5 Best NBA Offseason Moves Thus Far

There has only been a handful of moves around the NBA since the San Antonio Spurs won their fourth NBA championship last month. But this doesn’t mean that some of these moves won’t have an impact in 2014-2015 and down the road.

From Kyrie Irving inking a long-term extension to the New Orleans Pelicans adding a big man to the mix, let’s go ahead and power rank the best moves that have already gone down around the Association.

1. Cleveland Cavaliers Sign Kyrie Irving to an Extension

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This was an absolute necessity for a fledgling Cavaliers franchise. There was no way they were going to move forward as legitimate playoff contenders without locking him up long term. Now that Irving is in the mix on a max deal, which was well deserved, Cleveland and its new head coach David Blatt can build the complementary pieces around him to create a contender in the Eastern Conference.

For Irving, the decision was two fold. Cleveland could offer him the most money and he seems ready to take over a franchise that was reeling from losing LeBron James when he was drafted first overall a few years back. Irving averaged 20.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game in a second consecutive All-Star campaign this past season.

2. Denver Nuggets Acquire Arron Afflalo from the Orlando Magic

Highway robbery in its clearest form. Denver was able to find itself an above-average all-around shooting guard in exchange for a first-round pick in Evan Fournier who hadn’t produced a whole lot and a second rounder in the 2014 NBA draft. Afflalo averaged 18.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game last season in Orlando. With an average salary of just $7.5 million in each of the next two seasons, this is an absolute steal.

3. Golden State Warriors Sign Shaun Livingston

As far as under-the-radar moves go, this was a blockbuster by the Warriors. Livingston, coming off his first really healthy season as a NBA player, was a highly sought-after backup point guard option on the open market. At 6’7″ and 282, Livingston adds size and versatility to a backcourt that currently features Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. If the latter were to be included in a potential Kevin Love deal, Livingston would help make up for the loss. At just over $5 million per season, this was a solid deal for the up-and-coming Warriors.

4. New Orleans Pelicans Acquire Omer Asik from the Houston Rockets for a Future First-Round Pick 

A first-round pick might have been a high price to pay for Asik, but he’s going to team up with Anthony Davis to form a ridiculous front line in New Orleans. The Turkish big man averaged 5.8 points and just under eight rebounds per game as Dwight Howard’s primary backup a season ago. He is one year removed from averaging a double-double in a full-time starting role for the Rockets. The only potential hiccup here is that Asik has one year remaining on his deal. In order for this trade to work out for the Pelicans, he will have to sign a long-term extension. It’s a risk worth taking.

5. New York Knicks Acquire Jose Calderon, Shane Larkin, Samuel Dalembert, Wayne Ellington and Two Second-Round Picks from the Dallas Mavericks for Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton

On the surface, this seems like a trade that favored Dallas. While that might very well still be the case, it’s important to note what Phil Jackson and the Knicks were attempting to do here. Calderon fits the triangle offense much better than Felton and is a better all-around point guard. While his contract isn’t wise to take on, he will be a major upgrade at that position for the next couple seasons. Acquiring Larkin gives the Knicks a solid youngster to groom in the backcourt over the next season or two.

Meanwhile, both Dalembert and Ellington add to a bench that was relatively weak last season. Neither are long-term solutions, but in a vacuum, they were nice little additions. What makes this deal so solid for New York are the two second-round picks it acuired. By virtue of the deal, the Knicks were able to steal former Wichita State standout Cleanthony Early in the second round.

Photo: Sports Illustrated