Brooklyn Nets

Key additions: Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, DeAndre Jordan



It might not be apparent this year but signing two of the top three free agents bodes well for Brooklyn. That they also managed to squeeze in a rebounding and defensive big in DeAndre Jordan is just a testament to how well this team is being run right now. They have now become the franchise in New York and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future. This off-season should erase any bad taste their abysmal 2014 trade with the Celtics left.



Utah Jazz

Key additions: Mike Conley, Bojan Bogdanovic, Ed Davis



The Jazz were a good team for the past few years but just couldn’t find a way to get past the second round of the playoffs. What they needed was another body who could take some of the scoring load from Donovan Mitchell but who could also play with the same intensity as the Jazz do on defense. With Mike Conley, they got exactly that. Ricky Rubio was good but was too inconsistent on offense and Conley is definitely an upgrade over him in every way. And with the Jazz signing another shooter in Bojan Bogdanovic and stealing Ed Davis in the free agency frenzy, the Jazz have just become one of the most formidable teams in the West.



Philadelphia 76ers

Key additions: Al Horford, Josh Richardson



What small ball are you talking about? The potential starting lineup of 76ers could possibly look something like this: Ben Simmons (6’10”), Josh Richardson (6’6”), Tobias Harris (6’9”), Al Horford (6’10”), and Joel Embiid (7’0”). That’s a huge lineup but one that doesn’t really sacrifice a lot in terms of mobility and outside shooting (hopefully enough to cover for Ben Simmons’ lack of a jumper). Sure it hurts losing guys like Jimmy Butler and JJ Redick but this is one of those lineups that, should it work, is going to give a lot of teams problems.



Boston Celtics

Key additions: Kemba Walker, Enes Kanter



The Kyrie Irving experiment has undoubtedly failed and while it might seem like the Celtics have lost more than what they gained, we have to consider that they were already stacked in the first place (both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will only get better next season). This might be a case of less is more for the Boston franchise and you can be sure that Kemba Walker and Enes Kanter will be more than solid contributors from day one.



New Orleans Pelicans

Key additions: JJ Redick, Derrick Favors



After trading away their best player who is also one of the best forwards in the modern NBA era, the Pelicans are now probably one of the best and undeniably the most exciting team in the West. After drafting Zion Williamson and getting virtually an entire team from the Lakers, the Pelicans have also added sharpshooter JJ Redick and quality big man Derrick Favors to complete their roster. The Pelicans have just proven that not all rebuilds have to be bad.