The NBA’s 2019 offseason featured even more player movement than usual, with new rookies entering the league, free agents changing teams, and a total of 43(!) trades being completed between the end of the 2018/19 season and 2019/20’s opening night.
That roster turnover is reflected in this season’s list of returning players for each team. Last fall, when we looked at the teams with the most and least roster continuity from year to year, a dozen teams were bringing back at least 11 players from their 2017/18 rosters, while only two clubs carried over fewer than eight players.
Heading into the 2019/20 season though, just four teams – the Magic, Nuggets, Spurs, and Mavericks – are bringing back at least 11 players from last year’s end-of-season rosters. Meanwhile, 11 clubs will carry over fewer than eight players from their 2018/19 rosters.
[RELATED: 2019/20 NBA Roster Counts]
Listed below are the number of returning players for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, from most to fewest. Bringing back a significant number of players doesn’t necessarily lead to regular season success, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a few of the teams near the top of this list enjoy fast starts due to their players’ familiarity with each other, while teams near the bottom of the list may take some time to get used to their changes.
Here’s the returning-player count for each team:
- Orlando Magic: 13
- Denver Nuggets: 12
San Antonio Spurs: 12 - Dallas Mavericks: 11
- Charlotte Hornets: 10
Chicago Bulls: 10
Cleveland Cavaliers: 10
Houston Rockets: 10
Miami Heat: 10
Milwaukee Bucks: 10
Sacramento Kings: 10
Toronto Raptors: 10 - Detroit Pistons: 9
Los Angeles Clippers: 9
Philadelphia 76ers: 9 - Boston Celtics: 8
Indiana Pacers: 8
Oklahoma City Thunder: 8
Portland Trail Blazers: 8 - Brooklyn Nets: 7
Minnesota Timberwolves: 7
New York Knicks: 7
Utah Jazz: 7 - Atlanta Hawks: 6
Golden State Warriors: 6
Los Angeles Lakers: 6
Memphis Grizzlies: 6
New Orleans Pelicans: 6
Phoenix Suns: 6
Washington Wizards: 6