NBA free agency 2018: Player movement, signings, trades, offseason grades for every team

NBA free agency is crawling to a halt, so what better time to take stock of all the player movement throughout the league? LeBron James went to the Lakers, DeMarcus Cousins went to the Warriors and Paul George stayed in Oklahoma City, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg in terms of signings, trades and draft selections this offseason … with even more to come.

Below is a list of every team’s moves this summer, along with a grade for their offseason so far. Keep in mind that these are only transactions that have gone official, and grades can change depending on what comes next. Find your favorite team to see who’s in and who’s out, and what the changes mean for the 2018-19 season.

In:

Out:

Re-signed:

The rebuilding Hawks gambled by trading Luka Doncic for Trae Young and a protected 2019 first-round pick, then got rid of Dennis Schroder to put the team entirely in Young’s hands. They also picked up another first-round pick for facilitating Carmelo’s exit from OKC. It’s going to be a while before the Hawks are good again, but they’re collecting assets along the way. Grade: B

In:

Out:

Re-signed:

The Celtics expectedly stayed pat after kicking the tires on a possible Kawhi Leonard deal, and they’ll bring back what could be the Eastern Conference’s most intimidating roster. Williams was a lottery talent who dropped due to various concerns, but he could flourish in the Celtics’ organizational structure. Grade: A

In:

Out:

Re-signed:

The Nets will continue their rebuilding efforts with no major additions, but they did take on some salary in exchange for future picks — something they’ve famously lacked in past years. Davis is an elite rebounder, and Dudley is considered a great locker room presence. Grade: B+

In:

Out:

Re-signed:

Charlotte’s biggest move was dumping Howard, and they brought Biyombo back to replace him. They overpaid for Parker, but they’re hoping his veteran presence will help make the deal worth it. They’re banking on addition by subtraction with the loss of Howard, but they didn’t get markedly better this offseason. Grade: C+

In:

Out:

Re-signed:

Carter Jr. looked incredible in summer league and could be a draft steal, but the Bulls added Parker on a $40 million deal (team option for next season), essentially a fourth power forward along with Lauri Markkanen, Bobby Portis and Carter. They also chose to match the four-year, $78 million offer sheet from the Kings for LaVine, which is a lot of cash to invest in a player coming off ACL surgery. It’ll be an interesting experiment, but the Bulls definitely added young talent. Grade: B

In:

Out:

Re-signed:

The Cavs lost LeBron, which can’t really be blamed on them, and they appear committed to staying competitive. They signed Love to an extension and are excited about Sexton’s potential as a franchise player, but it’s safe to assume that streak of Finals appearances will come to an end. Grade: B

In:

Out:

Re-signed:

The Mavs finally got their center, signing Jordan to a one-year deal. The pickup is secondary to the offseason headliner: Bringing in top international prospect Doncic to potentially take the reins from Dirk Nowitzki as the face of the franchise. Grade: A-

In:

Out:

• Darrell Arthur (traded to Nets)
• Wilson Chandler (traded to 76ers)
• Kenneth Faried (traded to Nets)
• Isaiah Whitehead (waived)

Re-signed:

The Nuggets pounced on Porter, a potential top-three pick who dropped due to concerns about his back, then locked up Jokic long-term and brought back Barton. They also picked up Thomas for some bench scoring, while trading away Chandler and Faried for much-needed cap relief. Overall it was a solid offseason for a team hoping to make some noise in the West. Grade: A

In:

Out:

Re-signed:

Detroit had little cap room, but picked up a couple of cagey vets in Calderon and Pachulia while taking a chance on Robinson, who showed potential two seasons ago with the Pacers before losing nearly all of last season to injury. Grade: B-

In:

Out:

• JaVale McGee (signed with Lakers)
• Zaza Pachulia (signed with Pistons)

Re-signed:

After making sure Durant was taken care of, Golden State dropped another bomb on the NBA with the Cousins signing. Jerebko, Lee (Steph Curry’s soon-to-be brother-in-law) and Evans will help fill out the roster. There was a collective sigh when Cousins joined Golden State, and if he comes back healthy it will be hard to unseat the champs. Grade: A

In:

Out:

Re-signed:

Houston brought back Paul and Capela, but losing Ariza and Mbah a Moute hurts big time, as they provided the length and defensive versatility that made last year’s Rockets team special. They’ll likely add Carmelo Anthony, and general manager Daryl Morey has hinted that the roster might look different come April. But for now, this is a significant downgrade. Grade: C-

In:

Out:

Re-signed:

Indiana had a sneaky strong offseason, replacing Stephenson with Evans, Robinson with McDermott and Jefferson with O’Quinn. Holiday could also fill need at backup point guard. The Pacers will try to build off of a surprising 2017-18 campaign around newly minted franchise player Victor Oladipo. Grade: A-

In:

Out:

• Austin Rivers (traded to Wizards)
• DeAndre Jordan (signed with Mavericks)
• C.J. Williams (waived)

Re-signed:

Lob City is officially over with the departure of Jordan and Rivers, but the Clippers added solid pieces and are excited about Gilgeous-Alexander as a potential franchise guard. Grade: B

In:

• Michael Beasley (free agent)
• Joel Berry II (free agent)
• Jeffrey Carroll (free agent)
• LeBron James (free agent)
• JaVale McGee (free agent)
• Rajon Rondo (free agent)
• Lance Stephenson (free agent)
• Moritz Wagner (drafted No. 25)
• Isaac Bonga (drafted No. 39)
• Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk (drafted No. 47)

Out:

Re-signed:

The Lakers won the LeBron sweepstakes, which automatically gets them a top grade, but then things really got crazy. LeBron seems to be on board with the signings, and the Lakers surely want to keep him happy. They’ll hope this odd mix of veterans can meld with their young talent to produce a playoff contender in the loaded West. Grade: A

In:

Out:

Re-signed:

The Grizz added smart, trustworthy veterans in Anderson, Casspi and Temple, and Jackson Jr. could be the best player in his draft class. Add in a healthy Mike Conley and Marc Gasol, and Memphis could be back in the playoff hunt. Grade: B+

In:

Out:

Re-signed:

Miami was handcuffed by some long-term deals that limited their flexibility this summer, and they also didn’t have a draft pick. They’ll have pretty much the exact same roster as last season, which was only good enough to win a single game in a first-round playoff exit. Like the rest of us, the Heat await word from Dwyane Wade on whether he’ll return for his 16th season. Grade: C

In:

Out:

• Brandon Jennings (waived)
• Jabari Parker (signed with Bulls)

Re-signed:

The Bucks cut bait on Parker, choosing to sign Ilyasova as a stretch-four more capable of fitting in with Giannis Antetokounmpo. Lopez fills a major gap at center, and DiVincenzo was highly regarded during the draft process. Grade: B+

In:

Out:

Re-signed:

Minnesota replaced Bjelica with Tolliver, but other than that they’ll run back pretty much the same team that ended the league’s longest postseason drought last season. Okogie’s stock was rising entering the draft, and he could crack Tom Thibodeau’s minuscule rotation. Grade: B

In:

Out:

• DeMarcus Cousins (signed with Warriors)
• Rajon Rondo (signed with Lakers)

Re-signed:

The Pels lost Cousins and Rondo, choosing to go with younger athletes around Anthony Davis with the addition of Payton and Randle. Payton is a certain downgrade from Rondo, and while Randle will provide energy and scoring, his lack of floor-spacing and unwillingness to get teammates involved could pose problems for Davis. Grade: C+

In:

Out:

• Michael Beasley (signed with Lakers)
• Kyle O’Quinn (signed with Pacers)
• Troy Williams (waived)

Re-signed:

The Knicks’ biggest offseason prize is Knox, who looks like a potential two-way star after a strong summer league performance. Hezonja will look to live up to his No. 5 overall pick status, while Vonleh is a solid rotation big. They have no interest in winning next season with Kristaps Porzingis still rehabbing an injury, so the Knicks stayed conservative. Grade: B+

In:

• Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot (trade with 76ers)
• Abdel Nader (trade with Celtics)
• Nerlens Noel (free agent)
• Dennis Schroder (trade with Hawks)
• Hamidou Diallo (drafted No. 45)
• Devon Hall (drafted No. 53)
• Kevin Hervey (drafted No. 57)

Out:

• Carmelo Anthony (traded to Hawks)
• Nick Collison (retired)
• Dakari Johnson (traded to Magic)
• Rodney Purvis (traded to Celtics)

Re-signed:

OKC was able to re-sign George and part ways with Anthony, thanks to the Hawks playing middle-man, and the Thunder added Schroder as a backup to Russell Westbrook in the process. Noel could also be a low-cost gem, as he’ll provide shot-blocking and rebounding behind Steven Adams. Overall, things couldn’t have gone better for OKC. Grade: A+

In:

Out:

• Bismack Biyombo (traded to Hornets)
• Mario Hezonja (signed with Knicks)
• Dakari Johnson (traded to Grizzlies)
• Shelvin Mack (waived)
• Rodney Purvis (traded to Thunder)

Re-signed:

Orlando re-signed Gordon and took a flier on Bamba, a 7-footer whose upside almost eclipses his gigantic wingspan. The Magic don’t look much better on paper, but they’ll hope that Bamba can eventually play alongside Aaron Gordon and Jonathan Isaac to create a formidable frontcourt. Grade: B

In:

Out:

• Justin Anderson (traded to Hawks)
• Marco Belinelli (signed with Spurs)
• Richaun Holmes (traded to Suns)
• Ersan Ilyasova (signed with Bucks)
• Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot (traded to Thunder)

Re-signed:

The Sixers missed out on LeBron, but they brought back Redick, added a versatile wing in Chandler and a stretch-four in Muscala after Bjelica backed out of their agreement. Rookie Zhaire Smith will also likely crack the rotation, but the team lost some big-time shooting with Belinelli and Ilyasova, which they need around Ben Simmons. Grade: B

In:

• Trevor Ariza (free agent)
• Richaun Holmes (trade with 76ers)
• Darrell Arthur (trade with Nets)
• Dandre Ayton (drafted No. 1)
• Mikal Bridges (drafted No. 10)
• Elie Okobo (drafted No. 31)
• George King (drafted No. 59)

Out:

• Jared Dudley (traded to Nets)
• Alex Len (signed with Hawks)
• Elfrid Payton (signed with Pelicans)
• Tyler Ulis (waived)
• Alan Williams (waived)

Re-signed:

Phoenix took Ayton with their first No. 1 overall pick in franchise history, and they added long, versatile wings in Ariza and Bridges to place around newly-extended Devin Booker. It may be time for the Suns to actually start trying to win games. Grade: A-

In:

• Seth Curry (free agent)
• Nik Stauskas (free agent)
• Anfernee Simons (drafted No. 24)
• Gray Trent Jr. (drafted No. 37)

Out:

• Ed Davis (signed with Nets)
• Shabazz Napier (signed with Nets)
• Georgios Papagiannis (waived)

Re-signed:

Portland clearly went for shooting by adding Curry and Stauskas, but they lost strong bench players in Davis and Napier, and have done nothing to address their lack of frontcourt firepower. The Blazers are in danger of falling behind by staying the same, as the rest of the West continues to improve. Grade: C

In:

• Nemanja Bjelica (free agent)
• Yogi Ferrell (free agent)
• Ben McLemore (trade with Grizzlies)
• Deyonta Davis (trade with Grizzlies)
• Marvin Bagley III (drafted No. 2)

Out:

• Garrett Temple (traded to Grizzlies)

Re-signed:

The Kings had another weird offseason, signing two guys who backed out of deals with other teams (Bjelica and Ferrell), and re-acquiring McLemore, their own former lottery pick. They also selected Bagley over Doncic, which could prove costly for a franchise desperately looking for hope. Grade: C-

In:

Out:

• Kyle Anderson (signed with Grizzlies)
• Danny Green (traded to Raptors)
• Kawhi Leonard (traded to Raptors)
• Tony Parker (signed with Hornets)

Re-signed:

Given their situation, the Spurs did well to get an All-NBA player in exchange for the disgruntled Leonard, while keeping a solid roster of vets and adding a talented rookie in Walker. Now San Antonio will look to once again make the playoffs, this time behind DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge. Grade: B+

In:

• Danny Green (trade with Spurs)
• Kawhi Leonard (trade with Spurs)

Out:

• DeMar DeRozan (traded to Spurs)
• Alfonzo McKinnie (waived)
• Jakob Poeltl (traded to Spurs)

Re-signed:

Masai Ujiri and the Raptors went all-in by dealing the face of their franchise for Leonard, who comes with both injury and motivation risks. However, he didn’t have to deal any of the team’s young assets other than Poeltl, and if Leonard bails next summer the Raptors are in position to begin the rebuild. If Leonard is back to his old form this season, Toronto will be a serious contender to come out of the East. Grade: A

In:

Out:

Re-signed:

The Jazz were one of the hottest teams in basketball for the second half of last season, and they did nothing to mess up that dynamic. They added Allen, who will bring athleticism and energy to the Utah bench. Grade: B+

In:

• Thomas Bryant (claimed off waivers)
• Jeff Green (free agent)
• Dwight Howard (free agent)
• Austin Rivers (trade with Clippers)
• Troy Brown (drafted No. 15)
• Issuf Sanon (drafted No. 44)

Out:

• Marcin Gortat (traded to Clippers)
• Mike Scott (signed with Clippers)

Re-signed:

The Wizards got rid of Gortat for some punch from the backup point guard position with Rivers, then added Howard as their new center amid limited cap flexibility. There are certainly some strong personalities in Washington, but if it works out the Wiz could get back into the top tier of the Eastern Conference. Grade: B