Donovan Mitchell guarding new Cleveland teammate Darius Garland last season. Photo: Getty Images.
It is time to take a look back at the NBA off-season and grade how each team has performed.
Today we’re going to look at the Central division, which has a nice blend of championship contenders, wannabes, rebuilding teams and a franchise that is caught in no man’s land.
Chicago Bulls: C
Chicago’s primary objective this off-season was to tie down star guard Zach LaVine to a long-term deal. Mission accomplished.
Unfortunately for the Bulls, they achieved very little else.
The Bulls re-signed the high-flying Derrick Jones Jr and brought in a pair of veterans in rebounding machine Andre Drummond and veteran point guard Goran Dragic. Neither are game changers at this point of their careers.
Chicago also picked Dalen Terry in the first round. A big 6’7” combo guard with an absurd 8’10” standing reach, Terry is the definition of upside.
He has the potential to be a disruptive force on defence and a very good distributor, but he’s a long, long way off being a contributor at this point.
That said, the additions of Terry and Dragic take on more importance with the injury concerns that surround starting point guard Lonzo Ball.
The 24-year-old is still unable to run or jump without pain at this point – both are rather important when attempting to play basketball.
Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu are both exciting prospects, though neither is a natural distributor. Expect Dragic to play a larger role than he may have expected upon signing.
Overall, this off-season feels like a consolidation for the Bulls. In a vacuum that’s OK. In reality, the Nets will have their weapons on the floor, Philadelphia has reloaded, while the Cavs and Hawks have imported All-Stars.
After finishing sixth in the conference last season, there is a very real chance that the Bulls drop into the play-in positions this time around.
Cleveland Cavaliers: A+
Given their progress over the past few years, one could forgive the Cavaliers for thinking consolidation this off-season.
Get Darius Garland extended, re-sign Collin Sexton and flesh out a wafer-thin bench. All more than reasonable goals.
For the bulk of the off-season, that’s what it looked like the Cavs were aiming for.
Garland inked a $193 million deal and the team filled out its bench with Robin Lopez, Raul Lopez and the returning Ricky Rubio – all three very solid additions.
As options dried up for Sexton, returning to the Cavs looked more likely than not.
Then, out of nowhere, the Cavs turned the league on its head by gate-crashing the Donovan Mitchell trade party, snaring the three-time All-Star for Lauri Markkanen, Sexton, rookie Ochai Agbaji and, of course, the requisite array of draft picks.
Mitchell completes a formidable, young foursome alongside Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
At 26, Mitchell is the eldest of the quartet.
This writer has seen the Cavs-Mitchell move called an ‘acceleration’ of the rebuild in Cleveland, but it’s worth remembering that the Cavs were third in the East last season before injuries cruelled their campaign.
The trade and, indeed, this entire off-season isn’t so much an acceleration, as it is the cherry on top of a quite delicious-looking cake.
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Detroit Pistons: A
For so long a rudderless franchise, these Pistons are most certainly on the right path.
In amongst all of their good management, they received a little luck in the draft when Jaden Ivey fell into their laps at pick five. The explosive guard should be the perfect complement to Cade Cunningham; the fire to Cade’s ice.
The Pistons finally cashed in on Jerami Grant and parlayed that pick into potentially the ideal big man partner to their new backcourt in rookie Jalen Duren, who they picked up after a series of deals between the Knicks, Hornets and themselves.
In addition to Duren, Detroit also became a willing dumping ground for bad Knicks contracts, taking on Nerlens Noel, Alec Burks – both will be rotation pieces – and the fossilised remains of Kemba Walker.
Finally, just a few days ago, the Pistons picked up veteran shooter Bojan Bogdanovic from the Utah yard sale for three-fifths of bugger all.
Burks, Noel and Bogdanovic are all possible trade candidates as general manager Troy Weaver looks to accumulate more assets.
The off-season in Motor City wasn’t all 100 per cent positive, though.
The Marvin Bagley reclamation project has been a lovely story, but signing him to a three-year $37.5 million deal when it appears they were only bidding against themselves is confusing to say the least.
They also signed – for reasons that will forever remain a mystery – the well-and-truly busted former lottery pick Kevin Knox.
Indiana Pacers: B-
Indiana failed to pull off its Plan A, which was to sign Deandre Ayton, which in turn would have allowed it to finally trade long-time starting centre Myles Turner.
The Pacers were able to sign Ayton to a max offer sheet, only to see it matched by the Suns in a matter of hours.
So, for the timebeing, Turner remains a Pacer, as does sharpshooter Buddy Hield.
The expectation is that both will be moved at some point in the next 12 months. Could a Russell Westbrook trade be in the works?
Outside of the long-running Turner saga, the Pacers did some solid work.
Indy kicked off its off-season by trading away veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon to the Celtics for a first-round draft pick, serviceable veteran big man Daniel Theis and a theoretical floor spacer in Aaron Nesmith. That trade, though, was mostly about the pick and handing over the reins of the team to Tyrese Haliburton.
In the draft the Pacers selected Bennedict Mathurin at pick six. The Canadian forward was outstanding in summer league, giving the Pacers another gem of a player to add to their perimeter core of Haliburton and Chris Duarte.
They also picked up Andrew Nembhard, Kendall Brown and Hugo Besson in a solid night’s work.
Milwaukee Bucks: B
You could argue that the Bucks were just a healthy Khris Middleton away from, at worst, a second consecutive finals berth last season. With that in mind, they didn’t make any outlandish moves this off-season.
Milwaukee took care of its own, re-signing Bobby Portis to the most it was allowed to offer over four years, while also tying down Pat Connaughton, Wes Matthews, Jordan Nwora, Serge Ibaka and Jevon Carter.
As for additions, the team drafted Marjon Beauchamp at pick 24. The Seattle native is strong and athletic, always playing with intensity and he shows promise as a catch-and-shoot player, but is not expected to contribute much this season.
The Bucks also brought in veteran Australian wing Joe Ingles, despite the fact that he’ll be unavailable until at least January as he recovers from a torn ACL. It’s an interesting move.
In an ideal world, Ingles’ dead-eye shooting and crafty playmaking would open up the floor for Milwaukee’s stars in Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday and Middleton.
However, Ingles will turn 35 just before the season begins and it remains to be seen how well he recovers from his knee injury and how long his rehab will take.
At a speed disadvantage when in his prime, will this new version of Ingles get played off the court at the defensive end of the floor?
It’s a worthwhile risk, but for a team with limited ways to improve its roster, it’s nonetheless a substantial gamble.
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