As the NBA offseason hit its midway point, NBA.com's Gilbert McGregor, Micah Adams and Scott Rafferty provided a division-by-division breakdown of the biggest offseason moves made by all 30 teams.
McGregor focused on the Pacific Division, including the implications of four-time MVP LeBron James joining the Lakers via free agency.
The Lakers have added the league's best player to a roster that features the young talent of Josh Hart, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball...
Prior to free agency, James made it clear that he is still in "championship mode." There isn't a better candidate to groom the Lakers' young talent than the three-time Finals MVP.
NBA POWER RANKINGS: Warriors still on top; Lakers make big jump
Adams took a look into life in the Central Division after LeBron, including how Milwaukee has positioned itself for success by putting more shooters around All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.
While Brook Lopez, Ersan Ilyasova and Donte DiVincenzo may not move the needle in a vacuum, each matters more in Milwaukee than perhaps anywhere else, as the Bucks have never been able to surround Giannis Antetokounmpo with enough spacing to truly tap into the superstar's ability to destroy teams in and around the paint.
As part of his Southwest Division analysis, Rafferty provided insight on the importance of the Rockets signing 24-year-old Clint Capela to a five-year, $80 million contract extension.
This is your friendly reminder that the Rockets went 42-3 when Chris Paul, James Harden and Clint Capela shared the court in the first regular season together...
Although the Rockets lost two rotational players this offseason in Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute, last season showed a core of Paul, Harden and Capela will make Houston competitive, regardless of who else is surrounding them.
As contenders fight to dethrone the back-to-back champion Warriors — a team that just so happened to acquire All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins this offseason — don't be surprised if the moves spill over into the regular season.
