The NBA offseason is a period that fans of the sport worldwide anticipate, regardless of which team you support. It’s a time when the rumor mill is at full speed and where every team in the league is looking to do one thing, and one thing only: bolster the roster and move closer to becoming a title contender. This summer was a frantic period, and while some of the best teams in the league stood pat, others were aggressive trying to make moves, either via trade or free agency.
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Instead of analyzing what every team did — or didn’t do — in free agency, we’ll focus on the most relevant offseason moves from a fantasy perspective.
The Pelicans have one of the most dominant players in the league in Zion Williamson and two former All-Stars in Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum to anchor their lineup. However, they needed a point guard to round out their starting five, so they went out and got one via trade when they acquired Dejounte Murray from the Pelicans. They didn’t have to part ways with any key player in the process, as Larry Nance, Dyson Daniels, E.J. Liddell and Cody Zeller headed to Atlanta, along with first-round picks in 2025 and 2027, in exchange.
This deal fits both teams when analyzing their timelines of contention. The Pelicans can be a real threat in the Western Conference — perhaps not to challenge the Thunder, Nuggets or Timberwolves for the top spot, but they could compete for a playoff berth. Adding Murray to the mix could maximize McCollum’s efficiency in the shooting guard role, giving New Orleans four players who can carry the team offensively on any given night. Meanwhile, the Hawks acquired young players and draft assets, clearly signaling the franchise’s intention to rebuild looking toward the future.
From a fantasy perspective, Murray could experience a lower usage compared to his 2023-24 numbers in Atlanta, where he averaged a career-high 22.5 points with 6.4 assists per game. The scoring might take a dip, but if it hovers around the 15-to-18 point mark, while experiencing an uptick in assists, it would be enough to maintain his status as a player worth targeting around the third or fourth round in most drafts. McCollum and Williamson should also benefit from having a natural point guard on the roster, as both will have fewer responsibilities to orchestrate the offense.
It’s odd to see trades between rivals, but it’s even more uncommon to see trades between the Knicks and Nets. That’s exactly what happened this summer when the Knicks acquired Mikal Bridges from the Nets in exchange for Bojan Bogdanović, Mamadi Diakite, Shake Milton and an impressive haul of draft picks. It was the first time the Knicks and Nets completed a trade with each other since 1983.
There’s no question both teams had a clear motivation to get this deal done. Bridges averaged 19.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists for Brooklyn last season, and he adds another weapon to an already stacked New York roster. He also wanted to join the Knicks and play alongside other former Villanova standouts such as Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo. Meanwhile, the Nets keep stacking picks and assets to continue their rebuilding process. It’s clear the Nets got the most they could get out of Bridges, who will now play for a contender.
Fantasy-wise, Bridges’ numbers might suffer a hit compared to the 2023-24 season, as he will likely operate as the third offensive option on the Knicks behind Brunson and Julius Randle. However, he should flourish in other areas of the game, and if he’s able to replicate the 37.2% shooting from deep he had with the Nets last year, that would bolster his value. He should still be targeted as a solid mid-round option across all formats since he’ll play starter-level minutes on a contending team.
The Bulls have been moving in a complex direction over the last few years, as they haven’t been good enough to compete for a playoff spot but were too competitive to secure high picks in drafts. However, they seem to be taking clear steps toward rebuilding after parting ways with two of their best players this summer: DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso.
Both left the franchise via trades and joined Western Conference teams, with DeRozan landing in Sacramento and Caruso moving to Oklahoma City.
The Bulls acquired Josh Giddey as the main piece of the Caruso deal, and while the league-wide opinion was that they could’ve gotten more in return for one of the best defenders in the league, Giddey is a young player who has stat-filling potential and who should see steady minutes in a starting role in Chicago. Giddey is likely to play at point guard for the Bulls, and the uptick in usage should also translate to increased fantasy upside. The return for DeRozan was minimal, as the Bulls were part of a three-team trade, but it gives them financial flexibility for the future.
Caruso will join an Oklahoma City team that was already excellent on the defensive end of the court. Adding him to a lineup featuring Chet Holmgren, Luguentz Dort and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will transform the Thunder into a daunting matchup for most teams. However, the deal won’t have many implications from a fantasy perspective, as Caruso held a secondary role in the Bulls’ offensive scheme, and that will remain the case in Oklahoma City. His ability to shoot the 3 and rack up stats will remain, but ultimately, Caruso’s role will determine his fantasy upside.
As for DeRozan, he lands in Sacramento looking to form the franchise’s next “Big Three” alongside Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox. One of the best pure scorers in the league and a veteran who has transformed his game throughout the years, DeRozan shouldn’t have problems adjusting to a lesser role in Sacramento, as he will also go from a Play-In candidate to a team looking to contend in the ever-difficult Western Conference.
Fantasy managers can expect a slight regression from DeRozan in his scoring numbers. Still, it shouldn’t be enough to see him experience a drastic modification in the ADP he’s had in recent years. DeRozan should remain a capable scorer with plenty of upside and durability, which should be enough to keep him as a player worth targeting in the early portion of most fantasy drafts, even with the change of scenery.
“The Splash Brothers” are officially a thing of the past, and some NBA fans could feel this summer was officially the end of an era. Klay Thompson left the Bay Area and joined the Mavericks after signing a three-year, $50 million contract with the franchise as part of a sign-and-trade deal. However, his departure from Golden State wasn’t entirely surprising, as multiple incidents during the 2023-24 campaign hinted at Thompson’s departure in free agency.
The veteran sharpshooter remains a capable scorer and a threat from beyond the arc, but it’s not a secret that his numbers are trending in the wrong direction, which shouldn’t be much of a surprise given his recent injury history. Thompson averaged 17.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.6 steals and 3.5 three-pointers per game in 2023-24, and while those numbers look good on the surface, that’s the first time he averaged less than 20.0 points per game since the 2012-13 campaign. It’s hard to imagine him experiencing a massive uptick in scoring since he’ll be relegated to being the third scoring option in Dallas behind Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving.
In this scenario, fantasy managers should continue to target Thompson, but not as a mid-round target as he was in past seasons. At this point in his career, Thompson could be viewed as more of a specialist than a must-roster fantasy asset. He could be a solid addition to any fantasy roster regardless of the format with a late-round pick, but his lack of contributions in other categories outside of the scoring column diminishes his overall value as a well-rounded fantasy asset.
Using the phrase “well-rounded fantasy asset” could be an excellent way to describe Paul George, one of the most versatile wing players in the NBA over the past decade and someone set to enter another title-contending situation after changing teams in the offseason. His tenure with the Clippers and his partnership with Kawhi Leonard ended over the summer, and he opted to sign with the 76ers after agreeing to a four-year, $212 million maximum contract at the beginning of free agency.
If George wanted to win a title before retiring, he couldn’t have asked for a better scenario, given his options in the open market. The 76ers have a perennial MVP candidate in Joel Embiid, one of the best young guards in the league in Tyrese Maxey and a strong supporting cast that will allow head coach Nick Nurse to play a deep rotation on a nightly basis. George joins a stacked roster and will add versatility since he averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals in 33.8 minutes per game last year. Even though health issues have plagued him throughout his career, it’s worth noting that George appeared in 74 regular-season games in 2023-24, his highest mark since the 2018-19 campaign.
From a fantasy perspective, George’s numbers might experience a regression in the scoring column, as he’ll compete with Maxey for being the No. 2 option behind Embiid. However, George’s pedigree and experience in the league should give him an upper hand in that race. The regression in scoring shouldn’t translate to other categories, as George could find himself with the ball in his hands often, and his other traits haven’t slowed down yet. He should be an excellent target in the early stages of most drafts once again, as he’s a versatile player who can fill the stat sheet regularly while playing heavy minutes on a contender. More often than not, that’s a recipe for fantasy success.
