Melo and Wade put an end to Wild NBA Offseason

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After a wild NBA offseason, the cherry on top was Dwayne Wade signing a 1 year, $2.3 million dollar contract with the Cleveland Cavilers, and Carmelo Anthony being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott, and a 2nd round pick. There has been a ton of shakeups around the league, so here is a breakdown of the biggest 2017 offseason moves.

Cavs Trade away Kyrie, get reloaded for Championship run

After losing in the NBA Finals to the Golden State Warriors 4-1, Kyrie Irving informed the Cavs he no longer wanted to play with LeBron James, and he demanded a trade. After months of shopping Kyrie around the league, the Cavs agreed to trade him to Celtics for All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas, SF Jae Crowder, C Ante Zizic, a 2018 Nets 1st round pick, and a 2020 2nd round pick. The Cavs didn’t stop there to bolster their squad as they also signed former MVP Derrick Rose along with All-Star SG Dwayne Wade. The Cavs are trying to build a deep bench, experience, and obviously, talent.

Thunder get Paul George, Melo, and Lock up Russ

The Oklahoma City Thunder knew if they wanted to keep their star PG Russell Westbrook in town, they’d have to prove to the reigning MVP they were serious about winning a championship. The Thunder wasted no time this offseason by trading for All-Star SF Paul George in exchange for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. The Thunder weren’t done yet and brought in Carmelo Anthony to complete a stacked OKC lineup. The Thunder completed their offseason by signing their MVP to the largest contract in NBA history with a 5-year contract extension worth $205 million.

Rockets Trade for Chris Paul

After losing to the San Antonio Spurs in six games in the Western Conference Semis, the Rockets felt they needed a talented veteran presence on their team, and they found that in the form of All-Star PG Chris Paul. The rockets traded Sam Dekker, Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, DeAndre Liggins, Darrun Hilliard, Montrez Harrell, Kyle Wiltjer, a Top 3 protected 2018 1st round pick and cash, in return for Paul. The Rockets invested a lot into Paul, and believe the Paul and Harden Backcourt could challenge the Warriors.

T-Wolves get offense

The Minnesota Timberwolves made their splash early in the offseason before the NBA draft, trading Zach Lavine, Kris Dunn, and the #7 Overall pick, in return for All-Star SG Jimmy Butler and the #16 pick. The T-Wolves also signed veteran 6th man Jamal Crawford. He is expected to be instant offense off the bench. The Wolves will be led by their three-headed monster of Towns, Wiggins, and now Butler, and for the first time in a long time, have high expectations coming into the season.