NBA offseason grades: 76ers deserve an 'A' — but does anyone else? Report cards for all 15 teams in the East
As the Aspiration scandal lingers and a number of restricted free agents hang in the balance, much of the NBA's summer business has been completed, which means we are free to grade each team's list of transactions with our own offseason report card.
Teams are graded on a sliding scale of: Did you get better? If, for the most part, you stood pat, or made lateral moves, or did your best to navigate the league's collective bargaining agreement, then you earned a C. If you got better, you warranted a B, and if you took significant steps to improve your organization, you earned yourself an A.
Conversely, if you got worse, you got a D. Nobody got so much worse that they failed the offseason, at least not in the Eastern Conference, where we will start our grades.
It only makes sense to begin in the East, where much of the offseason's movement occurred. Giannis Antetokounmpo jumped from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Miami Heat. Both Jaylen Brown and LeBron James flocked to the Philadelphia 76ers. And if ever the Aspiration scandal resolves, Kawhi Leonard could join the Toronto Raptors.
There is much to fill out in this summer's report card, so let's get to it … in the East.
Atlanta Hawks
2025-26: 46-36
2026-27 wins O/U: 43.5
Key additions: Lu Dort • Aaron Wiggins • Kingston Flemings
Key subtractions: Jonathan Kuminga • Zaccharie Risacher • Gabe Vincent
The Hawks did good work this summer, adding two members of the 2025 NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder, Lu Dort and Andrew Wiggins, and selecting Kingston Flemings with the No. 8 pick — courtesy of the New Orleans Pelicans.
After trading Trae Young ahead of the February deadline, Atlanta did not take a big offseason swing, opting out of the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes, forgoing a pursuit of Jaylen Brown and watching as other All-Star players headed elsewhere.
Jonathan Kuminga is still in free-agency limbo, as is Gabe Vincent, and for a variety of reasons the Hawks may miss both, along with Zaccharie Risacher, who was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. What remains — Dort, Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Onyeka Okongwu — are bones of a top-tier defense, and if CJ McCollum and Jalen Johnson can steer the offense, as they did to some effect in a tough first-round series with the eventual champion New York Knicks, they should be as good as they were down the stretch of last year.
Grade: B
Boston Celtics
2025-26: 56-26
2026-27 wins O/U: 51.5
Key additions: Paul George • Mitchell Robinson
Key subtractions: Jaylen Brown • Nikola Vučević
The Celtics dealt Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George and a pair of first-round draft picks, a downgrade, no matter how you feel about the trade. And by dealing Brown to Philly, Boston all but gifted the Sixers LeBron James, forging a contender inside its own division. Things could have gone better for Brad Stevens, whose own pursuit of Antetokounmpo stopped short of including Hugo González.
Signing Mitchell Robinson worked twofold, removing a key component from the rival Knicks and shoring up Boston's depth at the center spot. With a presumably healthy Jayson Tatum using Brown's possessions, George slotted in beside him (so long as he is healthy) and the rest of a 56-win roster, the Celtics should still win lots of games.
Grade: D
Brooklyn Nets
2025-26: 20-62
2026-27 wins O/U: 24.5
Key additions: Julius Randle • Mikel Brown Jr. • Keon Ellis • Mo Wagner
Key subtractions: Nic Claxton • Ziaire Williams
The Nets took the remainder of three-time All-Star Julius Randle's contract off of the Minnesota Timberwolves' hands, adding a first-round draft pick (Joshua Jefferson) for their troubles. That's what you're supposed to do when you're a team with salary cap space, and you can't lure a big-name free agent your way — asset accumulation.
Brooklyn also added No. 6 overall pick Mikel Brown Jr. for their own ineptitude. Considering the Nets still have a handful of 2025 first-round picks on their roster, the youth stands out. Maybe Randle and Michael Porter Jr. can lead them north of the draft's relegation zone. Or maybe this is another disastrous season for the borough.
Grade: C
Charlotte Hornets
2025-26: 44-38
2026-27 wins O/U: 37.5
Key additions: Naz Reid • Grayson Allen • Royce O'Neale • Christian Anderson
Key subtractions: LaMelo Ball • Miles Bridges • Josh Green
Trading LaMelo Ball could be addition by subtraction. It could also remove some juice from a team that filled its cup in the second half of last season. The one-time All-Star was a polarizing player on and off the court, and the Hornets decided he was not worth his max salary. So, they shipped him to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Naz Reid, who provides a different wrinkle for Charlotte's offense.
In addition to the picks they scored for Ball, the Hornets added another, flipping Miles Bridges to the Phoenix Suns. It is another downgrade in talent that could mean upgrades in opportunity for both Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller. They retained Coby White on a fair deal, and there's a chance they're just as good as last season, though the rest of the Eastern Conference has gotten a lot tougher around them.
Grade: C
Chicago Bulls
2025-26: 31-51
2026-27 wins O/U: 27.5
Key additions: Caleb Wilson • Norman Powell • Nic Claxton
Key subtractions: Anfernee Simons • Collin Sexton • Nick Richards
Caleb Wilson is going to be a star. To land him with the No. 4 overall pick after a 31-win season is excellent business, even if it required a bit of lottery luck for the Bulls.
Signing Norman Powell away from the Miami Heat and into salary cap space gives Chicago some offensive punch, and the addition of Nic Claxton — in exchange for almost nothing — should improve a defense around Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey.
The Bulls aren't going to be great by any stretch of the imagination, but they have chosen a direction, opting out of the NBA's middle and into the lottery, where they have already had some fortune and smartly used their cap space, building toward a brighter future. It's amazing what a change of leadership can do, as Bryson Graham assumed control of basketball operations from Artūras Karnišovas only months ago.
Grade: A
Cleveland Cavaliers
2025-26: 52-30
2026-27 wins O/U: 47.5
Key additions: Mario Hezonja • Meleek Thomas
Key subtractions: Dean Wade • Keon Ellis
The Cavaliers lost Dean Wade to free agency, hoping to reunite with LeBron James instead, only to find out James chose the 76ers. So, they scored 2023 EuroLeague champion Mario Hezonja on the wing in a classic case of what might have been.
Now? The Eastern Conference finalists have yet to retain James Harden, though we expect an end to their contract negotiations soon. Even if they do re-sign him, was acquiring a 36-year-old future Hall of Famer in exchange for 26-year-old two-time All-Star Darius Garland a wise move, since it may have cost them their shot at James?
Grade: D
Detroit Pistons
2025-26: 60-22
2026-27 wins O/U: 50.5
Key additions: John Collins • Isaiah Joe • Ebuka Okorie • Gary Harris • Taurean Prince
Key subtractions: Tobias Harris • Isaiah Stewart • Caris LeVert • Marcus Sasser
I'm not a fan of the John Collins signing, especially in place of Tobias Harris, who provided invaluable veteran leadership in Detroit. I'm not sure it's an upgrade. It's certainly not the sort of upgrade anyone imagined for the Pistons at the 4 position.
They scored Isaiah Joe from the Oklahoma City Thunder, adding him to Duncan Robinson and Kevin Huerter for shooting around the pick-and-roll combination of Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren. That, of course, assumes Duren re-signs in Detroit. He is a restricted free agent, and the prolonged negotiations over his value to the organization cannot be considered a positive outcome from this offseason.
They will feel the loss of Isaiah Stewart, who finished seventh in Sixth Man of the Year voting last season. He offered toughness on defense and versatility (or at least the threat of it) on offense that no other big on the roster provides. As a number of their Eastern Conference competitors bolstered their rotations, it's hard to argue that the Pistons didn't take a step back, and that's a tough look for the returning No. 1 seed.
Grade: D
Indiana Pacers
2025-26: 19-63
2026-27 wins O/U: 44.5
Key additions: Kelly Oubre Jr. • Larry Nance Jr.
Key subtractions: None
The Pacers will presumably add Tyrese Haliburton, who missed all of last season with an Achilles injury, and Ivica Zubac, who played just five games in Indiana upon arrival at the trade deadline, to a roster that includes Pascal Siakam. That's a fairly intriguing top three, even if we knew they were all going to be on the roster at offseason's start.
It would have been nice to add the No. 5 overall pick, which they earned upon tanking this past season, except the first-round pick they traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for Zubac was only protected 1-4, so Keaton Wagler joined the Clips instead.
On the bright side, the Pacers signed Kelly Oubre Jr. and Larry Nance Jr., a pair of low-profile veterans who should provide some stewardship in the locker room and a bit of on-court versatility to a team that made the 2025 NBA Finals with less talent.
Grade: C
Miami Heat
2025-26: 43-39
2026-27 wins O/U: 46.5
Key additions: Giannis Antetokounmpo • Tim Hardaway Jr. • Bobby Portis • Ryan Conwell
Key subtractions: Tyler Herro • Norman Powell • Jaime Jaquez Jr. • Kel'el Ware • Kasparas Jakučionis
The Heat landed two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo for a package centered around Tyler Herro, and that is an upgrade nobody can ignore. When paired with Bam Adebayo, Antetokounmpo should immediately form a top-10 defense in Miami, and Giannis has consistently been the engine of a top-flight offense, too.
But their projected starting lineup still features Andrew Wiggins, Davion Mitchell and Pelle Larson. In order to truly nail the offseason, the Heat had to make moves on the fringes, and so far Tim Hardaway Jr. is the only low-cost addition of any significance.
You still make the trade for Antetokounmpo, obviously, but he alone does not make a contender. The Heat need a number of dominoes to fall in order to truly compete for a championship, and executive Pat Riley may eventually start tipping the depth chart in their favor, but for now, at least, the lack of a rotation is what kept them from an A.
Grade: B
Milwaukee Bucks
2025-26: 32-50
2026-27 wins O/U: 26.5
Key additions: Tyler Herro • Jaime Jaquez Jr. • Kel'el Ware • Brayden Burries • Nate Ament • Kasparas Jakučionis • Caris LeVert
Key subtractions: Giannis Antetokounmpo • Bobby Portis • Taurean Prince • Gary Harris
Of all the offers for Antetokounmpo, the Bucks opted for one including Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel'el Ware, Kasparas Jakučionis and the rights to four first-round draft picks. It's hard to argue that the Bucks scored a blue-chip talent in the bunch, and that is a tough pill to swallow when you trade the organization's most vital performer.
Milwaukee did grab Brayden Burries with the No. 10 overall pick, and then used the No. 12 pick — the first of their selections coming from Miami — on Nate Ament. Burries looks like a player, and Ament could be one, too. If both become contributors, it is a decent starting point for a team now committed to starting over from scratch.
But the Bucks went into the offseason with Antetokounmpo as their best player and left with Herro as their top guy. Granted, they entered the summer knowing they were going to downgrade in talent, but surely they would have preferred to emerge from it with something to pin their hopes to other than their latest first-round picks and a $64 million contract for Gary Trent Jr. (now under investigation by the NBA for how incredulous it is).
Grade: D
New York Knicks
2025-26: 53-29
2026-27 wins O/U: 52.5
Key additions: Andre Drummond
Key subtractions: Mitchell Robinson • Ariel Hukporti
The second apron spares nobody, and it came for Mitchell Robinson, as the Knicks opted not to spend into that more restrictive stratosphere. So, Robinson — a key component of their championship run this past season — will take his talents as an energetic offensive rebounder and rim protector to the rival Boston Celtics instead.
The loss of third-string center Ariel Hukporti is not lost on us, either, but signing Andre Drummond isn't the worst option to spell Karl-Anthony Towns on a veteran minimum's salary. He will eat minutes in a rotation that still features Towns, Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart, the starters for a title team.
The Knicks did well to re-sign the rest of their rotational contributors, retaining Landry Shamet, Jose Alvarado and Mo Diawara on bargain deals to stay in New York. Are the Knicks better than they were last season? No, but they're not much worse.
Grade: C
Orlando Magic
2025-26: 45-37
2026-27 wins O/U: 43.5
Key additions: Nikola Vučević
Key subtractions: Mo Wagner
The Magic entered the offseason with a talented starting lineup of Jalen Suggs, Desmond Bane, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr., the lot of whom collectively underachieved during the regular season, only to nearly upset the top-seeded Pistons in the first round of the playoffs. It was apparently enough to convince Orlando to do little to nothing to address any concerns about the roster.
The Magic did let Franz's brother Mo Wagner walk in free agency, signing old friend Nikola Vučević as a replacement on a minimum salary. Vučević struggled to crack Boston's rotation in the postseason, but as a regular-season contributor he should be helpful, especially in place of theoretical contributions of the oft-injured Wagner.
Grade: C
Philadelphia 76ers
2025-26: 45-37
2026-27 wins O/U: 50.5
Key additions: Jaylen Brown • LeBron James • Dean Wade • Anfernee Simons • Kentavious Caldwell-Pope • Labaron Philon
Key subtractions: Paul George • Quentin Grimes • Kelly Oubre Jr. • Andre Drummond
The 76ers turned Paul George and a pair of first-round picks into 2024 NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown, and then used their newly formed superteam — boasting Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe as well — to lure LeBron James to Philly.
No team added as much talent as the Sixers did this summer, forging a contender overnight from a team that failed to win a game against the Knicks in the conference semifinals. Along the way, Philadelphia reinforced the rotation with the additions of Dean Wade, Anfernee Simons and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, deepening the bench.
If summer league is any indication, the selection of Labaron Philon with the 22nd overall pick also looks like a steal. Add it all up, and the Sixers' new president of basketball operations, Mike Gansey, is the early frontrunner for Executive of the Year.
Grade: A
Toronto Raptors
2025-26: 46-36
2026-27 wins O/U: 45.5
Key additions: Kawhi Leonard* • Kyle Anderson • Allen Graves
Key subtractions: Brandon Ingram* • Gradey Dick* • Sandro Mamukelashvili
*Assuming the trade of Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and draft compensation for Kawhi Leonard goes through, the Raptors will have addressed their chief concern, adding a creator who does not disrupt the chemistry they already had on defense.
That is no given, though, since Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers remain under investigation related to the Aspiration scandal, and the penalty against him could be so severe that the trade is never completed. But we will grade them as if it will be.
So, while Leonard is the type of player who can create in the clutch, elevating a lineup that features Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes and Jakob Poeltl, I'm not sure the additions of Kyle Anderson and Allen Graves transform Toronto into a contender from a team that pushed the Cleveland Cavaliers to a Game 7 in the opening round of the playoffs. But the addition of Leonard is a step in that direction.
Grade: B
Washington Wizards
2025-26: 17-65
2026-27 wins O/U: 35.5
Key additions: AJ Dybantsa • Deandre Ayton • Khris Middleton
Key subtractions: Marvin Bagley III
As the Wizards return All-Stars Trae Young and Anthony Davis — both injured when they were acquired ahead of the February trade deadline — to a team that won 17 games last season, somewhat lost in the sauce is the fact that they scored the No. 1 overall pick, AJ Dybantsa, in a draft that featured as many as four franchise faces.
While Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson all showed flashes of future superstardom in summer league, so, too, did Dybantsa, who joins Davis and recent No. 2 pick Alex Sarr in a frontcourt as talented as most others in the NBA.
Meanwhile, the Wizards nabbed Deandre Ayton from the Los Angeles Lakers, taking a low-risk flier on the former No. 1 pick as a backup to bolster that same frontcourt. The reacquisition of Khris Middleton further injects some veteran leadership — next to Young and Davis — into a roster full of first-round picks in need of development.
