My Five Favorite NBA Transactions of the 2025 Offseason Thus Far

The NBA offseason is months from its conclusion, but the vast majority of major business has been conducted. Sure, a superstar trade could rapidly develop like a late afternoon summer storm, but until the cusp of training camp, it’ll be all quiet on the transaction front. Since 90% of noteworthy business has already been finished, I thought it’d be a good time to go through my favorite transactions.

There will surely be some transactions you believe are better, but their omission doesn’t mean they weren’t excellent decisions. The Rockets trading for Kevin Durant and only giving up Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and the tenth overall pick is an excellent move. However, I always suspected Durant was going to go for a muted package. So while it was a great move, it didn’t really surpass my expectations.

These are a Few of my Five Favorite Things

Nuggets trade Dario Saric for Jonas Valanciunas

I honestly thought the Dario Saric signing was going to work out for the Nuggets. He was coming off a two-season run as a solid small-ball five who could also give you a few minutes at power forward if necessary. He had shot 38.1% from three with an effective field goal percentage (eFG%) of 55.3%. And he was coming off a season with the Warriors where he posted the best assist percentage (17.8%) and assists per 100 possessions (6.3) of his career. The arrow wasn’t pointing up, but heading into his age-30 season, he looked capable of contributing in some form or fashion to an NBA team. Unfortunately, he was beyond cooked.

Saric only featured in 14 games for the Nuggets, saw his 3-point efficiency drop to 26.9%, his eFG% crater to 42.2%, and his already tepid defense degraded into gelatinous goop. His abysmal play all but guaranteed he would exercise his $5.4 million player option, which he did, and it appeared the Nuggets were going to be stuck with an expensive, unplayable mannequin of a former NBA player. Luckily, they found their sucker.

The Sacramento Kings were willing to flip Jonas Valanciunas and the two years and $20.395 million left on his contract to acquire Saric’s expiring $5.4 million contract. Valanciunas is by no means a star, but he remains a highly effective player and represents a massive upgrade for the Nuggets at backup center. For all of his defensive limitations, Valanciunas is one of the league’s best rebounders, and he’s adept at burying his marker under the basket to generate offense. Considering Jokic is also a physical monster, his punishing brand of basketball should play up against second units that won’t have enough bodies to handle 48 minutes of the Eastern Low Block.

It can not be understated just how dire the Nuggets’ backup center position has been over the past few seasons. Nikola Jokic is the best center in the league, so it’s no surprise the Nuggets are far better when he’s on the court, but when he hits the bench for a breather, they look like a G-League team. Over the past five seasons, the Nuggets have a net rating of +10.09 with Jokic on the court and a -7.47 net rating when he sits. All Valanciunas needs to do is make the Nuggets regular bad without Jokic, instead of abjectly awful.

Simply put, the Nuggets used a zombie $5.4 million salary to address one of their biggest long-term needs. There was a period where it looked like Valanciunas would try and force his way back to Europe, but now that that matter has been settled, thanks to the Nuggets guaranteeing his 2026-27 salary, they can exhale. I’m not sure why the Kings thought saving $4.6 million this season was necessary when Valanciunas seemed amenable to going back to Europe, but hey, it’s the Kings. Trying to make sense of them will drive you insane. Just accept that they’re idiots, and everything makes way more sense.

Atlanta Hawks Sign Nickeil Alexander-Walker (4-year, $62 million)

The Atlanta Hawks should be applauded for looking at the ravaged Eastern Conference and thinking, “Why not us?” History is written by the victors, and the Hawks are in their opportunistic barbarian horde phase. Sure, they aren’t likely to win the title or compete at the highest levels for an extended period, but for this one season, they have what it takes to pillage their way to the Eastern Conference Finals and get a passing mention in the annals of NBA history.

While their trade for Kristaps Porzingis has the chance to really move the needle, their signing of Nickeil Alexander-Walker for four years and $62 million is an excellent bit of business. Alexander-Walker is now locked up for the rest of his prime (age 27 through 30) for an average annual value of $15.5 million. Getting an excellent 3-and-D guard for Isaiah Stewart money, a solid backup big, is about as effective a use of cap space as there is.

However, Walker’s fit next to Trae Young is his primary selling point. He’s an exceptional perimeter defender, which minimizes Young’s defensive shortcomings, and he has developed into a reliable catch-and-shoot 3-point shooter. Over the past three seasons, Walker has hit 38.5% of his 864 3-point attempts, which is enough of a sample to confidently call him a threat. It’s harder to find guards who can defend and shoot than you would think, and Walker checks both of those boxes. While he’s not dynamic on the ball, he should be able to periodically spell Young and Jalen Johnson the burden of creating all of the Hawks’ offense.

The Hawks' one shining season in the Trae Young era saw them reach the Eastern Conference Finals on the strength of his offensive creation and a defense that was good enough. Walker will instantly come in and be their best on-ball defender. Dyson Daniels had an impressive first season in Atlanta, but his on-ball defense isn’t nearly as impressive as his active hands. With Daniels, Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu, and the aforementioned Porzingis, the addition of Walker should be enough for the Hawks to have an above-average defense for the first time since 2016-17.

LA Clippers Sign Brook Lopez (2-year, $18 million )

Entering his age-37 season, Brook Lopez, by NBA standards, is ancient, but he doesn’t look anywhere near finished. Last season, he played 80 games, averaged 31.8 minutes per game, shot 37.3% from three on 4.7 attempts per game, blocked 1.9 shots per game, and averaged the 15th most boxouts per game at 2.1. One of the benefits of being a skilled giant is that those two traits age like an obelisk in the desert. Sure, an earthquake can topple you, but barring acts of god, you’ll stand tall for a millennium.

The Clippers now get Lopez's services for two years and $18 million, but instead of rolling him out there for 30-plus minutes a night as a starter, they can let him unload the tank in 15 to 20-minute bursts as Ivica Zubac’s overqualified backup. There’s always a chance that his body breaks down, but Lopez basically plays every night. Outside of 2009-10 and 2013-14, where he played 27 total games due to foot injuries and 2021-22 where he played 13 due to a back injury, the fewest games he has played in a season are the 68 out of 73 he featured in the 2019-20 pandemic truncated season.

Lopez doesn’t offer a ton of defensive versatility, but he is an excellent drop coverage rim protector, and his ability to space the floor as a shooter and then punish smaller defenders on switches is rare. His presence ensures the Clippers will have 48 minutes of elite rim protection while simultaneously giving them the ability to go five-out whenever they see fit. Plus, scheme versatility against second-units is far less important than against starters. There’s a real chance Lopez’s combination of shooting and defense leads to significant Sixth Man of the Year buzz, which would round out a career that has been defined by fruitful reinvention.

Heat trade Kyle Anderson and Kevin Love for Norman Powell

The Heat turning two washed-up power forwards, making a combined $12.5 million, into Norm Powell is the type of opportunistic deal that smart front offices make. Now, if the Heat turn around and give the 32-year-old Powell an extension, everything I’ve said and will say will be rendered moot, but it cannot be overstated how much of a talent upgrade this is.

Powell is coming off a season where he averaged 21.8 points per game on 41.8% 3-point shooting and an eFG% of 57.8%. Nikola Jokic, Zach LaVine, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, and Karl-Anthony Towns are the only players who averaged more points on better efficiency (eFG%) than Powell last season. Is it highly unlikely that he’ll repeat that level of volume and efficiency as a scorer? Yes, absolutely, but for the cost of two players you didn’t want to pay, that’s an absolute steal.

The Heat continue to be lambasted for staying in the middle year after year, but this team is far more talented than it’s given credit. Bam Adebayo is a perennial defensive player of the year candidate, Tyler Herro had a real breakout last season, and they’ve surrounded them with functional role players. In a weakened Eastern Conference, the Heat have the talent and coaching to make a shock run. Norm Powell isn’t a franchise-altering piece, but he’s at worst the best sixth man in the conference.

Rockets re-sign Fred VanVleet (2-year, $50 million)

The Rockets declining Fred VanVleet’s $42.8 million team option and then re-signing him for two years and $50 million feels like cheating. Following their trade for Kevin Durant, VanVleet surely had more leverage than this. Team simply don’t make massive win-now swings and then let their most important player walk for nothing, but clearly, VanVleet wants to continue to be part of the Rockets’ project.

VanVleet’s surface-level statistics don’t scream $25 million a year. He’s coming off a season where he averaged 14.1 points, 5.6 assists, and 1.6 steals on a 48.3% eFG%, but that’s never been the selling point with VanVleet. While On/Off metrics should be taken with a grain of salt over small samples, the entirety of VanVleet’s career is a testament to his on-court impact. Over 550 career games, VanVleet has a +4.1 On/Off net rating, and only once in his career, 2019-20, has it been in the red. In fact, VanVleet has never had a negative on-court net rating over the course of an entire season.

The three areas where VanVleet shines as a player that are often overlooked are his on-ball defense, his 3-point volume, and his ability to limit turnovers. VanVleet’s ability to navigate screens and stick to his man opens up a world of options for a defense, and makes up for his lack of size and length. He has never received a single All-Defensive team vote, but he remains one of the better defensive point guards in the league.

While VanVleet has shot around league average from three over the past five seasons (36.4%), his 8.7 attempts per game are a massive volume, with close to half of those attempts being classified as pull-ups. There’s a significant difference in how defenses have to react to a player hitting threes at a league average clip on catch-and-shoot opportunities, compared to off the dribble.

Finally, VanVleet’s ability to protect the ball while initiating offense is truly special. Among players to average 7.0 or more assists per 100 possessions, he had the second-lowest turnovers per 100 possessions at 2.0. Only Kyle Anderson, who played 1,000 fewer minutes, was more turnover-averse.

For $25 million, it’s hard to find a player who impacts winning more than VanVleet does, let alone sign them to a new deal. The Rockets have had a hell of an offseason, but re-signing VanVleet to a low AAV and short deal is probably their best move. If they make a deep playoff run, their trade for Kevin Durant will get most of the attention, but don’t forget about Steady Freddy.

For any inquiries about work, discussion, and the like, you can email me at nevin.l.brown@gmail.com.