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NBA Teams That Made Most Offseason Trades

October 7th, 2016 at 3:48pm CST by Luke Adams

While most NBA teams rely on a variety of different types of roster moves to revamp their rosters in the offseason, a club can sometimes find itself leaning more heavily on one approach in a given summer. That could mean signing a handful of free agents and forgoing the trade route. It could mean loading up on draft picks and staying out of free agency.

For the teams we’ll examine in this post, the trade market was a primary means of addressing their rosters over the last few months. Each of the clubs we’ll discuss below made at least three trades since the end of the season. In some cases, the moves were designed to cut costs and clear cap room; for other teams, those deals were a way to add talent without having to foray into the free agent market, where contract prices were at an all-time high.

Let’s dive in and examine the teams that made the most trades this offseason…

Orlando Magic

Number of trades: 5
Most notable move: Acquired Serge Ibaka from the Thunder in exchange for Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova, and the draft rights to Domantas Sabonis (No. 11 pick).
Other players acquired: Jodie Meeks, C.J. Wilcox
Other players moved: Shabazz Napier, Devyn Marble, No. 47 pick (Jake Layman)

The Magic certainly didn’t sit out free agency, bringing players like Bismack Biyombo and Jeff Green aboard on big-money deals. You could also make the case that the team made the biggest trade of the offseason by landing Ibaka. if Ibaka doesn’t mesh well with Biyombo and Nikola Vucevic, and Meeks misses significant time with injury issues this season, Orlando’s offseason deals won’t look great, but the club remains optimistic for now.

Utah Jazz

Number of trades: 5
Most notable move: Acquired George Hill in a three-way trade with the Hawks and Pacers in exchange for the No. 12 overall pick.
Other players acquired: Boris Diaw, Kendall Marshall (waived), No. 55 pick (Marcus Paige)
Other players moved: Trey Burke, Tibor Pleiss, No. 42 pick (Isaiah Whitehead)

The Jazz were a perfect example of a team that used its cap room to improve via trades rather than free agency. The salaries for Hill and Diaw easily fit within the team’s cap space, and while Hill cost a first-round pick, Diaw was essentially a salary-dump for the Spurs. The Jazz were also on the other end of a couple salary dumps, most notably sending Pleiss to the Sixers for Marshall, a player they immediately waived.

Chicago Bulls

Number of trades: 4
Most notable move: Acquired Robin Lopez, Jose Calderon, and Jerian Grant from the Knicks in exchange for Derrick Rose, Justin Holiday, and their 2017 second-round pick.
Other players acquired: Spencer Dinwiddie
Other players moved: Mike Dunleavy, Cameron Bairstow, Jose Calderon (in second deal)

While Lopez figures to be a key piece in Chicago this season, the deal with the Knicks was more noteworthy for the star headed in the other direction, as the Bulls finally decided to move Rose, a Chicago native and a former MVP. The Bulls significantly revamped their roster using free agency as well, and the trades of Dunleavy and Calderon reflected the team’s need to create cap room for those signings.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Number of trades: 4
Most notable move: Acquired Mike Dunleavy and draft rights to Vladimir Veremeenko from the Bulls in exchange for the draft rights to Albert Miralles.
Other players acquired: No. 54 pick (Kay Felder)
Other players moved: Matthew Dellavedova (sign-and-trade), Sasha Kaun

The Cavaliers used the trade market well this summer, acquiring Dunleavy from a Bulls team that couldn’t afford to keep him, and only parting with cash to acquire Felder, who could be the team’s backup point guard. Kaun, meanwhile, was a salary dump, reducing Cleveland’s future tax bill, while the Dellavedova deal allowed the club to get something out of nothing, since Dellavedova had already agreed to sign an offer sheet the Cavs weren’t going to match.

Indiana Pacers

Number of trades: 3
Most notable move: Acquired Jeff Teague in a three-way trade with the Jazz and Hawks in exchange for George Hill.
Other players acquired: Thaddeus Young, Jeremy Evans
Other players moved: No. 20 pick (Caris LeVert)

Like Utah, Indiana isn’t typically a big-time free agent destination, so the Pacers turned to the trade market to make a couple of their biggest moves of the summer, landing Teague and Young, who will likely both start for the club this season. Indiana dove into free agency a little, signing Al Jefferson, Aaron Brooks, and Kevin Seraphin, but I’d expect their trade acquisitions to have a larger impact in 2016/17.

Milwaukee Bucks

Number of trades: 3
Most notable move: Acquired Matthew Dellavedova (sign-and-trade) and cash ($200K) in a sign-and-trade with the Cavs in exchange for the draft rights to Albert Miralles.
Other players acquired: Michael Beasley
Other players moved: Tyler Ennis, No. 38 pick (Patrick McCaw)

The Bucks could move up this list before the regular season gets underway, since the team continues to scour the market for a player to replace Khris Middleton. Milwaukee also reportedly wouldn’t mind moving Greg Monroe and Michael Carter-Williams.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Number of trades: 3
Most notable move: Acquired the draft rights to Domantas Sabonis (No. 11 pick), Victor Oladipo, and Ersan Ilyasova from the Magic in exchange for Serge Ibaka.
Other players acquired: Joffrey Lauvergne, No. 56 pick (Daniel Hamilton)
Other players moved: None

Moving Ibaka was the major move for the Thunder, and one that occurred while the team still had a shot at re-signing Kevin Durant. It would have been interesting to see what the team would have looked like in 2016/17 with Sabonis, Oladipo, and Ilyasova playing alongside KD and Russell Westbrook, but even with Durant no longer in the mix, the move could pay off for Oklahoma City. Sabonis looks like a promising young big man who won’t be expensive for the next few years, and Oladipo could be the backcourt mate the Thunder have long been seeking for Westbrook.

Other teams that made more than one trade this offseason:

Atlanta Hawks
Brooklyn Nets
Charlotte Hornets
Dallas Mavericks
Denver Nuggets
Detroit Pistons
Golden State Warriors
Los Angeles Clippers
Memphis Grizzlies
New Orleans Pelicans
Philadelphia 76ers
Portland Trail Blazers
Sacramento Kings

For the full rundown of the offseason’s trades to date, check out our list right here.

Biyombo Excited By New Role With Magic

October 4th, 2016 at 10:06pm CST by Eddie Scarito

After spending his first five seasons in the NBA as a reserve player, Bismack Biyombo is excited to have an integral role with the Magic this season, John Denton of NBA.com writes. “I’m just really, really thankful now because I know how much this team wants me, how much respect and credit that they give me,’’ Biyombo told Denton. “I don’t talk about [the contract] until someone brings it up because I try to live in the moment and play the game. I’m really excited about being here, I look forward to all the challenges and I think it’s going to be great.’’ The big man signed a four-year, $73MM deal with Orlando in July.

Magic Notes: Fournier, Biyombo, Ibaka

October 2nd, 2016 at 10:01am CST by ChrisCrouse

Evan Fournier has been one of the best players in training camp so far and the Magic are expecting big things from their $85MM investment, John Denton of NBA.com writes. Fournier should see an expanded role this season as a result of the Victor Oladipo trade and the 23-year-old is ecstatic about the opportunity. “You can’t ask for more as a player,’’ Fournier said.

Here’s more from Orlando:

The Magic are impressed with Bismack Biyombo so far in camp and Frank Vogel expects the big man to take a leadership role on the team, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel relays. Biyombo signed a four year, $68MM deal with the Magic during the offseason.
The addition of Biyombo, along with the presence of Serge Ibaka, will allow the Magic’s perimeter players to have more confidence guarding opposing wings, Robbins adds in the same piece. “We haven’t had that many shot-blockers on our team in a long time,” Fournier said. “It’s a great feeling, man.”
The arrival of Ibaka and Biyombo creates a logjam in the team’s frontcourt and Vogel believes the competition will bring out the best in the big men, Robbins writes in a separate piece. “Everybody on our team has to be selfless when it comes to position battles and minutes and all that stuff,” Vogel said. “Our guys are selfless. We talk about that, but it’s really about pushing each other and pulling for each other. At the end of the day, we’re all on the same team. We’re pushing in the same direction.”

Schmitz: Magic Will Need To Win To Re-Sign Ibaka

September 28th, 2016 at 11:52am CST by Luke Adams

Serge Ibaka opened camp with the Magic this week by expressing a desire to remain with the franchise for the long term, but as Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel writes, those comments don’t mean much unless Ibaka is repeating them next July. In Schmitz’s view, it will require a Magic playoff berth – or something very close to it – for Ibaka to maintain interest in re-upping with the team when his contract expires next summer. In that scenario, the Magic would have room to re-sign Ibaka and land another noteworthy free agent, but it will depend on how the team’s season plays out.

Magic Nearing Decision On D-League Affiliate

September 27th, 2016 at 10:21pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Magic are hunting for a location for their new D-League affiliate to call home, with the two finalists being Kissimmee’s Silver Spurs Arena and The Lakeland Center, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel reports. The team expects to finalize its decision within the next month, Robbins adds. “We’re still in final discussions with both, and both have been asked to address some specific issues that we need answers for and direction on,” CEO Alex Martins said. “I believe that within the next 30 days we’ll have a decision made.”

Serge Ibaka Hoping For Long-Term Stay With Magic

September 27th, 2016 at 8:50am CST by Luke Adams

When the Magic traded for Serge Ibaka on draft night earlier this summer, it was clear the team hoped to have in the mix beyond July 2017, when his contract expires. General manager Rob Hennigan confirmed as much at the team’s media day on Monday, telling reporters – including Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel – “we certainly traded for Serge thinking long-term, and that’s our expectation.” As Robbins writes, Magic officials believe Ibaka will like playing for Frank Vogel and having a larger role in Orlando than he had in Oklahoma City.

While things could change between now and next summer, it sounds for now like Ibaka is on the same page as the Magic. During his own media day interview, the veteran big man expressed a desire to make his stay in Orlando a long-term one.

“I’m looking to stay here to play forever,” Ibaka said. “For [as] many, many years as possible.”

Ibaka went on to add that he’s not too concerned about his contract situation for now, and it’s certainly not uncommon for a player to express a desire to stay with his current team before eventually departing in free agency. However, Ibaka has been enthusiastic about the move since it happened, writing last month in a piece for The Cauldron that he was “thrilled” to be in Orlando.

With Bismack Biyombo and Nikola Vucevic also expected to receive significant playing time up front, there may be some growing pains in Orlando to start the season, as the club determines the best way to maximize its talent. Still, the Magic will be able to offer Ibaka more years and more dollars in free agency next summer than any other team, and if they’re willing to do that, there’s no reason they shouldn’t enter the 2017 offseason as the strong favorites to retain the 27-year-old.

Of course, Ibaka technically could be extended before he reaches free agency, but the Magic don’t have any cap room, so the team wouldn’t be able to give him a significant raise over his current $12.25MM salary, making an in-season deal extremely unlikely.

Magic GM Talks Expectations, Offseason Moves

September 23rd, 2016 at 1:01pm CST by Luke Adams

It was an eventful offseason for the Magic, who traded former second overall pick Victor Oladipo and the No. 11 selection in this year’s draft in a deal for Serge Ibaka, then landed Bismack Biyombo, Jeff Green, and D.J. Augustin in free agency, while signing Evan Fournier to a lucrative new extension.

Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel sat down with Magic general manager Rob Hennigan to discuss the team’s offseason moves, expectations for the coming season, and a handful of other topics. The whole conversation is worth reading, particularly for Magic fans, but here are a few of Hennigan’s comments from the discussion:

On expectations for the Magic in 2016/17:

“I think first and foremost our expectation is that we’ll cement an identity for ourselves as a smart, physical, unselfish, defensive-minded team. And we expect to make the playoffs. … I prefer not to [predict a win total] just because I’m not sure how relevant that is. What’s important is getting into the playoffs.”

On whether there will be enough minutes to go around for Ibaka, Biyombo, and Nikola Vucevic:

“We think there are, and we think that’s going to sort itself out with our team’s play and their individual play. What’s important to us is making sure that we’re winning games and that our collective mindset is just that. We don’t see that as a threat. If anything, we see that as a strength.”

On whether the Magic have enough shooting:

“You can never have enough shooting, right? But we’re confident we’ll be a better shooting team this season. I think we’ve improved our perimeter shooting and our ability to make shots from distance since last season both with the additions we made in D.J. Augustin and Jodie Meeks and C.J. Wilcox and Serge Ibaka and also the internal shooting development of Elfrid [Payton] and Mario [Hezonja] and Aaron [Gordon] and Evan and Nik. So we feel like we’ve improved in that area, and we’ll continue to look to improve in that area. But we certainly don’t see it as much of a weakness heading into the year.”

On the Ibaka trade:

“I’ve always talked about being opportunistic and I think that trade was emblematic of an opportunity we felt was available to us to accelerate the progress of the team. Again, we’re always going to do what we feel is in the best interests of the organization. We’re trying to win. We’re also trying to make sure we can continue to build in a fashion that will allow us to be competitive for a long time. All of that has fallen under the umbrella of seeking out opportunities and making sure that we’re responsible in whatever decisions we make.”

On adding depth throughout the roster this offseason:

“We made it a priority this summer to ensure that we have competition at all positions across the board. That will be the first time we’ve had that since this rebuilding began. We see that as a healthy dynamic and as something that will make all of our players better. I think if you ask the players, that’s how they want it to be: really having a competitive daily situation to earn minutes.”

Latest On Jodie Meeks

September 19th, 2016 at 8:04pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Magic guard Jodie Meeks is progressing well in his recovery from a mid-July surgery to stabilize the fifth metatarsal in his right foot, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel relays. Meeks will likely be available to play at some point in November, a team official told Robbins, though his exact return date will depend on how well he continues to progress.

Meeks had fractured the fifth metatarsal in his right foot in the Pistons’ second regular-season game last year. That injury essentially cost him the entire 2015/16 season, with the player undergoing surgery in late October and not suiting up again until Detroit’s final regular season contest. Meeks wasn’t part of the team’s playoff rotation and the Pistons traded him to Orlando in late June. The 29-year-old then underwent a second surgery on July 19th, despite passing his required physical as part of the swap, as Robbins notes.

Orlando will be counting on Meeks to provide a boost with his outside shooting this season, an area the team is sorely lacking in, Robbins adds. The former second-round pick, No. 41 overall in the 2009 NBA Draft, owns a career 37.3% mark from beyond the three-point line. Through 418 career regular season games, Meeks has notched averages of 9.9 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists. He is in the final year of his current deal and will earn $6,540,000 in 2016/17.

Alex Davis Will Return To D-League

September 18th, 2016 at 6:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

Alex Davis, who played for one of the Magic’s summer league teams, has committed to return to the D-League this season, tweets international basketball writer David Pick. Davis will join Orlando’s D-League affiliate, the Erie Bay Hawks.

The 6’9″ forward appeared in 50 games for Erie last season, averaging 8.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per night.

The 24-year-old, who played college ball at Fresno State, was part of the Orlando White team in the Orlando Summer League. He averaged 5.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in five games.

Traded Second-Round Picks For 2017 NBA Draft

September 16th, 2016 at 1:10pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2017 NBA draft is still more than nine months away, but with the start of the regular season fast approaching, it’s worth taking stock of how this season’s results will affect next year’s draft. Depending on how certain teams perform during the 2016/17 campaign, other clubs will have the opportunity to pick up an extra selection or two.

Earlier this week, we looked at the first-round picks that could change hands during the 2017 draft. A few more first-rounders will likely be involved in trades prior to the trade deadline, or leading up to next year’s draft night, but there are already several picks that are ticketed for new teams, depending on where they land.

That’s even more true of the second round — more than half of the league’s second-round picks for 2017 have been involved in trades so far, and while some of those picks will ultimately remain with the sending teams due to protection conditions, many will move to the receiving teams.

Below, you’ll find a breakdown of the second-round picks that could (or will) change hands. For each selection, we make a note of which team is sending and receiving it, the protection or conditions on the pick, and what will happen if the protection language prevents the pick from being conveyed. For instance, the Heat will send their second-rounder to either the Hawks or Grizzlies, depending on where it lands. The team that doesn’t get a pick from Miami this year will get the Heat’s second-rounder in 2018.

Here are 2017’s traded second-round picks:

Atlanta Hawks

From: Brooklyn Nets
Protection: None

Boston Celtics

From: Cleveland Cavaliers
Protection: None

Boston Celtics

From: Los Angeles Clippers
Protection: None

Boston Celtics

From: Minnesota Timberwolves
Protection: None

Brooklyn Nets

From: Boston Celtics
Conditions: Nets will receive pick (protected 31-45) if Celtics swap first-rounders with Nets.
If not conveyed: Celtics’ obligation to Nets is extinguished.

Brooklyn Nets

From: Indiana Pacers
Protection: 45-60
If not conveyed: Nets will have opportunity to get Pacers’ second-rounder (protected 45-60) in 2018.

Denver Nuggets

From: Memphis Grizzlies
Protection: 31-35
If not conveyed: Nuggets will receive Grizzlies’ 2018 second-rounder (unprotected).

Denver Nuggets

From: Oklahoma City Thunder
Protection: 31-35
If not conveyed: Nuggets will receive Thunder’s 2018 second-rounder (unprotected).

Houston Rockets

From: Denver Nuggets
Protection: None

Houston Rockets

From: Portland Trail Blazers
Protection: None

Memphis Grizzlies

From: Miami Heat
Protection: 41-60
If not conveyed: Grizzlies will receive Heat’s 2018 second-rounder (unprotected).

New York Knicks

From: Chicago Bulls
Protection: None

New York Knicks

From: Houston Rockets
Protection: None

Philadelphia 76ers

From: Miami Heat
Protection: 31-40
If not conveyed: Sixers will receive Heat’s 2018 second-rounder (unprotected).

Philadelphia 76ers

From: Two of Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz.
Conditions: Sixers will receive the most and least favorable of these four picks.

Phoenix Suns

From: Toronto Raptors
Protection: None

Sacramento Kings

From: Philadelphia 76ers
Protection: None

Utah Jazz

From: Two of Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz.
Conditions: Jazz will receive the second- and third-most favorable of these four picks, including their own.

The following teams technically acquired second-round draft picks via trade and could receive those selections in 2017. However, these picks are heavily protected and won’t be conveyed to the receiving team unless the sending team finishes with a top-five record in the NBA. If that doesn’t happen, the receiving team is out of luck. The details:

Atlanta Hawks

From: Phoenix Suns
Protection: 31-55
If not conveyed: Suns’ obligation to Hawks is extinguished.

Cleveland Cavaliers

From: Charlotte Hornets
Protection: 31-55
If not conveyed: Hornets’ obligation to Cavaliers is extinguished.

Minnesota Timberwolves

From: New Orleans Pelicans
Protection: 31-55
If not conveyed: Pelicans’ obligation to Timberwolves is extinguished.

Orlando Magic

From: Sacramento Kings
Protection: 31-55
If not conveyed: Kings’ obligation to Magic is extinguished.

San Antonio Spurs

From: Atlanta Hawks
Protection: 31-55
If not conveyed: Hawks’ obligation to Spurs is extinguished.

Finally, there is one team with swap rights on a second-round pick in 2017. The details:

Philadelphia 76ers

Can swap with: Atlanta Hawks
Protection: Sixers won’t have chance to swap if Hawks’ pick falls in the 56-60 range.
Details: The Sixers will have the ability to swap the worst of the Pistons/Warriors/Knicks/Jazz second-round picks for the Hawks’ second-rounder. Practically speaking, this will likely result in Philadelphia swapping the Warriors’ pick for the Hawks’ pick.

RealGM’s database of future traded pick details was used in the creation of this post.