NBA offseason survey: Best, worst and most shocking moves

NBA teams have spent the summer trying to catch up with the champion Boston Celtics, with some especially significant offseason activity from their Eastern Conference rivals, the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers.

Now that the dust has mostly settled on the 2024 offseason, ESPN had the chance to chat with 18 NBA coaches, scouts and executives to get their opinions on the most impactful summer moves and what they mean for the 2024-25 season.

From the best and worst moves of the summer, to the continued impact of the new collective bargaining agreement and the chase for presumptive 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg, here’s what league insiders are buzzing about as we enter the heart of the offseason.

Who had the NBA’s best offseason?

Philadelphia 76ers: 8 votes
New York Knicks: 5
Oklahoma City Thunder: 3
Boston Celtics: 2

There wasn’t a lot of significant movement this summer, and it’s no surprise that the top three teams that earned votes made the biggest headline-grabbing deals: Paul George to Philadelphia, Mikal Bridges to New York and Alex Caruso to Oklahoma City. In the end, it was the 76ers’ offseason makeover — they also added key role players in Andre Drummond, Caleb Martin, Eric Gordon and Reggie Jackson — that received nearly half the votes after turning the most cap space in the league into the one max free agent available this summer in George.

“They took themselves to the next level,” said an East executive. “We’ll see if it’s good enough, but you went from Point A to Point B.”

Or, as one West executive put it, Philadelphia deserved the honor for landing George, “especially because of what it could have looked like” if the 76ers were left with all that cap space and no star to spend it on.

Who had the NBA’s worst offseason?

Denver Nuggets: 6 votes
Chicago Bulls: 5
LA Clippers: 4
Los Angeles Lakers: 1
New York Knicks: 1
Detroit Pistons: 1

Similarly, the majority of the votes went to three teams: Denver, after seeing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope leave as a free agent to the Orlando Magic; Chicago, after trading both Caruso and DeMar DeRozan and not getting a first-round pick in either deal (and watching the San Antonio Spurs get the best asset, a 2031 pick swap from the Kings, in the DeRozan deal); and the Clippers, for letting George leave for nothing in free agency.

Surprisingly, an East scout said the Knicks had the league’s worst offseason, pointing to the combination of losing center Isaiah Hartenstein, giving a near-max deal to OG Anunoby and paying a heavy price to land Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets.

“I’m not convinced they’ll be better this year,” the scout said.

What was the best move of the NBA offseason?

Paul George signing with the 76ers: 6 votes
Alex Caruso trade to the Thunder: 5
Jalen Brunson extending with the Knicks: 3
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope signing with the Orlando Magic: 2
Rob Dillingham drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves: 1
Mikal Bridges traded by the Brooklyn Nets: 1

After Philadelphia got the most votes for having the best overall offseason, it wasn’t a surprise that the George signing earned the most plaudits as the best individual move. Right behind it was the Caruso deal for Oklahoma City, which saw one of the league’s best perimeter defenders go to the Thunder without the franchise having to part with a single draft pick.

“Getting him without giving up a pick is crazy,” an East scout said.

Brunson’s massive discount on his extension also racked up votes, as did Caldwell-Pope going to Orlando and giving the Magic both a veteran wing defender and quality shooter, something the team desperately needed during its first-round loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“[The Magic] hit the nail on the head for what they needed,” a Western Conference scout said.

What was the worst move of the NBA offseason?

Chicago’s part in the DeMar DeRozan trade: 3 votes
Sacramento’s part in the DeRozan trade: 3
Paul George signed by the 76ers: 3
Denver losing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: 2
Mikal Bridges traded to the Knicks: 2
New Orleans Pelicans trading for Dejounte Murray: 1
Evan Mobley’s extension in Cleveland: 1
Lakers’ inactivity: 1
Isaiah Hartenstein signed by Oklahoma City: 1
Chicago’s part in the Alex Caruso/Josh Giddey deal: 1

This was perhaps the most interesting slate of results, with 10 different answers. Ironically, the voting was led by two different parts of the same trade.

The Bulls moved DeRozan and watched the Spurs come away with the only significant asset in the trade. As for Sacramento, those who cited that deal didn’t like the fit of DeRozan with the Kings.

“The opportunity cost of not giving runway to Keegan [Murray]

George to the 76ers, tabbed as the best move of the offseason, had three votes as the worst move. It wasn’t an argument on the talent, but rather on the risks of giving a four-year, $212 million max deal to a 34-year-old player.

“I think he’s on the decline,” a West scout said of George.

What was the most surprising move of the NBA offseason?

Mikal Bridges trade: 5 votes
Paul George leaving LA: 3
Alex Caruso-Josh Giddey trade: 2
Jalen Brunson extension: 1
Monty Williams firing: 1
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope leaving Denver: 1
Isaiah Hartenstein to the Thunder: 1
Rob Dillingham trade: 1
DeMar DeRozan to Sacramento: 1
Tobias Harris to Detroit: 1
Dejounte Murray to New Orleans: 1

There was also a wide range of opinions here, though it was not surprising that Bridges being traded from the Nets to the Knicks led the vote, given it was the first trade between the two franchises in more than 40 years.

“It was an incredible deal for both sides,” a West scout said.

Meanwhile, George leaving the Clippers came in second, with two different reasons cited: the Clippers letting a max player leave for nothing, and George turning down a deal and staying close to home to move across the country.

What was the biggest trend of the NBA offseason?

Teams navigating the new luxury tax aprons: 12 votes
Teams being stuck/general inactivity: 3
Teams loading up on wing depth: 2
Teams chasing a third “sub max” star: 1

This question had the biggest consensus, with the overwhelming opinion being that the story of the summer has been the impact of the new “apron” rules.

“People are realizing how this is all working,” a West executive said. “The league has gone away from free spending.”

Several people also pointed to the general lack of activity this summer, which was attributed to both the new rules and lack of cap space available. A couple cited most of the biggest moves — George, Caldwell-Pope, Bridges, Caruso — all landed in a similar category: teams looking to bolster their perimeter play at both ends of the court.

“There’s been a shift toward playing smaller, more shooting, more offense,” an Eastern Conference coach said.

On a scale from 1-5, how effective have the new CBA rules been this offseason?

5/5: 4 votes
4/5: 6
3/5: 3
2/5: 4
1/5: 1

The clear majority thought that the new CBA rules have been positive.

“The league’s goals here are working,” said an East scout, who added that they were helping small-market teams stay relevant and competitive.

Or, as a Western Conference coach said, “This is as close to the NFL as it has ever been right now. You have to make good decisions as a front office.”

For those on the other side of the ledger, the reasons were twofold: The rules were too restrictive for teams to navigate, or simply too complicated for fans.

“I think they’re almost too prohibitive,” an East executive said. “Once you hit a certain threshold, it’s impossible to improve your team, and you’re stuck.”

A West executive cited the complexity — such as the rules surrounding future draft picks being frozen for teams in the second apron — being too much for the average fan to follow.

“The league has been transaction-heavy in recent years, in terms of interest,” the executive said, “and now you have all these new rules people can’t comprehend.”

Will there be increased tanking ahead of the 2025 draft?

Yes: 10 votes
No: 8

Everyone agreed that the 2025 rookie class — led by Cooper Flagg, ESPN NBA draft expert Jonathan Givony’s projected No. 1 pick, along with Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper, Nolan Traore and V.J. Edgecombe — will have teams highly anticipating this class entering the NBA next summer.

The divide was over whether there would be more tanking than normal, or whether there would just be a handful of teams doing it at the bottom of the standings, per usual.