The NBA offseason has been swallowed by the headliners. LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jaylen Brown and maybe even Kawhi Leonard have dominated the conversation, which is exactly how a summer like this goes: the biggest swings grab the spotlight, and the quieter moves get buried.
That’s a mistake. Some of the best additions aren’t the loudest ones.
They’re the deals that give teams balance, flexibility and a real chance to make the rest of the roster work. A few of those moves stand out already.
Dean Wade landing with the 76ers fits that mold perfectly. Philadelphia’s new-look roster is loaded at the top, but there are real questions about how all the pieces will fit together on both ends.
Wade should help answer some of them. He’s a low-maintenance 3-and-D forward who can slide in next to any of the team’s ball-dominant stars, and while he now projects as a reserve, he can also start when needed.
Wade has never averaged more than six points per game, but that’s not the point. The Sixers need a dependable glue guy willing to do the dirty work, and that’s exactly what he became over seven seasons in Cleveland.
He’s shot better than 35% from deep every year of his career and has hit 37.1% of his long-range tries over the last three seasons. On a four-year deal that costs about 5% of the salary cap, he looks like a bargain.
Charlotte’s move for Naz Reid got lost in the noise because it came in the same transaction that sent former franchise star LaMelo Ball away. But Reid is far more than a throw-in.
The former Sixth Man of the Year finally gets a shot to start full time, and he should be ready for it. He’s a sturdy two-way big who can play power forward or small-ball center, and his career 37% mark from 3-point range gives him real value as a floor-spacer.
Reid also brings a smart, respected presence to what the Hornets are building around Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller. He should become a quick fan favorite in Charlotte, just as he was in Minnesota.
And at 27 in August, with a long-term contract that pays him less than 15% of the annual cap, he still fits the Hornets’ timeline.
John Collins to Detroit is another move that deserves more attention. He never quite became the All-Star many expected, but at this point he may be underrated himself.
Collins, 28, is still a productive and efficient frontcourt player, and he’s improved as both a defender and a shooter. Last season, he was one of only four qualified players to shoot better than 60% inside the arc and 40% from deep.
Among 83 players who averaged at least 13 points per game, his 64.3% true shooting ranked sixth. For the Pistons, a three-year, $51-million contract with only the first year and $17 million guaranteed is a clear win in what has otherwise been a disappointing summer.
If Detroit keeps All-Star center and reportedly disgruntled restricted free agent Jalen Duren, Collins can fit as a floor-spacing partner next to him or as an interior scorer in smaller lineups.
Matisse Thybulle gives the Lakers a different kind of value. After losing James and reshaping the roster around Luka Doncic, Los Angeles still looks incomplete and short on answers, especially with little financial flexibility or trade ammunition left to fix the problems down the road.
Thybulle, on a one-year veteran’s minimum deal, can help cover some of those cracks. He’s an elite stopper and defensive playmaker, and there have been signs that his 3-point shot is coming along.
Over his last two injury-shortened seasons, the 6-foot-5 wing hit 41.1% from deep, and he should see plenty of clean looks alongside Doncic and Austin Reaves. If the health holds, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him work his way into the starting five and become one of the team’s most important players.
That’s the catch, though: after averaging 69.6 appearances per 82 games in his first five seasons, he missed 119 games over the last two seasons with thumb, ankle and knee injuries.
Then there’s Zaccharie Risacher in Dallas, a move that barely registered compared with the bigger names involved in the Hawks-Thunder-Mavericks three-team deal. Lu Dort going to Atlanta and Oklahoma City ducking the second apron got the headlines.
Dallas got something different: a former No. 1 overall pick, with Ryan Nembhard going out as the Mavs took a swing on Risacher. His draft identity is already unusual - the top pick between Victor Wembanyama’s and Cooper Flagg’s classes - and now he gets to play with Flagg.
The 21-year-old probably won’t live up to the expectations attached to his draft slot, but he brings real defensive promise and enough shooting to matter, having hit 36% from 3 in a 6-foot-8 frame. There’s value there if Dallas can uncover it during the rebuild.
He also won’t carry the same pressure in Dallas that he did in Atlanta, and if he becomes even a steady 3-and-D starter next to Flagg, the Mavericks will have something to celebrate.
That same deal also sent Nembhard to Atlanta, and he shouldn’t be overlooked either. The 23-year-old guard averaged 6.6 points and 5.3 assists as a rookie, and his playmaking instincts stand out. In his first eight starts in November and December, he put up roughly 13 points and seven assists on 70% true shooting.
In Other News...
Zaccharie Risacher Could Finally Get The Mavericks Role He Needed
Zaccharie Risacher arrives in Dallas with a very different kind of opportunity than the one he had been getting in Atlanta. The No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft saw his role shrink during his sophomore season with the Hawks, and the Mavericks believe they can offer him something far more useful right now: steady minutes, a clearer lane and a chance to grow into a defined part of the rotation.
For a franchise still working through a rebuild, that makes Risacher an easy fit on paper. Dallas has made a habit of giving young players room to develop, and that environment could matter more than any short-term splash as the organization tries to shape its next core. The question now is whether the move finally gives Risacher the runway his early NBA career has been missing. [Read more 🡒]
Klay Thompson's Mavericks Future Still Feels Stuck As Teams Keep Circling
Klay Thompsons situation in Dallas remains one of the more closely watched roster questions around the league, and the Miami Heat are one of the teams still keeping tabs. After completing a trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Miami is down to 12 players and needs to get back to roster compliance, which has only sharpened its interest in Thompson as a possible addition. The attraction is obvious from the Heats side: Thompson brings name value, shooting and a level of experience that could help a reshuffled roster settle in quickly.
The practical hurdle is just as obvious. A trade would not be easy for Miami to construct given the limited pieces it can put on the table, which leaves the Mavericks in a familiar holding pattern. Dallas would rather wait for the right trade offer to develop than move Thompson any other way, so for now the stalemate remains intact while other teams continue to circle. [Read more 🡒]
Shaquille ONeal Says Kyrie Irving Blocked LeBron Cavaliers Reunion
The LeBron James offseason sweepstakes took another turn this week when Shaquille ONeal suggested Kyrie Irving may have been the obstacle to a possible Cavaliers reunion. James ultimately signed with the Philadelphia 76ers after reportedly weighing a return to Cleveland, and the idea of bringing Irving back into the mix was part of that conversation.
Irving, who once teamed with James for a title in Cleveland, does not have a no-trade clause, which means the Cavaliers could have moved him without his approval. Even so, the reunion never materialized, and James went with Philadelphia after a secret meeting, leaving one of the more intriguing what-ifs of the offseason unresolved. [Read more 🡒]