Across the NBA this offseason, teams made major moves to improve themselves in an effort to keep up with the league’s top teams. Rosters rarely remain static as teams constantly try to improve, whether it’s a big play like Philadelphia’s signing of Paul George or the Knicks’ acquisition of Mikal Bridges.
However, smaller moves often make some of the biggest impacts – just look at the Mavericks last season, whose midseason trades for Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington helped take their team over the top. In the Western Conference, there weren’t quite as many big splashes as far as superstar names go, but some significant moves were made to improve some of the contending teams.
1. Oklahoma City trades for defensive wing Alex Caruso
The West’s top-seeded OKC Thunder made strides this offseason in a swap that sent facilitating off-guard Josh Giddey to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for defensive specialist wing Alex Caruso, who will likely slot right into Giddey’s spot and play similar minutes.
Caruso was Second-Team All-Defense last year, averaging 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. He was tied for sixth in the NBA in steals per game this past season, and in the top 40 overall in the NBA in blocks per game despite playing a lot of his game outside of the paint.
One has to think that the presence of Luka Doncic played a role in this decision, as Caruso can immediately be a player that can bother Doncic when defending him in one-on-one situations, alleviating some of the pressure on Chet Holmgren (and new center Isaiah Hartenstein) to make decisions when guarding in the pick-and-roll.
2. San Antonio acquires veteran point guard Chris Paul
The Spurs were one of the worst teams in the Western Conference last season, finishing at 22-60 despite the heroics of Victory Wembanyama. What they’ve lacked the past few years is a pure point guard, something they addressed twice this offseason, signing Chris Paul and drafting Connecticut’s one-and-done Stephon Castle.
Wembanyama was asked to do too much for San Antonio last year on the offensive end, and though he was successful in many facets, having someone to set him up with easier looks off of rolls and throw him lob passes will unlock a new level of offense for the budding superstar.
The underrated aspect is his mentoring of Castle, who will learn from one of the best of all time on how to read defenses. With a much better physical profile, Castle can develop into a true two-way guard like Paul was…but at 6’6″.
3. Sacramento Kings grab DeMar DeRozan in three-team deal
The Kings’ biggest acquisitions may have been the guys they kept – managing to hold on to both DeAaron Fox and Malik Monk was extremely important, but as far as additions go, DeMar DeRozan is a fascinating addition.
Though the spacing becomes an interesting quandary, as Derozan operates in the same midrange area that Fox likes to, the passing ability of Domantas Sabonis out of the post will probably allow for the offense to work itself out.
Derozan also allows for another ball handler on the floor for the Kings, something they have lacked in the past when playing Kevin Huerter, a spot-up shooter, in the starting role. Derozan’s facilitation is an underrated part of his game, as he averaged over five assists per game last year.
