NBA Draft Kit: Offseason Transactions Recap

The 2017 offseason was perhaps the busiest and most drama-filled in NBA history.

Even as we move into the month of September, the dust is yet to fully settle, with the futures of Kyrie Irving and Isaiah Thomas still very much unknown. We can throw Carmelo Anthony in there, too.

With a number of elite players changing area codes this summer, the landscape of the NBA his shifted to become even more star-focused. While it may be cliche to say the Warriors have changed the way teams are built, it's tough to argue against that notion, as teams like Houston, Denver, Oklahoma City and Minnesota each added All-Stars to already-strong rosters in hopes of mounting a challenge to the goliath out West.

An offseason of chaos and shake-ups will undoubtedly entail major on-court ramifications, but what does it mean for Fantasy players? Below, we'll take a look at several of this summer's most notable moves and analyze the impact they'll have on the Fantasy basketball landscape.

Chris Paul to Houston
Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, Sam Dekker, Montrezl Harrell to L.A. Clippers

Still arguably the best pure point guard in the NBA, Paul made it known early in the offseason that Houston was his preferred destination. He'll now team with last season's MVP runner-up, James Harden, in an offense that boasts two of the best passers in the league.

Both players will inherently sacrifice touches, but it's Harden who could see a more dramatic drop in the assists category, as he's the more natural option to shift off-ball when Paul is on the floor. That said, Mike D'Antoni will likely stagger Harden and Paul's minutes to ensure at least one is on the court at all times, so Harden will still have plenty of opportunities to play-make.

While the addition of Paul will undoubtedly entail an adjustment period, it's tough to argue that Houston didn't raise its ceiling as a contender in the West.

On the other side of the trade, the Clippers may have lost the best player in the deal, but they gained the depth they'd lacked throughout Paul's tenure. Los Angeles brings in one of the NBA's best defenders in Beverley, along with Williams, who's essentially served as a sixth starter for most of his career. Both will be major factors right away, while Dekker, who came into his own last season after missing most of his rookie year, has the makings of a promising long-term asset on the wing.

Gordon Hayward to Boston
Hayward leaving Utah was the worst-kept secret in the NBA last season, and his arrival in Boston marks a new direction for the best regular season team in the East. With the Celtics, Hayward's role likely won't change drastically, and the transition should be eased by his familiarity with Brad Stevens. While the Kyrie Irving-Isaiah Thomas swap shook up the top of the East, the Celtics essentially swapped one high-usage point guard for another, so the impact of the deal on Hayward's offensive responsibility figures to be minimal.

Paul George to Oklahoma City
Victor Oladipo, Domantas Sabonis to Indiana

Even with George likely to walk as a free agent next summer, the Thunder acquiring him for only Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis felt like a fleecing at the time and looks even worse in light of more recent deals.

After a rough start to last season, George returned to elite status over the second half of the year, but he'll face perhaps the most difficult challenge of his career adjusting to playing alongside Russell Westbrook. Westbrook has (sort of) made it work with another high-usage, superstar wing in the past, but just how willing the reigning MVP will be to scale back his own offensive role remains to be seen.

Even if George spends less time as an initiator, playing alongside Westbrook, who will be by-far the best teammate he's ever had, should mean fewer double teams and more open looks as a spot-up shooter off the ball

Oklahoma City was one of the worst outside shooting teams in the NBA last season, and George -- a 41.8 percent shooter on catch-and-shoot threes -- should be a major boost, as should Patrick Patterson, who arrives as the replacement for Taj Gibson.

Kyrie Irving to Boston*
Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic to Cleveland

*Trade still pending
On the surface, the two best teams in the East swapping key pieces may have been the biggest shake-up off the summer, but from a Fantasy perspective, neither player's value should be greatly impacted. Irving goes from one great basketball situation to another, and while he's no longer playing in the shadow of Lebron James, he'll have plenty of talent around him in Boston. Irving will likely take on more ball-handling duties, though he'll have to concede possessions to Gordon Hayward and Al Horford, all while the Celtics attempt to develop a pair of promising young wings.

In Cleveland, Thomas is well-equipped to fill Irving's shoes, though his scoring figures to take a hit given James' tendency to function as the Cavs' pseudo-point guard. Still, Thomas is overqualified as an off-ball threat, and the presence of James, not to mention Kevin Love, should mean far fewer double-teams than Thomas was faced with in Boston.

Crowder, another key piece in the trade, may ultimately come off the bench for Cleveland, though it's certainly a possibility that he could unseat J.R. Smith at shooting guard. Either way, Crowder will be the Cavs' sixth man, at worst, and playing alongside James could equate to more open looks from the perimeter.

P.J. Tucker to Houston
Tucker feels like only a minor addition after the Paul trade, but he's been one of the league's best and most versatile defenders for several years. Look for Tucker to become even more of a three-point threat in Mike D'Antoni's system after he connected on 40 percent of his looks from outside in 24 games with the Raptors.

Derrick Rose to Cleveland
For as much as Rose's reputation has diminished over the past few seasons, he put together a reasonably strong statistical campaign in 2016-17, averaging 18.0 points, 4.4 assists and 3.8 rebounds while shooting 47.1 percent from the field. Come July, the market had obviously cooled on the former MVP, and he'll take on a lesser role off the bench for the Cavs in the wake of the Irving-Thomas swap. Whether Rose plays to be fantasy-relevant remains to be seen, but the hope is that playing alongside James, Thomas, and Love will result in more efficient minutes.

Dwight Howard to Charlotte
Marco Belinelli, Miles Plumlee to Atlanta

The Howard redemption tour stops in Charlotte this season after one mostly forgettable season in his hometown. It's not that Howard played poorly -- he was one of the league's best rebounders and still protects the rim at a high level -- but it was simply another bland year for a player who struggles to make an impact as a secondary option.

Dwight Howard: MVP Candidate is far in the rear-view, but he'll take over the starting role in Charlotte and should again be among the top double-double threats in the league. However, his woeful free throw shooting will once again hinder his value in certain formats.

Jimmy Butler to Minnesota
Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn to Chicago

Was George or Butler the biggest heist of the 2017 offseason? Regardless, the Timberwolves added an All-NBA-caliber player to what was already one of the three best young cores in the NBA.

Butler's fit alongside Karl-Anthony Towns should be seamless, but how he meshes with Andrew Wiggins will ultimately determine the Wolves' ceiling.

In dealing Butler, the Bulls officially hit the reset button and will likely plummet to the bottom of the East. Even after a disappointing rookie season, Dunn still has some potential, and LaVine could put up big numbers as the No. 1 option once he returns from a torn ACL. At that point, Dwyane Wade will likely be out of the picture.

Jonathon Simmons to Orlando
The former D-Leaguer had a mini-breakout in San Antonio last season, but how he'll fit in Orlando is a bit of a question mark. Simmons is clearly a rotation player, but the Magic may be more focused on continuing to develop Aaron Gordon, as well as high-upside rookie Jonathan Isaac.

J.J. Redick to Philadelphia
Redick signed a one-year deal to join what might be the most fun team in the league if everything breaks right. The 33-year-old will no longer benefit from Chris Paul threading cross-court passes, but Redick is what he is at this point: a hyper-efficient three-point specialist who also hits close to 90 percent of his free throws.

Allen Crabbe to Brooklyn
Andrew Nicholson to Portland (waived)

Like Redick, Crabbe does one thing very well and that's make shots that count for three points. After inking a long-term deal in Portland, Crabbe seemingly got lost in the shuffle, at times, making little progress outside of raising his already-excellent three-point percentage.

In Brooklyn, Crabbe will almost certainly step into a starting role, but he's unlikely to be more than a one-dimensional fantasy commodity.

D'Angelo Russell, Timofey Mozgov to Brooklyn
Brook Lopez to L.A. Lakers

Russell became expendable as soon as the Lakers selected Lonzo Ball, but much of the motivation to trade the former No. 2 pick was salary-related.

In bringing in Mozgov alongside Russell, the Nets took on a burdensome contract but picked up a high-upside piece who never quite fit in Los Angeles. While Russell won't be handed a starting job, it's hard to imagine Brooklyn not giving him every chance to succeed.

Mozgov, who was shut down for much of last season, will also be in a much more advantageous fantasy situation. He'll be the clear starter for the rebuilding Nets, with unpolished rookie Jarrett Allen looking like the primary backup.

On the other side of the country, Lopez will no longer be the featured option on offense, but he'll play alongside an excellent passer in Lonzo Ball, so while his opportunities may decrease, Lopez should still be an efficient scorer at the center position.

Jeff Teague, Taj Gibson to Minnesota
Butler was by far the splashiest addition, but the Timberwolves shored up other parts of the roster this summer, replacing Rubio with Teague and adding depth at the four with Gibson.

Teague is a difficult player to gauge as the projected fourth option on offense. His scoring will likely wane, but he should be a consistent source of assists and three-pointers -- 38.0% 3PT over the last two seasons -- to go with strong free throw shooting.

Ricky Rubio to Utah
Lottery-protected 2018 first-round pick to Minnesota

Minnesota unloaded Rubio for a modest return, paving the way for Teague to take over at point guard. In Utah, Rubio will likely step in as the unquestioned starter, so his numbers should remain relatively constant. However, despite being one of the league's best assist-men, Rubio remains an inefficient shooter (career 37.5% FG), who's shown minimal improvement from beyond the arc.

Rajon Rondo to New Orleans
We should know the drill with Rondo at this point. The 31-year-old will join his fifth team in four seasons, and while he's burned fantasy owners before, it's easy to talk get talked into his potential as a multi-category producer.

Rondo averaged 6.7 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game while shooting nearly 38 percent from three last season in what was a tumultuous situation. If he's able to find stability in New Orleans -- a major if -- there's reason for cautioned optimism.

Danilo Gallinari, Milos Teodosic to L.A. Clippers
While the Clippers will undoubtedly struggle to replace Chris Paul, his departure opened the door for the team to bring in the depth it lacked throughout his tenure. In addition to the haul the Clippers got from Houston, they added one of the best players in Europe in Teodosic, as well as Gallinari, whose recent injury struggles have impacted his effectiveness.

Both players are gambles in their own respects but should play significant roles for a team that has no plans to fall out of the top-half of the Western Conference. Teodosic will need time to adjust to the NBA game, but he's already a world-class passer and has been on NBA radars for the better part of the last decade.

Health will be the key for Gallinari. When he's on the court, he's a productive scorer and three-point shooter, but he's missed an average of nearly 24 games over the last three seasons.

Avery Bradley to Detroit
Marcus Morris to Boston

In the type of trade that's rare in the modern NBA, Boston and Detroit swapped productive starters to help alleviate roster predicaments.

Morris enters a better basketball situation in Boston, but his touches will likely decrease playing alongside a pair of All-Stars. Bradley, on the other hand, could be featured more in Detroit, though at this point in his career he's probably maxed out his utility as a scorer. Keep an eye on Bradley's rebounding numbers this season after he put up career -- and perhaps unsustainable -- numbers in that category in 2016-17.

Paul Millsap to Denver
Millsap turns 33 in February, but he's been one of the league's most dependable forwards and should be a perfect fit at power forward next to Nikola Jokic. Expect Millsap's production to remain fairly constant, though the hope is that he'll become a more efficient outside shooter after hitting just 31 percent of his career-high 3.5 attempts per game last season.