The 2023-24 NBA offseason was an eventful one, full of major trades and big free-agent signings. Now that the dust has settled and we’re already more than halfway through the season, we can look back at all those offseason moves and see how they’ve affected the league’s power balance up until this point. Spoiler: Most of the moves haven’t made much the impact that teams hoped. 

Damian Lillard to the Bucks

The biggest news over the summer was perennial all-star Damian Lillard going to the Milwaukee Bucks. After years of showing nothing but absolute loyalty to the Blazers, Lillard decided it was time to move on. He joined forces with co-superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee. The powerful duo clicked immediately, and they looked like a formidable contender from game one. This still doesn’t mean that the Bucks are the absolute favorites, though. They still have to worry about the powerful Celtics, who are currently ahead in the Eastern Conference standings.  Plus, there are more than a handful of teams out West that could cause them trouble if they were to reach the Finals. While the Bucks are still near the top of the East, Milwaukee doesn’t seem like they took the jump most expected; with rumors of discontent, really bad defense, and the firing of A.J. Griffin.

Bradley Beal to the Suns

The Phoenix Suns replaced the aging “Point God” Chris Paul and added Bradley Beal to their roster, forming a new Big 3 around Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. However, things haven’t started as expected in The Valley, as Beal played in only 6 of the first 30 games, with the Suns falling below the play-off mark. But as the former Wizard got healthy, the Suns got back to their winning ways and are looking better each game. The Western Conference seems stacked, but Phoenix will likely finish in one of the top spots and contend for a title. Beal is finally healthy having spent the majority of the season on the injured list, so the impact of getting the NBA All-Star guard hasn’t been realized. Any success Phoenix has seen is due to Durant and Booker. 

Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday to the Celtics

The Boston Celtics are still well inside their championship window, but the missed opportunities must be getting frustrating to Cs fans by now. After blowing a 2-1 series lead against the Warriors in the 2022 Finals and failing to close out Game 7 versus the Heat and clinch a Finals berth last year, the Celtics made a couple of moves over the summer in an attempt to achieve their ultimate goal. And, it seems to be working. The Bucks made room for Lillard by trading Jrue Holiday to the Blazers, so the Celtics swooped in and traded for Jrue just four days later. Boston also signed Kristaps Porzingis in a two-year, $60 million contract. The question remains: With both Jrue and Kristaps on their roster, can the Celtics finally take that next big step?

After having health issues and struggling to settle into his rhythm with the ailing Wizards, the Latvian big finally seems to have found his footing with the Celtics. Jrue has been doing his thing as well, and with the superstar duo of Tatum and Brown, the Celtics are currently boasting the league-best record and are confidently marching toward the playoffs. Still, the Celtics don’t seem more of threat than they have the last couple of seasons.

Chris Paul to the Warriors

Boy were we wrong. Well, not about Jordan Poole, but we thought CP3 was one of the missing pieces. Chris Paul must be one of the unluckiest post-season players in NBA history. He got injured again in the playoffs last year, missing the last four games against the Denver Nuggets in a series that the Suns eventually lost 4-2. After being traded to the Wizards for Bradley Beal, Paul shortly found himself at the center of another deal and landed in the Bay Area alongside fellow point guard Steph Curry. However, Paul’s veteran presence does not seem to be enough to awaken the aging Warriors. Golden State is currently below the play-in mark, and it seems that this will be another year with CP3 missing out on a championship ring. Now the Warriors are slowly sinking in the standings, Draymond had to go to anger management and Klay is coming to terms with his basketball mortality in real time.

Spurs Draft Victor Wembanyama

Remember how Tim Duncan turned the San Antonio franchise around the year after he was drafted? The hope is that’s what was going to happen with the hype surrounding Victor Wembenyama. There hasn’t been this much foaming at the mouth at a draft prospect since since 2003 and “The Chosen One.” Wembenyama stole all the attention last summer, and rightfully so. The Spurs were lucky enough to win the draft lottery and add the 7’4’’ French teenager to their roster.  Wemby has been balling out right from the get-go, posting historic rookie numbers and asserting himself as a force to be reckoned with at both ends of the floor. The Spurs went from a team who were underdogs almost every night to actually having competitive odds many nights. Of course, the Spurs have a young rebuilding squad, and no matter how good Victor is, it will take at least another year for him and the team to become serious contenders. Whether it’s because they’re starting a non-point guard at point guard, doesn’t have teammates that pass him the ball, or having all the wrong pieces around him, Wembanyama, as exciting as he is, is clearly not pushing the Spurs into NBA Playoff contention.