Training camps open next month. NBA Opening Night is two months away. Roundball Rock is only getting louder, which means the NBA season is almost at our fingertips.
The offseason had fewe fireworks than years past, but impact moves were made around the league. Here are three teams that had great offseasons and are set up to make some noise this season.
3. Orlando Magic
The Magic were in the bottom ten of all major offensive categories last season. It felt like creating offense was a chore for the team, leaving Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner to do a lot of the heavy lifting on offense.
Orlando swung for the fences early in the summer and traded for Desmond Bane. Bane is one of three players since 2021 to hit at least 800 threes on a 40% clip. He is an elite floor-spacer, and he has grown as a passer, averaging at least five assists per game the last two seasons. He should make life easier for Banchero and Wagner because of his perimeter prowess.
The Magic have finished as a bottom-ten offense in each of the last 13 seasons. With the East wide open, their two All-Star forwards, and the addition of Bane, not only will that streak likely end, but Orlando could find itself making a run next spring.
2. Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks have been play-in warriors for the last four seasons, but after an active offseason, that is likely to change.
In free agency, they signed Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who was arguably the top 3-and-D player on the market. They traded for Kristaps Porzingis to shore up their center spot and give them some much-needed versatility. In the draft, they selected Asa Newell, a high-upside forward, who gives them even more length in the frontcourt.
Atlanta will also see the return of Jalen Johnson this year. Johnson was playing at an All-Star level last season before he got hurt, and he and Trae Young showed a high level of synergy. The team’s core of Johnson, Young, and Dyson Daniels is now surrounded by great depth and versatility. That should help the Hawks reach new heights in an East that is in flux.
1. Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets’ problem was depth last season, and it showed whenever Nikola Jokic was off the court. Denver had a -9.8 net rating when in non-Jokic minutes last year. Despite that fact, they took eventual champion Oklahoma City to seven games.
This summer, the Nuggets fixed their depth problem in a huge way. They swapped Michael Porter Jr. for Cam Johnson, giving them more offensive versatility and better defense in their starting unit.
They signed Tim Hardaway Jr. to bolster their bench scoring and shooting (37 percent from three last season). They brought back Bruce Brown and traded for Jonas Valanciunas, giving them a real backup center behind Jokic.
Denver can now go nine or ten deep next season, something they haven’t been able to do since their championship run in 2023. This is arguably the best roster Jokic has ever had, and that should allow the Nuggets to compete for the number one seed in a loaded Western Conference next season
