NBA Offseason Roster Shifts: Who Gained and Lost the Most Value?

1. LA Clippers

The Clippers parted ways with Norman Powell, who was coming off a career-best season (6.3 WAR), in a July three-team trade. Beyond this, they largely retained their talent core, which was already strong. The impact of Ben Simmons` departure, sadly, is no longer significant.

Notably, they brought in four players with a recent history of contributing at least 2.5 wins per season: the returning veteran Chris Paul, who often elevates his teams; the consistent presence of Brook Lopez; and high-upside reclamation projects in Bradley Beal and John Collins.

2. Houston Rockets

The Rockets secured the most impactful player to change teams this offseason in Kevin Durant. Even at 36 and with a reduced supporting cast in Phoenix, Durant maintained his characteristic efficiency, averaging 26.6 points last season. His continued high-level production will be crucial following the departures of Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks, who were instrumental in facilitating his arrival, and particularly after Fred VanVleet`s torn ACL injury, which sidelines a player expected to play a major role.

Kevin Durant was traded to the Houston Rockets this past offseason and is eligible to sign a two-year extension after the 2025-26 season.

3. Dallas Mavericks

Dallas`s 2024-25 numbers are underpinned by more factors than the average team. Their previous season`s net rating (No. 19) encompassed distinct phases of team construction, from the period before the infamous Luka Dončić trade to the brief Kyrie Irving-Anthony Davis era, including a stretch with both stars sidelined. Now, Davis is back, and Irving is anticipated to return during the season. Their net established WAR (+3.8) receives a significant boost from the projected value of Cooper Flagg (+3.6), this year`s No. 1 draft pick.

The Mavericks also acquired D`Angelo Russell, who performed more capably in 2023-24 than in 2024-25. With minimal talent lost—Spencer Dinwiddie registered negative RAPTOR for three consecutive seasons—the upcoming season in Dallas promises to be anything but dull.

4. Brooklyn Nets

The Nets struggled last season, securing only 26 wins—their fewest since 2016-17—and are likely to face similar challenges. However, in the trade that sent Cameron Johnson to Denver in July, the Nets acquired a more productive recent player (along with an unprotected first-round pick). While it was a cap-driven move for the Nuggets, Brooklyn gained Michael Porter Jr., who is younger and generated nearly twice as many WAR (11.7 vs. 6.3) over the past two seasons, significantly boosting their net WAR (+3.0).

5. Charlotte Hornets

The Hornets cannot be accused of simply running back the same group and expecting different outcomes. Aside from the core of Miles Bridges, LaMelo Ball, and Brandon Miller, General Manager Jeff Peterson has significantly overhauled a roster that managed only 19 wins last year. Key additions include Collin Sexton from Utah and Spencer Dinwiddie from Dallas, alongside drafting Kon Knueppel fourth overall out of Duke.

While improving a struggling team is inherently easier than a top contender, and despite the Hornets, like the Nets, probably won`t be a strong team in 2025-26, they have positioned themselves to be better than they were.

30. Boston Celtics

After winning the 2024 NBA championship and being among the top title contenders for much of last season, Boston is bracing for a vastly different year. Firstly, regular-season WAR leader Jayson Tatum suffered a torn Achilles in May; while he hasn`t ruled out an early return from what was initially deemed a season-ending injury, he would likely miss the majority of the regular season.

Coupled with the departures of many core contributors from their championship run—Kristaps Porziņģis, Jrue Holiday, and Al Horford—plus highly effective role player Luke Kornet (who signed with the Spurs in July), the Celtics face a significantly diminished group leading the charge in 2025-26.

29. Phoenix Suns

This offseason was a necessary reset for Phoenix, moving on from the “Big Three” experiment with Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker, which yielded zero playoff wins before its dissolution. However, the Suns experienced a significant exodus of talent, primarily headlined by Durant`s move to Houston. They did acquire some intriguing players in the record-breaking seven-team trade, including Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks, who combined for 7.3 WAR last season. Nonetheless, the post-Durant transition in Phoenix is expected to be challenging.

28. Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks find themselves in this position following the dissolution of the Damian Lillard-Giannis Antetokounmpo alliance after an underwhelming two-year period, which saw them win only three playoff games across two first-round exits, with both stars facing health struggles at various times. Regardless, Lillard was highly productive during both of his regular seasons in Milwaukee, accumulating 13.7 total WAR across 2023-24 and 2024-25. The Bucks will now move forward with Myles Turner, signed to a four-year, $107 million contract, hoping he can replicate his solid averages of 17 points and 7 rebounds from the past three seasons alongside Giannis in a new partnership.

27. Cleveland Cavaliers

A year after dramatically leaping from 48 wins to a near-franchise record 64, the Cavaliers are once again among the title favorites. However, like many contenders in the NBA`s current salary cap era, they had to part ways with some of their most effective role players. This includes Ty Jerome, who was remarkably efficient (+5.3 RAPTOR) in 20 minutes per game last season, and Isaac Okoro, who consistently provided solid 3-and-D efficiency for years before being traded to the Bulls for Lonzo Ball in July.

If Lonzo Ball can ever maintain full health for a season, he could single-handedly offset the Cavaliers` offseason deficit, making him an intriguing acquisition for a championship-focused team. For now, however, Cleveland has lost a significant amount of proven talent compared to a year ago.

Lonzo Ball was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers from the Chicago Bulls last June for Isaac Okoro.

26. Minnesota Timberwolves

The Timberwolves entered the summer with considerable uncertainty regarding their returning supporting cast. In that context, they arguably achieved the best outcome possible (without exceeding the second apron) by re-signing Julius Randle and Naz Reid. However, this came at the cost of losing Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who accumulated 7.1 total WAR over the past two seasons and whose presence on the court saw the team perform an average of 4.0 net points better per 100 possessions. While hardly an earth-shattering loss, it highlights how depth can become a casualty of the luxury tax in the contemporary NBA.