NBA free agency moves fast — and it gets faster each year. Remember “The Decision,” LeBron James’ televised announcement he was heading to Miami 14 years ago? That was on July 8, and it wasn’t until that domino fell that most others followed that summer. Today, in a fast-moving world where teams can negotiate with their own free agents after the season (but before the official start of free agency) and tampering is rampant decisions are made quickly, free agency is done long before July 8. As an executive put it to NBC Sports, free agency is two-thirds done before it officially starts.
With everything happening so fast, fans can be forgiven for missing what new faces are in new places for the 2024-25 NBA season. To catch you up, here are the biggest players to switch teams in the offseason.
Paul George to Philadelphia
Philadelphia decision-maker Daryl Morey pushed all his chips in on a massive bet — he spent years hoarding future cap space to ensure the 76ers would have max cap space in the summer of 2024, allowing him to reshape the roster around his MVP-level center Joel Embiid and fast-rising guard Tyrese Maxey.
That bet paid off when Paul George hit free agency after the Clippers tried to low-ball him (at least from George’s perspective — he said he would have taken less to stay, as Kawhi Leonard did, but he wanted a no-trade clause so they couldn’t just get him for less then move him wherever, and the Clippers wouldn’t give it).
Morey and the 76ers pounced.
Paul George put forth a strong outing in his @sixers debut!
— NBA (@NBA) October 12, 2024
23 PTS (53.3 FG%)
6 REB
4 3PM pic.twitter.com/gCsyKpB3iz
Philadelphia now has a Big 3 with Embiid in the paint, George on the wing and Maxey at the point — that’s three All-NBA level players at once. Morey also did a good job getting solid role players around that core (Caleb Martin, Kelly Oubre Jr., Eric Gordon and more) despite limited resources. If Philly can get Embiid and George to the playoffs healthy the 76ers are a legitimate threat to Boston at the top of the East.
Mikal Bridges, Karl-Anthony Towns to New York
New York is coming off its best season since the Carmelo Anthony era, winning 50 games and advancing to the second round of the playoffs. Team president Leon Rose doubled down on that run with his offseason moves.
First, he traded five first-round picks for Mikal Bridges — a high-level two-way wing and another former Villanova star who is a hand-in-glove fit with the Knicks’ core. Bridges can be a secondary shot creator and also improves the Knicks’ defense, but they gave up a lot for a player who has never been an All-Star (even if he has played at that level). New York may match up better with Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in Boston than anyone — Bridges with OG Anunoby puts two quality defenders on the wing to challenge the Celtics’ stars.
Mikal's first (preseason) bucket in @TheGarden 🥹 pic.twitter.com/oY4a3TSyaW
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) October 9, 2024
Then came the shocking trade — even to the players involved —New York traded for All-NBA center Karl-Anthony Towns, sending out Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to Minnesota. New York needed a center and Towns is one of the best in the game, he and Brunson together will make the Knicks offense elite.
Is New York’s defense good enough with KAT as the anchor to challenge Boston and Philly at the top of the East? Do they have the depth? Those may be questions for April and beyond, in the regular season these Knicks will push for the No. 1 seed.
Klay Thompson to Dallas
One of the Mavericks’ takeaways from the NBA Finals was they needed more shooting around Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Out on the West Coast, Klay Thompson — one of the greatest pure shooters the game has ever seen — had grown to feel unappreciated in Golden State and wanted a fresh start and the chance to change the narrative around him.
It was a match made in heaven… at least on offense. Dallas had the 10th-ranked offense in the league a season ago and that number should climb with more spacing, plus having Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford at center all season long is an upgrade.
The question in Big D is defense — can the Mavericks get enough stops to return to the Finals? Thompson is not the defender he once was, and he replaces Derrick Jones Jr. in the starting five, who is a plus wing defender. Can Lively take a big enough step forward as a rim protector to clean up that mess? Watch for another Dallas offseason signing, Naji Marshall, to get increased run on the wing because of his defense, so long as he keeps hitting 3s at the 38.7% pace he did a season ago (likely with increased volume this season).
DeMar DeRozan to Sacramento
A big-name free agent chose to go to Sacramento — that is a huge win for this long-suffering franchise and a sign of them having turned things around. They are becoming respectable around the league. (Technically the deal to bring him to Sacramento was a sign-and-trade, but DeRozan made the call.)
DeRozan averaged 24 points a game last season in Chicago and brings another shot-creator and scorer to the best offense in the NBA two years ago, but slipped back to average last season. DeRozan, paired with Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox, will put a lot of pressure on defenses. Fox and DeRozan are also two of the best clutch players in the league, this team will be dangerous in end-game situation. The challenge will be spacing — all three of these players prefer to drive the lane/work in the midrange, they will need shooting around them to keep the floor spaced.
DeRozan isn’t a defender and that’s the Kings’ Achilles heel — this trade likely makes them a little better in the regular season but not a bigger playoff threat. Still, in Sacramento, adding a player who can help them return to the postseason — and one who chose to come there — is a win.
Alex Caruso, Isaiah Hartenstein to OKC
When NBA general managers were polled about who had the best offseason, they didn’t vote for Philadelphia — who landed Paul George —they voted for Oklahoma City.
The Thunder were the top team in the West last regular season and gained valuable playoff experience for their young roster, but also saw clearly what their weaknesses were: They needed a big body in the paint for some matchups, and they needed better defense and 3-point shooting at the guard spot than Josh Giddey could provide.
Enter Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein — two players right out of central casting to fill those needs on a team with title aspirations. Caruso is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league and brings championship experience having won a ring with the Lakers. Hartenstein showed last season in New York — and, honestly, with the Clippers before that but not many fans noticed — that is is a rock-solid two-way center who can score, pass and defend.
With the addition of Caruso and Hartenstein — on top of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and an already stacked roster — the Thunder enter the season as the team to beat in the West.
Dejounte Murray to New Orleans
New Orleans wanted a point guard to organize their offense, and after two years of often working off the ball in Atlanta next to Trae Young, Murray is happy to have the ball back in his hands, giving him a chance to make decisions.
Playing next to Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram (at least for now with Ingram) Murray isn’t going to rack up the kind of counting stats his fantasy owners may want, but he’s an upgrade on the court looking for the right guy to organize and run the offense.
The Pelicans aren’t done tweaking the roster, but Murray is in for the long haul at the point and should be a good fit.
Chris Paul to San Antonio
Every year, in the annual NBA GM survey, the executives are asked, “Which active player will make the best head coach someday?” Every year, Chris Paul is at or near the top of the list. He is the best floor general of a generation and one of the highest IQ players in the league.
Which is why he’s a perfect fit for San Antonio. Well, that and the lob passes to Victor Wembanyama. The Spurs are a young team with a world of potential and the chance for Wemby and the just drafted point guard Stephon Castle to pick CP3s brain and learn the game from him is invaluable. Even if it only lasts half a season, because you can be sure Paul’s name will come up at the trade deadline (and if the offer is decent the Spurs have to seriously consider it).
Russell Westbrook to Denver
Denver’s bench is a question mark this season, with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope gone to Florida (and Bruce Brown having left the year before). That moves Christian Braun into the starting lineup (and puts more on Peyton Watson’s plate).
Westbrook is not the MVP-level triple-double machine he once was (and he wasn’t the most efficient player, even then), but the man plays hard every time he is on the court. He brings energy, and there are nights when his shot is falling, but he is still dynamic.
Denver will take what they can get from him as a positive.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to Orlando
Orlando was searching for a couple of things this offseason: More shooting, and a veteran — ideally championship experienced — presence for their young locker room.
Enter Kentavious Caldwell-Pope — the two-time NBA champion who shot 40.6% from 3-point range last season. He is a perfect fit on their wing next to Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. This was an easy call for Orlando and they had the cap space to make him a three-year, $66 million offer.
Orlando still really needs a floor general and shot-creating point guard to move to the highest levels in the East, but KCP is a great fit at a fair price.
