The basketball world was promised fireworks. The 2025 NBA offseason has delivered an all-out detonation.
From blockbuster trades to aggressive pivots, teams are either stacking chips for a title push — or conceding to the cold truth of a championship window slammed shut.
So who’s winning the chaos?
The Daily News breaks down the biggest deals of the offseason and grades how each team has fared as the draft dust settles.
June 15: Magic stun in deal for Bane
THE TRADE
- Magic receive: G Desmond Bane
- Grizzlies receive: G Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, G Cole Anthony, first-round picks in 2025, 2026, 2028 and 2030, first-round pick swap in 2029
It’s a lot to pay for a no-time All-Star, but for the Orlando Magic, the window of opportunity is wide-open. The Knicks aren’t the only team set to benefit from unfortunate injuries to Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton and Boston’s Jayson Tatum. The Magic might have made some more noise had injuries not ravaged their roster beyond recognition last season. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s shooting struggles didn’t help matters, either. Part of the haul for the Memphis Grizzlies is attributed to taking on the remaining two years and $43.2M on the contract of a player who had one of the worst three-point shooting seasons of his career in Year 1 with the Magic.
Grizzlies grade — A+
Magic grade — A-
JUNE 17: Pacers prepare to extend Myles Turner
THE TRADE
- Indiana Pacers receive: 2026 first-round pick
- New Orleans Pelicans receive: 2025 first-round pick (No. 23: F Asa Newell, Georgia), draft rights to G Mojave King
Myles Turner laid an egg in the NBA Finals. The Pacers still need to do what they can to keep him in Indiana. That means clearing cap space around the margins — like a rookie scale contract for a late first-round pick — in an attempt to prevent their payroll from skyrocketing too close to, or over, the second apron. In those calculations, the Pacers will also have to consider an extension for Bennedict Mathurin, who will become a restricted free agent next summer. So shedding even just $3.9M — 120% of the rookie scale salary — will go a long way when it’s time for the Pacersto back up the Brinks truck for their core rotation players.
The Pelicans went on to trade the 23rd pick to move up 10 spots in the draft.
Pacers grade — A-
Pelicans grade — A-
JUNE 22: Rockets win Durant sweepstakes
THE TRADE
- Houston Rockets receive: F Kevin Durant
- Phoenix Suns receive: G Jalen Green, F Dillon Brooks, 2025 first-round pick (No. 10: C Khaman Maluach), five second-round picks
The Rockets needed a scorer. They got Kevin freaking Durant.
The same Kevin Durant who has been more efficient and just as reliable of a scorer in the years after his 2019 Achilles rupture than the years before. And they got him for pennies on the dollar: a guard who failed to reach his potential, a role player they’ll miss on the defensive end, one first-round pick and five second-round picks for a shoo-in first-ballot Hall of Famer in the twilight of his career.
The Suns traded Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and four first-round picks to the Nets to acquire Durant, only to miss the playoffs each of the past two seasons. So the return on an all-time great is low, but they can extract more value by developing — or flipping — Green this offseason.
Rockets grade — A+
Suns grade — C+
JUNE 23: Celtics begin deconstruction
THE TRADE
- Boston Celtics receive: G Anfernee Simons, two future second-round picks
- Portland Trail Blazers receive: G Jrue Holiday
Moving Jrue Holiday was the first of expected moves designed to get the Celtics back under the second apron. Few, however, expected this kind of return: Boston received a scorer in Anfernee Simons, plus a pair of second-round picks for Holiday, who goes from a championship situation to a rebuild in Portland. The Trail Blazers had one of the NBA’s best defenses in the second half of the season, and they believe Holiday’s veteran defensive presence can help elevate the team into the Play-In Tournament picture. But Simons, 26, has averaged about 20 points and five assists in each of his last three seasons. On an expiring contract, the Celtics can see if there’s a fit, flip him for assets elsewhere, or let him walk in free agency and enjoy the extra cap space.
Celtics grade — A+
Trail Blazers grade — B+
JUNE 24: Pelicans, Wizards swap guards
THE TRADE
- New Orleans Pelicans receive: G Jordan Poole, F Saddiq Bey, 2025 second-round pick (No. 40)
- Washington Wizards receive: G C.J. McCollum, F Kelly Olynyk, future second-round pick
A rare win-win. Two of last season’s worst teams come out on top.
A talented-but-inexperienced Wizards team begging for veteran leadership lands C.J. McCollum and Kelly Olynyk, bringing 22 combined years of NBA experience to the locker room. And the Pelicans get two impact players to pair alongside the core of Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones and Dejounte Murray. If Williamson can finally stay healthy — and it’s a big if — Poole’s added scoring punch could help the Pelicans find the win column once again.
Pelicans grade — B+
Wizards grade — B+
JUNE 24: Hawks land Porzingis
THE TRADE
- Boston Celtics receive: F Georges Niang, future second-round pick
- Atlanta Hawks receive: C Kristaps Porzingis, future second-round pick
- Brooklyn Nets receive: G Terance Mann, 2025 first-round pick (No. 22: G Drake Powell, North Carolina)
After years toiling away as a Play-In Tournament team, the Atlanta Hawks are back in the playoff picture. The addition of Kristaps Porzingis does just that: Trae Young has a co-star, the Hawks now have a 3-and-C center capable of spacing the floor and protecting the rim, and Atlanta should now be considered a team to watch in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Atlanta needed to shed salary to fit Porzingis’ contract on the books, so the Nets made themselves available, taking Terance Mann’s contract and a first-round pick for their troubles. The Celtics, eager to clear Porzingis’ salary from their books, only received Niang and a future second in the deal.
Celtics grade — B-
Hawks grade — A+
Nets grade — A+
JUNE 25: DRAFT DAY DEALS
Here are the highlights of the trades that took place on Day 1 of the 2025 NBA Draft.
SUNS GET A CENTER
THE TRADE
- Phoenix Suns receive: C Mark Williams
- Charlotte Hornets receive: G Vasilije Micic, 2025 first-round pick (No. 29: G Liam McNeeley, Connecticut) 2029 first-round pick
One team’s trash is another’s treasure. The Lakers backed out of the Mark Williams deal with the Hornets, but the Suns didn’t blink at the opportunity to address their center woes for good, though it cost them a pair of first-round picks to do so.
Suns grade — A-
Hornets grade — A-
GRIZZLIES NAB BANE REPLACEMENT
THE TRADE
- Grizzlies receive: 2025 pick No. 11 (G Cedric Coward, Washington State)
- Trail Blazers receive: 2025 pick No. 16 (C Yang Hansen, China), 2028 first-round pick (via ORL), two second-round picks
A pair of firsts and a pair of seconds to move up five spots in the draft. The Grizzlies better hope Cedric Coward’s game translates from college to the pros. If it does, they won’t miss Bane much. Coward only played in six games for the Cougars last season but averaged 17.7 points, seven rebounds and 1.7 blocks as a 6-foot-6 wing who shot 55.7% from the field and 40% from behind the arc.
Grizzlies grade — B+
Trail Blazers grade — A
HAWKS CONTINUE TO PILE WINGS
THE TRADE
- Hawks receive: 2025 pick No. 23 (F Asa Newell, Georgia), 2026 first-round pick
- Pelicans receive: 2025 pick No. 13 (C Derik Queen, Maryland)
The Pelicans traded two first-round picks to move up 10 spots in the draft, where they selected Derik Queen, who averaged 16.5 points, 9 rebounds, a block and a steal as a freshman starting for the Terrapins last season. The Hawks added another wing player to support a strong bunch: Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, Jalen Johnson and Asa Newell will support Young and Porzingis in Atlanta.
Hawks grade — B+
Pelicans grade — B
