This offseason has had some wild trades and several interesting signings. A couple of trades that have happened startled many NBA fans everywhere, but they make sense, maybe. There is still a lot of time left in this offseason, but here are the 2022 NBA offseason signings/trades.
This trade shocked many people everywhere. The haul that this move brought back for the Jazz is insane. The Jazz traded their three-time DPOY Rudy Gobert in exchange for a plethora of talent and picks: Jarred Vanderbilt, Patrick Beverley, Walker Kessler (22nd overall pick), Malik Beasley, Leandro Bolmaro, and four first-round picks. The Timberwolves just locked up Karl Towns for another four-year-$225 million contract, also. The Jazz got back a fantastic haul, but the Wolves might be hurting after a while. They got rid of much of their depth in the form of Beasley (they replaced him with Bryn Forbes), Vanderbilt (top defender, arguably), and Beverley (veteran, starting point guard). Along with these important players, they got rid of four first-round picks, not including their first-round pick from this year in Kessler.
Spurs fans might’ve been extremely surprised by this one. Murray was easily the best player for the Spurs this past season, but the move makes sense. They got back three first-round picks, a future pick swap and Danilo Gallinari. It’s not nearly the amount that the Jazz got back for Gobert, but the Spurs got what they wanted. This move paves the way for new guards Malaki Branham, Blake Wesley, Tre Jones, and Josh Primo to get some more playing time. For the Hawks, this team is looking dangerous. They’ve made some good moves in the form of landing Justin Holiday, Moe Harkless, Murray, and possibly even more if they elect to trade either Clint Capela or John Collins. The Hawks are going to be a fun team for a very long time if they keep this starting lineup.
One of the more sneaky signings this free agency, Hartenstein landed in a decent situation. Hartenstein is one of the more complete players in the league, as he averaged 8.3 points, 4.9 boards, 2.4 assists, 0.7 steals, and 1.1 blocks on a fantastic 63% from the field, 47% (!!!) from three, and 69% from the line. Granted, he only shot 0.4 threes a game, but the fact that he shot such a high percentage when given the chance is very impressive. The Knicks traded away Nerlens Noel in order to make room for a Jalen Brunson signing, so this pickup is a massive upgrade. Coach Tom Thibodeau will have a whole new type of center at his disposal. This is where Hartenstein’s main issue is, however: Coach Thibs. Thibs is an extremely strict coach who doesn’t really utilize his bench units. Hopefully, this changes this year.
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