor outside shooting. The Grizzlies were 29th out of 30 teams in both three-point percentage and overall field goal percentage. Morant’s return and a full season from Desmond Bane should help those numbers, but the roster remains tough to draw from.
The Grizzlies really blew it by getting so few of their last few draft picks when they had a plethora of picks. This summer, they were hamstrung by cap space, so they couldn’t do much. Still, it looks like an inactive summer for a title contender. Memphis is betting big on a 300-pound starting center. If Edey struggles, this team could be in trouble.
New Orleans Pelicans | Grade: D+
Players in: Dejounte Murray (G), Daniel Theis (C), Javonte Green (F), Yves Missi (C, 21st pick), Karlo Matkovic (F/C), Antonio Reeves (G, 47th pick) | Absent players: Jonas Valanciunas (center), Larry Nance, Jr. (center), Naji Marshall (center), Dyson Daniels (center), Cody Zeller (center)
The Pelicans had an offseason that felt incomplete. They made a big instant win-win tradesending four players and two future picks for Dejounte Murray, who is returning from two up-and-down seasons with the Atlanta Hawks. New Orleans also said goodbye to the three players who played the most minutes at center last season, bringing in veteran Daniel Theis and rookie Yves Missi.
While they reportedly aren’t willing to meet forward Brandon Ingram’s salary demands if he signs an extension, the Pelicans also haven’t found a trade partner for the potential free agent.
