With the NBA offseason mostly in the rearview, some teams improved. Others did not.
After covering the “winners” of the draft and free agency, it’s now on to the not-so-victorious teams. But what’s the best way to determine who falls in the “loser” category?
Similarly as the winners, an exercise like this remains subjective. That being said, there are a few broad guidelines to follow. Among them are teams who:
- Did less with more
- Did little to improve their situation
- Bouncing off the above sentiment, doubling down on said situation
- Mismanaged their resources (draft picks, players and cap space)
- Maintained a grizzly outlook
Most teams fall somewhere in the middle between good and somewhere-in-the-middle territory. These five teams checked off at least two of the boxes above. Plus, it’s certainly hard to make a case that any of them can be considered winners.
In alphabetical order, here are the teams that really disappointed in the offseason.
Chicago Bulls
The list begins with a team that didn’t do much, and that’s exactly the reason Chicago falls into “loser” status. As one writer from The Lead described the Bulls’ offseason, it’s certainly bland.
The most significant move of the summer: swapping out Lonzo Ball for Isaac Okoro. On paper, not great across the board. First, Ball is clearly a better player (when healthy) and also fits in more team constructions than Okoro. But, Okoro still has two more years under contract, while Ball expires after next season. The cherry on top: Chicago didn’t get any draft compensation for taking on the extra money either.
Chicago remains a team that’s completely directionless. The one trade the Bulls made was a loss all-around, and this is a team that will have the exact same outlook in 2025-26 as 2024-25: no proper rebuild, middle of the pack in the East and maybe a home game in the Play-In Tournament.
https://twitter.com/BullsLead/status/1949199145979527553
Indiana Pacers
Arguably a controversial addition, and some fans will certainly disagree (especially after a historic run to the NBA Finals last year).
Letting Myles Turner depart via free agency is devastating. Letting him go to a team that had no cap space (but had to stretch the remaining $100+ million on Damian Lillard’s contract) is a disaster.
Obviously, the Achilles injury to Tyrese Haliburton changed Indiana’s outlook in 2025-26.
That said, Turner to this point was a life-long Pacer. He is still in his twenties. His new deal with Milwaukee (four years, $108 million) is not egregiously expensive. Turner brings everything a team dreams a center can have: rim protection and capable three-point shooting. That combination is incredibly hard to find, and it’s valuable… and Indiana let one of the few players who could do that walk.
In terms of what was the absolute most inexcusable move of the summer, this one easily cracks the top two. The number-one spot goes to…
New Orleans Pelicans
No single decision is being labeled worse than what New Orleans did on draft night.
The trade: New Orleans owned the 23rd pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. The Pelicans moved that to Atlanta for the 13th pick and an unprotected 2026 first-round pick. The latter of those selections is the higher of New Orleans or Milwaukee.
That asset has to be moved for something better, like pairing it with the seventh pick New Orleans owned to move up in the draft. Dealing an unprotected first-rounder to go up 10 spots is a steal for Atlanta and a big swing that is impossible to defend.
New Orleans used the pick it moved up for to take Derik Queen. Whatever Queen’s ceiling is does not factor into putting the Pelicans in “loser” territory. Simply, it’s the value proposition, or lack of it, for New Orleans.
The Pelicans did make other moves. Out goes Bruce Brown, CJ McCollum and Kelly Olynyk. In comes Saddiq Bey, Kevon Looney and Jordan Poole. Will they do much to change the outlook of New Orleans moving forward?
Phoenix Suns
The Suns barely crack this list. Phoenix fans are already in a bad place, watching a team that’s “stuck in the mud” and moving on from a failed Kevin Durant tenure.
Getting Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks in the historic seven-team Durant trade is probably as good as the Suns could do (i.e. filling in holes on the roster). Trading two first-rounders for Mark Williams is okay, considering neither pick has much upside.
All that said, the one big failure was staying the course. Devin Booker inked a new extension with the Suns. It adds two years and $145 million to his current deal, or over $72 million per season in these new years added.
Here’s the kicker: Booker’s current deal (pre-extension) went through 2027-28. This extension pays Booker north of $70 million through 2029 with a player option in 2030.
So, why did Phoenix pay this much so far out?
Phoenix remains a team committed to the Booker era, even if it means paying him as much as possible, as far out as possible.
Toronto Raptors
A similar story with Toronto, who have now missed the playoffs in three straight years. It’s a franchise with plenty of big contracts on the books: Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram, Immanuel Quickley, R.J. Barrett and Jakob Poeltl.
And now, one of them is getting even more money. This extension is even worse than Booker’s, because at least he is an All-Star and an All-NBA-caliber player.
Toronto signed Poeltl to a four-year extension. It tacks on an additional $84 million, paying Poeltl through the 2029-30 season, when he will be 34 years old.
Like Phoenix, it’s a decision with little upside and plenty of downside risk. That said, it’s way worse considering Poeltl’s deal goes so far out.
Is there a case this actually might be the single-worst move of the summer?
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