Three NBA Teams That Flopped in Free Agency

Every year, NBA free agency shakes things up.

This offseason saw Paul George join the Philadelphia 76ers, Klay Thompson head to the Dallas Mavericks through a sign-and-trade, and DeMar DeRozan move to the Sacramento Kings. While some teams got stronger and boosted their championship hopes, others missed out on key players and face uncertain futures.

Here are three big-name teams that flopped in free agency:

Los Angeles Lakers:

The Lakers usually attract stars because of the Los Angeles lifestyle and glamour. But lately, that charm has faded. This summer proved it as they failed to land top targets like Thompson and DeRozan. They also lost Taurean Prince to the Milwaukee Bucks, who was their most reliable three-point shooter last season (39.6%).

Despite having LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, and other role players, the Lakers still seem far behind elite teams like the Denver Nuggets. Their lack of significant moves this summer hasn’t helped close that gap.

Denver Nuggets:

Many think the Nuggets’ window is closing after losing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to Orlando Magic. However, with Nikola Jokic still on board and a strong supporting cast, this might be an overreaction. KCP was great for them (41.5% from deep), but now young players like Christian Braun and Peyton Watson need to step up.

Fans might feel uneasy about Denver’s bench depth heading into 2024-25 compared to last season when shoring up the second unit should have been priority number one.

Milwaukee Bucks:

The Bucks seem too relaxed about their situation. Damian Lillard is 33 and showing signs of slowing down as an offensive hub; Khris Middleton will soon turn 33 with injuries affecting his performance; Brook Lopez is already 36. The front office needed more aggressive moves but didn’t deliver this offseason.

Adding Prince was nice but losing Malik Beasley made it more of a lateral move than an improvement . With only long-term projects AJ Johnson and Tyler Smith from the draft, fans wonder if Milwaukee is focusing too much on future planning rather than immediate team-building for 2024.

Can they balance both? It’s tough! What’s your take on these team’s offseasons?