We asked 13 leading NBA voices on Substack:
Which Eastern Conference team or player made the most baffling moves?
Check out their answers and subscribe!
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The Bulls put the B in baffling. I'm guessing this nomination will surprise very few, since I am hardly alone in highlighting several recent questionable decisions in Chicago, but we're going to need to hear some detailed answers at some point.
Why did the Bulls turn down the far richer offers for Caruso that were on the table at the February trade deadline if they were just going to surrender him — along with DeMar DeRozan — for such a modest return in June and July? Reminder: Caruso, DeRozan and Andre Drummond have all left town in recent weeks and only brought back Josh Giddey, Chris Duarte, two future second-round picks and cash. Bulls management surely had a strong inkling at the February deadline how challenging it would be to trade Zach LaVine — which still hasn't happened — and that should have been sufficient impetus to initiate a teardown then.
There are certainly some other teams in the East whose paths forward are muddled; Milwaukee, Miami and Atlanta all come to mind. But nobody inspires head-scratching right now like the Bulls.
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I'm prepared to be very wrong about this, but Paul George to the Sixers just doesn't sit all the way right with me. I don't even mean that he had to stick it out with the Clippers (though, what happened to being Kawhi Leonard's best friend in the entire league?), but that the fit feels off.
Joel Embiid needs a bossy floor-seer who can weather the bad moods and bring him up in turn, and George hasn't had to be in that role since, maybe, OKC, and that was a completely different calibre of competitive team.
I get the upgrade factor of it, I do, but Tobias Harris had also learned to weather something in Philly and George is about to not just get his feet wet, but probably catch a soaker.
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The Miami Heat were in the NBA Finals 13 months ago, had a shaky regular season coming off of that, got trebucheted out of the playoffs by the champion Celtics and ... have extended Bam Adebayo, signed Alec Burks to replace Caleb Martin, re-signed Haywood Highsmith and Kevin Love and taken their draft picks? That's it? Is this a team that considers itself a legitimate contender or not?
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My pick: Jalen Brunson signing his 4-year extension now rather than waiting to sign a much, much more lucrative 5-year pact next summer. Maybe the 27-year-old's season-ending injuries are worse than we know? Assuredly, the Knicks would have given the All-NBA guard the max a year from now while he's in his prime.
Not many players would have done what Brunson did, but not many players' boss (Leon Rose) was the agent of your father (Rick Brunson).
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The Atlanta Hawks broke up their backcourt by trading Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans. But was that enough to truly change the course in Atlanta? Probably not.
The Hawks seem committed to building around Trae Young … for now, at least. Atlanta has a logjam at the forward position with De’Andre Hunter signed long-term, Jalen Johnson extension-eligible and Zaccharie Risacher added at the draft. Clint Capela is still around too, after years of trade rumors.
That’s left the Hawks as a confusing mess of good, but not good enough, players chasing a Play-In Tournament spot.
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I don't get how the Pistons only got a few second-round picks to take on Tim Hardaway Jr.'s contract, let alone how they also managed to give up Quentin Grimes in the process. It wasn't a particularly high-profile move and it's not likely to impact the season all that much given how bad we expect the Pistons to be, but I understand it less than anything else that's happened this offseason.
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In an age where the second apron rules all, it seems strange that the Toronto Raptors would make the moves they’ve made. Locking up Scottie Barnes for a blank-check contract feels reasonable considering his production, but signing Immanuel Quickley (who is already 25) to a 5-year, $175 million deal could cause financial problems later down the line.
Combine those moves with (thus far) zero free agency moves, and you've got a perfect roster for an average season. That's problematic, not only because the Raps could be much more, but also because the 2025 draft presents potentially generational prizes for the tankiest teams.
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Earth to Milwaukee … what’s the plan? Giannis is a singular two-way talent in the NBA, but the Bucks are acting like they have all the time in the world to build a winner around him. Problem is, lots of guys on that roster are approaching their NBA twilight years, so the chances to build a winner are dwindling. Taurean Prince is a good signing, but does he lift this team back into contention? Not quite.
Also, Jonas Valančiūnas signing with the Wizards is the most random (and funny) signing of this summer. How did that happen?Why did that happen?
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I’m not a fan of the Wizards' decision-making, even though Bub Carrington may be a draft steal. Trading Deni Avdija — a young player on an extremely team-friendly contract and on the rise — just seemed like a rushed move.
Additionally, if you’re going to be willfully bad, as they clearly are, don’t sign a veteran in Jonas Valančiūnas who plays the same position as your second-overall pick. Commit to the tank. Their roster feels like a discordant combination of veterans and bad contracts. Pick a lane.
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At the risk of drumming a decaying horse, it has to be the Bulls. They managed to get back just Josh Giddey (a productive regular-season player who is currently ill-suited for postseason success), reclamation project Chris Duarte, and a couple of seconds for Alex Caruso and DeMar DeRozan, a paltry return, yet they’re still not quite bad enough to truly tank. The Patrick Williams deal, while defensible, is far from a slam dunk.
Chicago is not bereft of talent, but they are a sailboat without a sail. There’s no engine and no long-term direction. It’s Sadsville; I’m sad.
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In the case of the Miami Heat, they made the most baffling non-moves. They lost Caleb Martin and Delon Wright. Their only addition was Alec Burks.
They could have had a better season last year with better health, but Tyler Herro has an injury history and Jimmy Butler will be 35 when the season starts. That’s why they (reportedly) don’t want to give him the extension that he wants. They needed to do something to enhance the Jimmy Butler era, and they didn’t.
Are they destined to have a bad breakup?
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My choice for the most baffling move is the Bucks drafting AJ Johnson at No. 23.
The Bucks' old team is only getting older (Portis is their only top-eight rotation guy younger than Giannis … barely), and with one of their few upcoming picks, they selected the draft's rawest player. AJ's future is not decided, and this wouldn't be a problem if they had young rotation players on the roster, but none of their recent picks (MarJon Beauchamp, Andre Jackson Jr., Chris Livingston) is set to become a mainstay in their rotation.
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What’s most baffling to me is Chicago's ineptitude at negotiations.
Given the previous reports and the haul of draft picks Brooklyn received for Bridges, it's clear Chicago had offers for Alex Caruso on the table that included more than the zero draft picks they ultimately received from the Thunder.
And from the Thunder's viewpoint it seems fairly obvious that they would have been willing to part with at least one of their many future first-rounders, if Chicago had simply pressed a bit harder. I refuse to believe that OKC saw Giddey, a guard with little 3-point ability, in their future plans anyway.
That Sixers content from basketball feelings is why I read on this app.
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