With the NBA offseason slowing down and the dust beginning to settle, here are the three biggest winners in a summer that was largely quieter than most expected. It was far from a transformational offseason for the league. In fact, it seemed like the best and most established teams in the league were the ones making the most favorable moves for the most part.
Anyway, without further ado, here are Ballislife’s three winners of the 2025 NBA offseason. If there are winners, of course, there has to be losers and we also take a look at the three franchises that made the most puzzling moves HERE.
Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets managed to clear the nightmare that is Michael Porter Jr.’s five-year, $179 million contract off their books, breaking free from the last two years and $80 million from the deal by trading him to the Brooklyn Nets in return for a legitimate NBA asset in Cameron Johnson. Denver did part ways with a 2032 first-round pick in the transaction, but that’s an issue that has seven years to be solved.
The Nuggets did go through some drama after acquiring veteran center Jonas Valanciunas from Sacramento, reportedly due to the fact that Valanciunas’ European agent had agreed to terms on a deal with Athens-based Panathinaikos that was supposed to send the 33-year-old back overseas to end his career. To avoid souring relations with the Nuggets and the NBA, Panathinaikos backed off and shifted blame to the agent. Valanciunas will be wearing a Nuggets jersey next season, alongside fellow veteran offseason acquisitions Tim Hardaway Jr. and 2023 title team returnee Bruce Brown.
Photo by David Berding/Getty Images
Houston Rockets
It was no secret the Houston Rockets went big game hunting this offseason, and the fact that they landed Kevin Durant without delving into the true core of their young talent was a huge win for a franchise that was clearly a star away from being a legitimate NBA championship contender.
A lot has been said about KD’s ability to lead a winning team after his Achilles injury, some of which has been valid, but he’s still among the highest tier of scorers not only in today’s game but in all of NBA history. KD will get to go to a ready-made system where he will be able to focus strictly on scoring, while his future All-NBA teammates, Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun, do the dirty work, likely better than most duos in the league.
Houston also did a little bit of addition by subtraction, parting ways with inconsistent shot creator Jalen Green and defensive pest Dillon Brooks to Phoenix in the trade for Durant. Although both players have had their moments in H-Town and will likely have some more in Phoenix, they’re both players that can cause more distractions than they are worth in a locker room that has Larry O’Brien aspirations.
Oklahoma City Thunder
It’s a scary sign for the NBA that, from my own point of view, the most surprisingly impressive team at the NBA Summer League was the newly crowned NBA Champion Oklahoma City Thunder. I don’t know if that’s ever happened, certainly not in my years being in close proximity. The kicker? Their first round pick, No. 15 overall selection Thomas Sorber out of Georgetown, was sidelined for the summer to continue rehabbing an injured foot.
No. 44 overall pick Brooks Barnhizer caught eyes in Las Vegas in Sorber’s absence, flashing as an NBA-ready defender who is surprisingly very quick and fluid in his burly 6’6 frame. 2024 No. 12 overall pick Nikola Topic was also very impressive and looked every bit the player his tape advertised him to be, although that wasn’t too much of a surprise.
Summer League aside, the most important thing the Thunder did this offseason was secure their core of stars, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren, to relatively team-friendly long-term extensions that will allow them to keep what could be a potential dynasty intact through at least the remainder of the decade.
Editor’s Pick
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