There's been plenty of roster turnover this offseason, and some teams have been significantly more active than others, as usual. Though the Heat added Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, most of the players from their championship team last year were under contract for at least one more season, so they bring back a dozen members of last year's squad, more returnees than any other Eastern Conference team.
Success is not necessarily a harbinger of stability, though, with only other Eastern Conference playoff team bringing back more than seven guys. Six lottery teams have eight or more returnees, including the woeful Bobcats, who have eight of the same players from the team that set a record for the lowest winning percentage in NBA history last year.
This list includes players who were under contract with their teams at the end of last season, so Jeff Green, whose deal with the Celtics was voided last year, and Mickell Gladness, who played for the Warriors after the Heat cut him loose, are seen here. We'll follow up soon with the Western Conference list.
- Heat (12) — Joel Anthony, Shane Battier, Chris Bosh, Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole, Terrel Harris, Udonis Haslem, LeBron James, James Jones, Mike Miller, Dexter Pittman, Dwyane Wade
- Bucks (10) — Mike Dunleavy, Monta Ellis, Drew Gooden, Tobias Harris, Ersan Ilyasova, Brandon Jennings, Luc Mbah a Moute, Larry Sanders, Ekpe Udoh, Beno Udrih
- Cavaliers (10) — Omri Casspi, Alonzo Gee, Daniel Gibson, Luke Harangody, Kyrie Irving, Samardo Samuels, Donald Sloan, Tristan Thompson, Anderson Varejao, Luke Walton
- Wizards (10) — Trevor Booker, Brian Cook, Jordan Crawford, Shelvin Mack,Cartier Martin, Nene, Kevin Seraphin, Chris Singleton, Jan Vesely, John Wall
- Pistons (9) — Will Bynum, Austin Daye, Jonas Jerebko, Brandon Knight, Jason Maxiell, Greg Monroe, Tayshaun Prince, Rodney Stuckey, Charlie Villanueva
- Bobcats (8) — Bismack Biyombo, Matt Carroll, DeSagana Diop, Gerald Henderson, Byron Mullens, Tyrus Thomas, Kemba Walker, Reggie Williams
- Pacers (8) — Paul George, Danny Granger, Tyler Hansbrough, Roy Hibbert, George Hill, Jeff Pendergraph, Lance Stephenson, David West
- Raptors (8) — Alan Anderson, Andrea Bargnani, Jose Calderon, Ed Davis, DeMar DeRozan, Aaron Gray, Amir Johnson, Linas Kleiza
- Bulls (7) — Carlos Boozer, Jimmy Butler, Luol Deng, Taj Gibson, Richard Hamilton, Joakim Noah, Derrick Rose
- Magic (7) — Glen Davis, Justin Harper, Jameer Nelson, J.J. Redick, Quentin Richardson, Ishmael Smith, Hedo Turkoglu
- Celtics (6) — Brandon Bass, Avery Bradley, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, Chris Wilcox
- Knicks (6) — Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler, Steve Novak, Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith, Amare Stoudemire
- Nets (6) — Keith Bogans, MarShon Brooks, Kris Humphries, Brook Lopez, Gerald Wallace, Deron Williams
- Sixers (5) — Lavoy Allen, Spencer Hawes, Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner, Thaddeus Young
- Hawks (5) — Al Horford, Ivan Johnson, Zaza Pachulia, Josh Smith, Jeff Teague
Sixers cut Xavier Silas today. They’re down to five returnees.
I just took him off the list. Thanks so much for the tip! — Chuck