{"id":150836,"date":"2025-07-06T08:30:14","date_gmt":"2025-07-06T08:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/150836\/"},"modified":"2025-07-06T08:30:14","modified_gmt":"2025-07-06T08:30:14","slug":"5-nba-teams-who-improved-the-most-this-offseason-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/150836\/","title":{"rendered":"5 NBA teams who improved the most this offseason"},"content":{"rendered":"

Heading into the NBA offseason reports from top insiders suggested it would be the summer of blockbuster trades. Instead, outside of the Kevin Durant trade and the 2025 NBA trade, it\u2019s been relatively quiet. However, plenty of teams still improved their rosters for next season.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s dive into our list of the five NBA teams that improved the most this summer.<\/p>\n

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Orlando Magic\"Most<\/p>\n

Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The Orlando Magic are taking full advantage of a weakened Eastern Conference. With injuries forcing the Boston Celtics (Jayson Tatum) and Indiana Pacers (Tyrese Haliburton) to take a huge step back next season, Orlando has stocked up to make a deep playoff run. Desmond Bane provides the 3-and-D shooting guard that was missing from the Magic\u2019s lineup. To pair with him, Orlando spent its first-round pick on Jase Richardson. The Magic weren\u2019t done there, signing point guard Tyus Jones to play the backup role he\u2019s thrived in during his career. Orlando is a top-four team in the East and that might be its floor.<\/p>\n

Related:\u00a0NBA power rankings, evaluating every team<\/a><\/p>\n

Atlanta Hawks\"Most<\/p>\n

Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

No team improved more this summer than the Atlanta Hawks. Thanks to the Celtics\u2019 financial issues, Atlanta acquired All-Star big man Kristaps Porzingis at an extremely discounted price. Health will always be a concern with him, but the Hawks have an answer when injuries strike in Onyeka Okongwu. Atlanta also finally addressed its backcourt depth, adding Luke Kennard and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. The icing on the cake is Asa Newell, who should provide added frontcourt depth. All of this positions the Hawks\u2019 roster to be a top-three team in the Eastern Conference next year. Best of all, they also have the Pelicans\u2019 unprotected 2026 first-round pick as a trade chip.<\/p>\n

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Related: Best NBA players right now<\/a><\/p>\n

Houston Rockets\"Most<\/p>\n

Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The Kevin Durant trade alone made the Houston Rockets one of the most improved teams in the NBA this offseason. As the NBA Playoffs demonstrated, the one thing Houston lacked was a proven bucket-getter who could take over in clutch moments. Durant, even at age 37, provides that. Houston also strengthened the quality of its depth with Dorian Finney-Smith and Clint Capela, improving its bench options on the wings and in the frontcourt. If Amen Thompson can take the next leap forward in his career, it feels like destiny for the Rockets to face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals next season.<\/p>\n

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Read More: Best NBA players of all time<\/a><\/p>\n

Cleveland Cavaliers\"Most<\/p>\n

Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

It\u2019s remarkable how the perspective on a change can shift so quickly. When the Cleveland Cavaliers were knocked out of the playoffs by the Indiana Pacers, everyone thought it was an indictment of the Cavaliers. Instead, it was just a testament to Indiana. The Cavaliers didn\u2019t have a ton of financial flexibility this summer, but they still improved. Lonzo Ball provides the off-ball guard and defender this team needs off the bench. Cleveland also strengthened its frontcourt behind Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, reuniting with Larry Nance Jr., who is the perfect third big man. These moves reaffirm that the Cavaliers are the best team in the Eastern Conference.<\/p>\n

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Dallas Mavericks\"Most<\/p>\n

Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Of the\u00a0NBA teams that\u00a0improved the\u00a0most this offseason, we have the\u00a0lowest expectations\u00a0for the Dallas\u00a0Mavericks next\u00a0season. That\u2019s\u00a0only because\u00a0Kyrie Irving\u00a0will miss significant\u00a0time with an\u00a0ACL tear. That\u00a0said, the pairing\u00a0of D\u2019Angelo Russell\u00a0and Dante Exum is a worthwhile\u00a0short-term fix. Most importantly, the Mavericks\u00a0lucked out in\u00a0the 2025 NBA\u00a0Draft lottery\u00a0to get Cooper\u00a0Flagg. He should\u00a0be the overwhelming\u00a0favorite for\u00a0Rookie of the\u00a0Year, and a much\u00a0healthier Mavericks\u00a0roster will be\u00a0a force in the\u00a0West.<\/p>\n

Related Headlines<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Heading into the NBA offseason reports from top insiders suggested it would be the summer of blockbuster trades.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":150837,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3779],"tags":[883,975,208,7,75,193,984,225,149,4882,497,374,1409,576,194,126,1178,960,77,938,871,967,2988,4442,1171,48,28803,6,11,552,379,179,493,47,76,3883,675,278,6279],"class_list":{"0":"post-150836","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-orlando-magic","8":"tag-amen-thompson","9":"tag-asa-newell","10":"tag-atlanta-hawks","11":"tag-basketball","12":"tag-boston-celtics","13":"tag-cleveland-cavaliers","14":"tag-clint-capela","15":"tag-cooper-flagg","16":"tag-dallas-mavericks","17":"tag-dante-exum","18":"tag-desmond-bane","19":"tag-dorian-finney-smith","20":"tag-eastern-conference","21":"tag-evan-mobley","22":"tag-houston-rockets","23":"tag-indiana-pacers","24":"tag-jarrett-allen","25":"tag-jase-richardson","26":"tag-jayson-tatum","27":"tag-kevin-durant","28":"tag-kristaps-porzingis","29":"tag-kyrie-irving","30":"tag-larry-nance-jr","31":"tag-lonzo-ball","32":"tag-luke-kennard","33":"tag-magic","34":"tag-mike-watters-imagn","35":"tag-nba","36":"tag-nba-playoffs","37":"tag-nba-power-rankings","38":"tag-nickeil-alexander-walker","39":"tag-oklahoma-city-thunder","40":"tag-onyeka-okongwu","41":"tag-orlando","42":"tag-orlando-magic","43":"tag-orlandomagic","44":"tag-pelicans","45":"tag-tyrese-haliburton","46":"tag-tyus-jones"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150836","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=150836"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150836\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/150837"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=150836"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=150836"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=150836"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}