Despite a seemingly uneventful offseason,a few eastern conference contenders made big moves for all star caliber players, changing the atmosphere of the so-called “weaker” conference. On July 7th, after Paul George declined his option with the Clippers, he promptly agreed to a 4-year, $212 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers. The 34 year old star fits well as a dynamic wing alongside MVP big man Joel Embiid and young guard Tyrese Maxey, likely a second or third option on the team. His exact role is unclear, as in the past George has always adopted high-usage roles, yet nonetheless, his two way play and offensive bag will be invaluable to a team who believe they are contenders In the 23-24 season the 76ers finished the season as a 6th seed and were eliminated in the first round by the New york Knicks, a underwhelming finish to a team with high expectations. Despite the all star addition of Paul George to the team there still remain many questions for the upcoming 76ers season with the health of Joel Embiid and Paul George in mind, 2 notoriously injury prone stars. 

The New York Knicks came off a breakout season, with the rise of All NBA point guard Jalen Brunson becoming a MVP caliber player despite the many injuries to the team throughout the season. The Knicks finished the season as the only other eastern conference team beyond the Boston Celtics to have 50 wins, claiming them the second seed. The momentum didn’t stop there as they made a impressive playoff run closing out the 76ers in 6 games in the first round and barely losing to the indiana pacers in the second round, a successful season overall for the franchise. Despite this success the organization didn’t stop there in building their team, they decided to buy all the way into the idea of the “Nova Knicks”. They continued re-assembling the NBA players from the 2018 NCAA champion Villanova team. Already having Jalen Brunson, Donte divincenzo, and josh hart on the roster the management sent out to get defensive forward Mikal Bridges. On July 6, they sent a package of Bojan Bogdanovic, Mamadi Diakite, Shake Milton, and a whopping 6 first round picks for star-caliber wing Mikal Bridges, Keita Bates-Diop, and draft capital. The trade pairs two of the premier two way forwards in basketball together, with Mikal’s new front-court partner being OG Anunoby who the Knicks traded for from the Toronto Raptors in December 2023. The Knicks were criticized for giving up so much draft capital, yet they believe in the talent of Brunson, and believe they are contenders in the east. While they were the single most injured team during the 23-24 season, with a healthier roster, and the clear addition of talent, no doubt the ceiling is high.

With the recent retirement of Derrick Rose it brings up the discussion of how good he was and how good he could’ve been. In his 2010-11 MVP season with the Chicago Bulls he became the youngest MVP in league history winning the award in just his 3rd season putting up averages of 25.0 points, 7.7 Assists, and 4.1 Rebounds. Unfortunately the explosive young guard's prime ended swiftly after he tore his ACL just one year after his MVP season. Even after recovering the remainder of his career was plagued by injuries to his knees, halting him from ever becoming the best version of himself and giving him the title of the biggest “What If” story in the history of the NBA. Rose announced his retirement on social media the morning of September 26th 2024, ending his 16 year NBA career.