On July 8th 2024, Former 6x NBA All star Demar Derozan was acquired by Sacramento in a 3 Team sign and trade deal with the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs. The Signing cost the Kings a solid offensive forward in Harrison Barnes, A reliable Center in Chris Duarte and 2 Second Round draft picks. The Kings then signed Derozan to a 3 year $76 Million contract. Overall this move is a step in the right direction for Sacramento. The team desperately needed a stronger wing in the starting lineup and more star power to make a playoff push in the highly competitive western conference. Just 2 Years ago the kings were the 3rd Ranked team in the conference with their 2 stars in De'aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis both having breakout years. In the previous 23-24 Season the King fell down to the 9th seed in the west. This acquisition of Demar Derozan hopes to help bring them back into a more competitive position.

Coming off a finals appearance, the Dallas Mavericks hope to contend once again this year, improving their odds by adding four-time champ, five-time all-star sniper Klay Thompson. With the addition, Dallas adds a much needed catch and shoot threat, another weapon for premier creators Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. The Mavericks look to capitalize on the recent health of Kyrie and Luka, possibly the most offensively gifted backcourt in recent NBA history. While Klay had his fair share of struggles last year, the respect he demands as a shooter requires defensive attention, and he looks to have a bounce-back year. The final, and by far the most significant contender to make a move this year were the Minnesota Timberwolves trading away Karl-Anthony Towns for Donte Divencenzo, Julius Randle, and a Pistons first round pick. The move came as a surprise, and initially, many scorned the move for the Timberwolves, just coming off an incredibly successful season. However, the move was clearly made with the intent to shed some salary, which it did, while receiving adequate value for the big purr. Two time All-NBA Julius Randle struggled with injuries last year, but averaged 24 points, with 9.2 rebounds and 5 assists. If he remains healthy, he is likely to play at an All-star level, creating his own shot in the post and acting as an offensive weapon. The Timberwolves also added Donte Divencenzo, who led the league in made three pointers while shooting 40 percent. While Kat will be missed, they replaced both his scoring out[ut and shooting between Randle and Divenzenzo, and by adding a pick and freeing cap space, this move gets a B+ for the TImberwolves, still a contender this year. 

The Denver Nuggets recently Acquired Former MVP guard Russell Westbrook through free agency. Westbrook entered free agency after initially being traded from the LA Clippers despite just extending his contract a few weeks prior. The Clippers sent him to the Utah Jazz for veteran guard Kris Dunn, Utah then waived Westbrook later that same day. This allowed for him to sign a 2 year $6.8 Million dollar contract. Time and time again Westbrook has been disrespected by different teams in the league. Despite being far from prime form he is still a valuable player capable of starting for many teams. When Westbrook was at his peak in 2016-2017 he had arguably the greatest MVP season of all time. Westbrook took an extremely weak OKC team that had just been abandoned by Kevin Durant to an unexpected 47 Wins. He did this while being the first player to average a Triple Double since Oscar Robertson in the 1960’s. Now Westbrook has landed with a new “Triple Double Machine” in 3x MVP Nikola Jokic and the Championship contending Denver Nuggets. Ideally Westbrook can play a high contributing role in his next 2 years with the Nuggets helping them to win another championship and giving Russell Westbrook his first ring as he retires and rides off into the sunset.