The first full week of NBA free agency has provided plenty of fireworks.
Kevin Durant is officially a Houston Rocket. Myles Turner switched teams within the division when he surprisingly chose to sign with the Milwaukee Bucks, who had to waive Damian Lillard just to create the salary cap space. Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic all made smart splashes to set themselves up for a playoff run in 2025-26.
But which deals caught the eyes of our NBA insiders? Which trades and signings left them scratching their heads? Which moves could affect the race to the title? ESPN’s Chris Herring, Zach Kram, Bobby Marks and Kevin Pelton are breaking down the flurry of action to start the summer.
My favorite move of the offseason has been _____.
Herring: The Hawks landing Kristaps Porzingis in a three-team deal with the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets. Atlanta needs ample defense around Trae Young to contend at a high level. The Dyson Daniels addition was one big step in that direction last season, and the reasonable deal for Porzingis — one of the league’s best rim protectors when healthy — is yet another. And none of that even touches on the Nickeil Alexander-Walker addition, which also figures to bolster the Hawks.
Kram: The Rockets’ trade for Durant. Just because it’s obvious doesn’t mean it’s not my favorite, as the Rockets fixed their only real weakness with one of the greatest possible solutions — and for a bargain price. The trade instantly elevated the Rockets from fun young upstart to legitimate championship contender.
Marks: Luke Kornet to the San Antonio Spurs. Talking to team executives leading up to June 30, the one consistent question was where Kornet would land. The answer came when he agreed to a four-year, $41 million contract with the Spurs. His nearly $9 million salary in the first year equals his career earnings since entering the league in 2017. Finances aside, Kornet’s addition gives San Antonio a reliable backup behind Victor Wembanyama and another 7-plus-foot center to pair with him.
Pelton: The Hawks acquiring the better 2026 first-round pick from Milwaukee or New Orleans to go back just 10 spots on the first night of this year’s draft. The Pelicans should enjoy better health next season, but making the playoffs in the West is a challenge, meaning there’s an excellent chance the Hawks end up getting a pick as good or better than the No. 13 pick they gave up — with the upside of a top-four pick.
One move that will impact the run to the Finals is _____.
1:16
Kendrick Perkins: Rockets biggest winners so far this offseason
Kendrick Perkins weighs in on the Rockets’ busy offseason after acquiring Dorian Finney-Smith.
Herring: The Knicks, right up against the second apron, caught a huge break in Jordan Clarkson reaching a buyout agreement with the Utah Jazz. By being able to land him for the veterans minimum after he cleared waivers, New York’s once-thin rotation acquired a skilled scorer and playmaker who can shoulder some of the ballhandling burden from Jalen Brunson. Last season, Brunson handled the ball more than any NBA player per game. The Clarkson move also allowed the Knicks to use their midlevel exception on versatile big man Guerschon Yabusele.
Kram: Brook Lopez signing a two-year deal to become the LA Clippers‘ backup center. Last season, the Clippers had a plus-9.0 net rating when starter Ivica Zubac was on the court, per Cleaning the Glass, but a negative-5.5 net rating without him. That was the third-largest on/off split in the league among players with at least 1,000 minutes, behind only Nikola Jokic and Dorian Finney-Smith. Lopez has declined from his peak with the Bucks, but he remains a strong rim protector and floor spacer. And he doesn’t need to be a 30-minutes-per-game stalwart to help the Clippers; he just needs to help them tread water for the dozen or so minutes that Zubac isn’t on the court every game. Lopez is more than capable of that task.
Marks: The Desmond Bane trade to Orlando stole the headlines leading up to the draft, but it was the Magic signing Tyus Jones to a one-year, $7 million contract that could put them in a position to contend in the Eastern Conference. The addition of one the best facilitators in free agency — Jones has averaged at least five assists the past three seasons while playing fewer than 30 minutes — helps improve a Magic offense that ranked last in assists this past season.
Pelton: Houston signing Finney-Smith as a difference-making move next spring. Finney-Smith is playoff tested, having reached the conference finals with the Dallas Mavericks in 2022 and averaged 34 minutes for the Los Angeles Lakers in last season’s first round. Adding Finney-Smith helped the Rockets make up for the depth lost by trading two starters for Durant.
One move a team might regret by Christmas is _____.
Herring: Let’s go back to Kevin’s first answer, which touched on New Orleans giving up its unprotected first-round pick in last month’s draft to move up 10 spots. I think the Pelicans, as constituted, might regret that decision a lot sooner than Christmas. The West is loaded, and it’s very difficult to see how New Orleans will be a factor (and out of the lottery picture) unless more significant help is on the way.
Kram: If the Bucks and new addition Myles Turner aren’t firmly in contention by Christmas, there might be a whole lot of regrets in Milwaukee. Waiving and stretching Lillard, and thereby hamstringing Milwaukee’s financial flexibility for the next half-decade, will pay off only if the Bucks can win now. They might not be able to, despite their strong frontcourt, because their perimeter talent is so weak.
Marks: The Lillard waiver, but for a different reason. We can all agree that waiving and then stretching the $113 million owed to Lillard was the last option the Bucks had to improve their roster. We can debate the process on how Milwaukee spent the $27 million in available cap space on one player, Turner. For a team starved for depth (and also in need of a starting point guard), wouldn’t it have been better served to open up room before June 30 and then split up the money on three players, not just one?
Pelton: Much as I’ve liked the Rockets’ offseason overall, I wonder if they’ll consider Clint Capela one big man too many now that they’ve upgraded their power forward depth chart with Durant and Finney-Smith. I also have some questions about Capela’s declining athleticism. He shot just 56% last season, a career low for a full campaign and down from 65% as recently as 2022-23.
One deal no one is talking about is _____.
1:09
Shams: Duncan Robinson can make a difference for Pistons
Shams Charania joins “SportsCenter” to break down Duncan Robinson’s three-year, $48 million sign-and-trade deal to the Pistons.
Herring: I thought the Isaac Okoro–Lonzo Ball swap, which puts Ball in Cleveland, was really smart on the Cavs’ part. They went into the offseason knowing they probably would pass on bringing back free agent ball handler Ty Jerome — the team was staring at a quarter-billion dollar luxury tax bill if it brought back last season’s exact roster — so it opted to acquire Ball, who’s entering the final guaranteed year of his deal at just $10 million. Ball obviously missed considerable time the last couple of seasons and struggled with his shot last season. But given Okoro’s shortcomings as a shooter, particularly in the playoffs, swapping him for Ball’s short-term deal was a low-risk, high-reward move if he can stay on the court.
Kram: Collin Sexton joining the Charlotte Hornets. I suppose it makes sense that little attention would be paid to a trade between the Hornets and Jazz, who finished a combined 36-128 last season. But for the small cost of center Jusuf Nurkic, Charlotte added a future second-round pick and Sexton, who has averaged 24 points and six assists per 36 minutes on strong efficiency over the past three seasons. In the short term, Sexton should help Charlotte as an extra scorer next to Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball. In the long term, given his expiring contract, he could serve as a valuable trade target for a contender at the deadline, potentially bringing Charlotte even more draft picks.
Marks: The Detroit Pistons pivoting away from Dennis Schroder, Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. to sign Caris LeVert and acquire Duncan Robinson in a sign-and-trade from the Miami Heat. The additions give Detroit two players who shot better than 37% on 3-pointers and provide balance on offense. The Pistons will also return Jaden Ivey to replace Schroder. Before breaking his right fibula on Jan. 1, Ivey averaged a career high 17.6 points, 46% shooting, including 40.9% on 3s.
Pelton: I suppose people are talking about the Lakers signing Jake LaRavia, but not enough in terms of the deal’s upside. LaRavia led all players with at least 90 attempts (a bar he barely cleared) by shooting 46% on above-the-break 3s, per The F5 newsletter. It’s unclear how many of those shots LaRavia will get in a Lakers offense in which Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves all like to operate from the middle of the court, but it’s an indicator of overall shooting quality. LaRavia hit 46% of attempts from the corners his first two seasons, per Basketball-Reference.com, before dropping to 38% last season. And he’ll get plenty of those looks from the Lakers’ creators.
One team that should have made a bigger splash is _____.
Herring: In the wake of the Bucks waiving Lillard, I’m still waiting for them to make something happen at point guard. Yes, they have Kevin Porter Jr., but he is not enough if you’re trying to sell the notion of title contention to Giannis Antetokounmpo. It’s not clear what type of deal it would take, but Chris Paul would be a great fit if the Bucks can somehow swing it.
Kram: The Heat have added only one player so far, and it’s hard to imagine Simone Fontecchio, who came from Detroit in the Robinson sign-and-trade, making much of a difference. After a humiliating blowout in the first round this past spring — Miami’s average margin of defeat against Cleveland was 30.5 points — the Heat haven’t picked a direction or given any real indication that they know what comes next.
Marks: Golden State. Give the Warriors partial credit for trading Jimmy Butler III six months ago. But since then, their lone transactions have been drafting Alex Toohey and Will Richard in the second round. The inactivity is largely due to the holding pattern relating to the future of restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga and the unknown on how much money they have to spend in free agency. For example, signing Al Horford to more than $5.7 million hard caps the Warriors at the first apron. They are currently $25 million below.
Pelton: After the Portland Trail Blazers waived Deandre Ayton and he committed to the Lakers, Horford is the only starting-caliber center available to replace Myles Turner. Indiana did add 7-1 Jay Huff, a nice move given his shooting, but he would be stretched as a starter. Unless Horford surprises by joining the reigning East champs, it’s clear the Pacers should have done whatever it took to retain Turner — even if it would have cost them another rotation contributor to avoid the luxury tax.
