Here’s the thing about the NBA offseason: So many deals happen in such a short burst of time that, inevitably, some of them slip through the cracks. That’s particularly true when a few blockbusters and/or jaw-droppers command the majority of our attention during the league’s brief but dense transaction season in late June and early July.
As a result, we can overlook some impactful deals and underrated signings that may not yield immediate blockbusters but have significant long-term impacts.
The emphasis today is on “underrated,” so I’m going to glide right past the obvious stuff that everyone lauded at the time. However, that still leaves some fertile ground to cover. Looking at my list from last year, two key moves — Golden State’s Klay Thompson sign-and-trade and Houston’s pick switcheroo with Brooklyn as a sidebar to the Mikal Bridges trade — both ended up being massive for the 2024-25 season, because they were necessary precursors to the Warriors getting Jimmy Butler and the Rockets getting Kevin Durant.
Let’s take a look at some of my favorite underrated moves from the offseason, and we can look back in a year and see how they aged.
I’m about to upset some people. While I’m generally not a fan of much of what’s happened in Chicago lately, the Bulls’ four-year, $100 million contract with Josh Giddey is completely fine and sets up as a likely long-term win for the Bulls. I’m amazed more people don’t think this. It won’t get a draft pick back for Alex Caruso, but given Chicago’s situation, it was the right move.
