NBA offseason deals leave fans surprised

The NBA had an absolutely wild offseason, filled with highly lucrative contracts and unforeseen acquisitions.

The Golden State Warriors are head and shoulders above the rest of the Association; Consequently, teams around the League have been making numerous transactions as a direct reaction to the defending champions’ dominance.

Every team has been active, either bolstering their current rosters or building for the future. Let’s examine the effects that some of the major offseason moves will have on this upcoming season, as well as down the road.

First up is the sign-and-trade deal that sent nine-time All-Star Chris Paul from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Houston Rockets.

The Clippers had no choice but to make this deal, as Paul was planning to leave Los Angeles, and the franchise could not afford to lose him for nothing in return.

Given the circumstances, they made out relatively well, acquiring several decent role players, including Patrick Beverley, Sam Dekker and Lou Williams.

The Rockets seem poised to be Golden State’s most serious threat in the Conference. But the San Antonio Spurs’ capabilities should never be doubted with Gregg Popovich at the helm and a handful of big time players — led by Kawhi Leonard — on the court.

However, Houston’s team is going to be downright scary.

The Rockets will boast a backcourt of Paul and James Harden and will surround this lethal combination with an arsenal including the likes of Eric Gordon, P.J. Tucker, Clint Capela and Trevor Ariza.

Furthermore, should Houston find a way to acquire Carmelo Anthony in the coming months, its ceiling will be raised dramatically.

Golden State should still be the favorite to come out of the West, but expect Houston to put up a better fight than any team did in last season’s Conference playoffs — during which the Warriors went undefeated for a perfect 12-0 run.

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s acquisition of Paul George was extremely surprising and will have major ramifications on the team’s future.

The trade was undoubtedly a good move on the Thunder’s part.

Oklahoma City gave the Indiana Pacers two solid players in return, Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis, but in George they acquired one of the League’s most electrifying wingmen in the middle of his prime.

Pairing George with reigning MVP Russell Westbrook gives the Thunder one of the League’s most menacing duos and has them right back in contention only one year after Kevin Durant’s departure.

However, uncertainty still looms over the team.  Both George and Westbrook can opt out of their contracts after next season, and neither player has definitively stated that he intends on remaining in Oklahoma City.

The Thunder could be forced to trade one or both of these players during the season if they do not commit long term, since they do not want to lose them for nothing, as they did with Durant.

George could very well be a one-year rental, but if he and Westbrook hit it off, we could be looking at the two-headed monster that will lead the franchise for the foreseeable future.

The other significant trade that bolstered a Western Conference team was the Minnesota Timberwolves’ deal to acquire wingman Jimmy Butler from the Chicago Bulls.

The Wolves were clear winners in the trade, as they did not have to give up either Karl-Anthony Towns or Andrew Wiggins to get Butler.

Butler, Towns and Wiggins comprise an extremely promising young core in Minnesota.

In addition, Butler’s reunion with former coach Tom Thibodeau, along with Minnesota’s acquisitions of Jamal Crawford, Jeff Teague and Taj Gibson, has this team in line for its best season in over a decade.

As much as the hype surrounding the Wolves is warranted, it will be extremely difficult for them to break through in an ultra-competitive Western Conference.

There is no doubt that Minnesota will make significant progress this year. It is highly likely that they finish the upcoming season with a winning record.

However, they may still be a year or two away from being one of the Conference’s elite teams.

Once they do reach their potential, though, they have a chance to be one of the best teams in the NBA for a very long time.

Minnesota’s rebuilding process has been extremely lengthy. In fact, they have the League’s longest playoff drought, but the Butler trade appears to have finally put them back in position to contend.

Last but not least is the blockbuster deal that shook up the East and spiced up the rivalry between the Conference’s top two teams.

The trade between the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers that sent Kyrie Irving to Boston in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Žižić and two draft picks for Cleveland was completely unexpected.

The most talked about trade this offseason, Irving’s move to Boston, has shaken up expectations for the anticipated Eastern Conference Finals matchup between the Celtics and the Cavaliers, which is sure to make for an interesting matchup.

Both teams will take time to gel, as their rosters have significantly changed since last season.

In Cleveland, there is a cloud of uncertainty surrounding Thomas’ hip, and it is unknown when he will be able to return from the injury.

Meanwhile, in Boston, the Celtics will have an almost entirely new team out on the court this season. This team has experienced extraordinary turnover.

To put it into perspective, Marcus Smart — who is entering his fourth season with the Celtics — is now the team’s longest tenured player.

Boston has a plethora of talent, led by Irving, Gordon Hayward and Al Horford.

Additionally, Smart and the youngsters Jaylen Brown, along with Jayson Tatum, figure to be key components for the team moving forward into the season.

In the end, though, as much talent as Boston has, they do not have LeBron James, who is still the best player on the planet.

As long as Cleveland has LeBron, they should be the favorites to represent the East in the NBA Finals.

While LeBron’s time in Cleveland may be dwindling down, he will still be there for at least one more season and is therefore in position to reach an eighth consecutive Finals.

This summer’s key transactions have changed the trajectories and expectations for many teams around the League. In the end though, a fourth consecutive Cavaliers vs. Warriors NBA Finals matchup is still widely anticipated.

While teams such as Boston and Houston will try to unseat the favorites, the likelihood of either of those teams emerging from a best-of-seven series is highly improbable.

It is certainly possible that the offseason provided more surprises than the actual season will.

However, at the very least, it will be exciting to watch the numerous teams that have undergone drastic changes this summer give Golden State and Cleveland a run for their money.