What did the rest of the Atlantic Division do this offseason?
In an 82-game regular season, each team in the NBA plays their four divisional opponents four times each. That’s nearly a fifth of the schedule, so it’s worth monitoring what these teams do.
And for the Toronto Raptors, their 16 matchups against the rest of the Atlantic division have not gone well in recent years. Against the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, and Philadelphia 76ers over the past three seasons, Toronto has a disappointing 13-35 record. If you thought that was bad, before this past season, the Raptors had a measly 5-27 record the previous two years, including going 1-15 in the 2023-2024 season.
The Atlantic Division teams have made some interesting moves this offseason; some improved, while others regressed. Here’s what the rest of the teams around the Raptors did this summer.
Boston Celtics
In – Anfernee Simons, Georges Niang, Luka Garza, Josh Minott, Hugo Gonzalez, Max Shulga
Out – Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Luke Kornet, JD Davison
There was a lot more talent out than in for the Boston Celtics this offseason, as no matter how you look at it, the team got worse. After Jayson Tatum suffered an Achilles tear in the second round of the playoffs, the Celtics decided to shed salary, shipping out both Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday. Boston majorly cut its tax bill for the new campaign as the team seemingly will take a step back while their superstar recovers.
The team did acquire some talent, however, including signing Garza and Minott to two-year deals, drafting Gonzalez in the first round of the draft, and acquiring Simons and Niang in return for Holiday and Porzingis.
The biggest unresolved issue remaining is what will happen with Al Horford. The 39-year-old is all but assured to go to the Golden State Warriors, according to Marcus Spears, but with Porzingis and Kornet out the door, a return isn’t officially out of the realm of possibilities.
Brooklyn Nets
In – Michael Porter Jr., Terence Mann, Egor Demin, Nolan Traore, Danny Wolf, Ben Saraf, Drake Powell
Out – Cam Johnson, Trendon Watford, D’Angelo Russell
What was thought to be a transaction-filled summer out in Brooklyn turned out to be somewhat quiet. Starting with the draft, where the Nets had five first-round picks and shockingly decided to keep all five, bringing in all of Demin, Traore, Saraf, Wolf, and Powell into the program.
That’s pretty unprecedented.
On the trade front, Brooklyn received Mann in a three-team deal as a part of the aforementioned Porzingis deal, while swapping Johnson for Porter with the Denver Nuggets. The team also made some tidy re-signings, including bringing back centre Day’Ron Sharpe and wing Ziaire Williams on two-year deals. But similar to Boston, there is one big question mark and that’s current restricted free agent Cam Thomas.
There’s a lot of uncertainty around what the 23-year-old could potentially earn, but Brooklyn does need the skillset that Thomas provides.
Philadelphia 76ers
In – Trendon Watford, Dom Barlow, VJ Edgecombe, Johni Broome, Hunter Sallis
Out – Guerschon Yabusele, Jared Butler, Ricky Council IV
While there was speculation whether Philadelphia would deal the third overall pick after moving up in the lottery, the team decided to stick and pick, selecting Edgecombe out of Baylor.
The 76ers also did some work to solidify the big position, drafting National Player of the Year runner-up Broome and signing Watford and Barlow. The team also brought back veterans from last year’s squad, including former Toronto Raptor Kyle Lowry and Eric Gordon on one-year deals.
The team did, however, lose Yabusele to a division rival in the Knicks and, like the Nets, has a pending free agent in Quentin Grimes that needs to be dealt with.
New York Knicks
In – Guerschon Yabusele, Jordan Clarkson, Mohamed Diawara
Out – Delon Wright
It was a pretty quiet summer in New York up until a couple of days ago. The Knicks snatched Yabusele from Philadelphia and signed Clarkson following his buyout from the Utah Jazz. That was it until the team decided to extend wing Mikal Bridges on a four-year, $150 million deal.
New York has a couple of pending free agents remaining, including unrestricted guards Landry Shamet and Cameron Payne, who both showed flashes in a Knicks jersey last season. The team also has a current restricted free agent, like multiple other teams on this list, and Raptors fans would be familiar with the name, Precious Achiuwa.
The 25-year-old was acquired by the Knicks as part of the return in the Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett deal with the Raptors, and seemingly could be out of New York with the addition of Yabusele.
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