Jul 723 min read

OFF-SZN: Fast n Furious

The days of off-seasons in the Big-4 carrying on a "season" lasting a month long, are now OVER. It's fast and furious from the opening bell! We saw it in shades just recently within the NFL; now the NBA and NHL make it known in loud-loud fashion. The amount of day-1 signings for each league was simply remarkable. On Chel's side, it was the first time in league history that there had been over a billion dollars spent in a single day of free agency. Over 125 contracts had been signed throughout the first day; just straight up unprecedented. NBA had similar vibes, delivering an onslaught of transactions from trades to new signings. There was no rest for the weary. It was bolster, or go home.

The action was so fast and furious, a few teams sat the next day looking super empty-handed, while others sat in gratitude for being prepped and ready to open up their books. It was pure madness. I got ya covered on the biggest headlines in my trademark satire. You know how we rock with it on Spittin' Cap. Lets get to business!

Mavs acquire Klay Thompson; breaking up the Warriors' epic big-3

Folks, it's officially the end of an era. After twelve legendary seasons, the championship certified trio of Curry-Thompson-Green in Golden State is no longer attached. After thirteen seasons, the epic Splash Brothers duo becomes a note of history. Klay Thompson departs the Warriors franchise to join the Mavericks on a 3/YR, $50M sign-and-trade deal. Queue the bittersweet feels.

Before I get to those feels, lets acknowledge Klay Thompson's legendary tenure in the Bay. The Splash Brothers. The 37-point 3rd-quarter barrage. The flick. The jumper. The grit. The book is long and prestigious, no doubt. In the era of the super-team, no trio was as great and authentic as the trio of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green (sorry KD). Boston and Miami's big threes were formed by established perennial All-Stars. The Thunder trio was the only other of it's kind, but failed and separated. Nets and Clippers trios failed (also formed by All-Stars). Golden State's trio was formed by three draft picks people laughed at. Draft prospect talent that no one thought had the potential to be franchise pillars. The trio of Green-Curry-Thompson is undeniable. The best trio of at-least the 21st century. They evolved together. Elevated together. Became legendary together. They changed the game together. Here are some of their grandest accolades together (along with the many great pieces around them):

So good, it took an epic 0-3 comeback and a legendary playoff figure in Raptors Kawhi to stop them from winning five consecutive championships. So good, they stopped King James from turning into Thanos and ruining the NBA (from a winning the title every year standpoint). The Golden State trio is legendary, and now sits in basketball galore for eternity. Klay Thompson's individual career in the Bay was unreal: 4x NBA Champ, 5x All-Star, 2x All-NBA, most 3s made in a game (14), and most points in a quarter in NBA history (37). Now he has a chance to write another chapter. A chance for a refresh, with newfound vibes. Good for him. Now lets get to those bittersweet feels.

For Golden State, it sucks you can't have a guy like Klay, play his entire career in the Warrior colors. However, when you think bigger picture, when you think business- it was the right move to part ways with Thompson. Unfortunately, Klay is no longer that same Klay. He was a major drag for the Warriors last season. I felt it was overdue; happy they decided to not give him the contract that the Mavericks gave him. Bringing me to the Mavs' side of the table. I think this is as boneheaded a move as you can make in their situation. How did Nico Harrison (and Cuban probably) evaluate their Finals loss to come to the decision that Klay Thompson is a missing piece for Luka and Kyrie? How in the hell? Seriously? It's been terrible since that defeat. For the record, all the Quentin Grimes addition does is replace half of the guard depth loss with Naji Marshall. Very appealing. Then Klay replaces Derrick Jones Jr. atop the forward depth. That's the off-season thus far for the NBA front-runner. Tobias Harris would have been a better option for the Mavericks rather than Klay. I don't like the move for Kyrie and Luka's sake. Just not at this point of Klay's career. Maybe he proves me wrong; maybe the fresh-start and fresh morale will bolster some flame in that once legendary shooting wick... and defensive wick. That's what the Mavs really need. Instead they botch.

Pistons prepping for this branch of the rebuild to work

Pistons are set to officially claim the title for worst rebuild of all-time. In any sport! This is a straight up dumpster fire of a rebuild in Detroit. Nasty I say. They fire Monty Williams as head coach just 12 months after he inked the largest NBA coaching contract at that time (6/YR, $78M). The termination lead to the largest buyout of a coaching contract in NBA history, and surely one of the largest in sports history, as it's close to Jimbo Fisher's $75M plus ($65M). I feel for Monty and his wife, but frankly, he should have never taken this job then. Can't use that as an excuse. Monty is a thief and set this team back multiple years in their rebuild alongside Troy Weaver, who already somehow has a high-up front office role. Washington of all teams, ha! Monty had to go despite the brutal bullet. This off-season, the Pistons once again ripple up their 'plans' paper and throw it in the waste-basket. It's time for a new plan, but Cade Cunningham is still their face of it.

Pistons reportedly (hasn't hit league office yet) extend G Cade Cunningham to the rookie max-extension of 5/YR, $226M. A crazy investment as Cade will rank 7th in total contract value, higher than league MVP Jokić, Luka, and Joel Embiid. The decision to keep Cade isn't a bad decision, but that's a massive contract for a guy that looks damaged from Monty Williams. New coach J.B. Bickerstaff has a major duty in focusing on Cade's progression right off the bat. The potential is through the roof with Cade, I like his game a lot, but now they are paying him to be a real difference maker- it's now or never to take the next step higher. Coaching is huge in that. The three off-season additions of Tim Hardaway Jr, Wendell Moore Jr, and returnee Tobias Harris help too. Trajan Langdon is off to a good start with those additions. Two solid vets plus Harris and Moore are perfect protype fits for Cade and Ausar Thompson. Detroit has also added Malik Beasley; another good vet to throw in the mix. This new crop of vets are far better than the vet selection Weaver chose for the Pistons last season. I also like the capital the Pistons got for shipping off Quentin Grimes as well as the draft selection of Ignite forward Ron Holland II.

Kudos to Langdon. I'm excited to see his hire of Bickerstaff take over the reigns of this rebuild on the court. People forget that Bickerstaff took a rebuild Cavs team to a playoff contender keeping them a 45-50 win club for the remainder of his tenure there. I was so pissed with Monty Williams because of how good the Pistons roster is on a potential scale. The athleticism and skill is there- just need coaching. Bickerstaff could be the right guy for the job; I am excited to see what he can do with Ivey, Cade, Holland, and Thompson. I know the frustration has no real words for Pistons fans, but this new page they are writing is off to a good start with Langdon. I would like them to make more moves, but with the cap situation; they could be done for awhile. I give them a solid B- grade for their off-season thus far. Tobias Harris creates an appealing side-mate along Cade. Tobias Harris leavin' Philly for a return to Motown should take less pressure off his back. May very well be a good signing for the Pistons. Keep it up Langdon.

We saw the money flow with a ton of stars and superstars get extended long-term for major-major bags. Over $1.1 billion was spent between stars Tatum, Maxey, Anunoby, Siakam, and Scottie Barnes. That doesn't include extensions for LeBron, Quickley, Cade, Mitchell, Monk, and Derrick White that totaled over $800M. Checkout the notable bag alerts that got dropped across the NBA world:

The extensions are equivalent to a poker player puttin' all his chips to the middle of the table. This year also featured three teams finalize long-term plans they set in motion prior to the trade-deadline. I have grades of good, meh, and bad for each of the extensions. I feel some may be controversial, but I see too much gambling going on. Scottie Barnes $270M!?

Again, Pistons extending Cade Cunningham isn't bad per se. I just think $226M is a tough pill and a big gamble for a player that mixes in too much regression rather than progression. We just saw this franchise burn $75M on Monty Williams, sorry if I get frightened at Cade getting the full rookie-max-extension. I won't label it bad as I do the extensions for LeBron James and Scottie Barnes.

I won't spend too much time here on LeBron, as I have a section just for the Lakers on this piece, but surely he falls in my bad category for extension grades. Just appalling to see what Pelinka and Buss are doing to the Lakers. I'll write more on them here in a moment, but ugh it gives me the ick. The Raptors super-max-extending Barnes is really no surprise. I still think it's silly. Barnes is a solid piece, but no way, shape, or form do I think that cat is a top-10 player as his contract says (8th highest total contract value) he is. I am not impressed with the Raptors roster building and financial decisions. They aren't championship winning decisions. The only championship winning decision they have made in the past two decades is acquiring Kawhi; just to let him walk.

Although Toronto extended recently acquired (trade-deadline) guard Immanuel Quickley on a hefty price, it's a solid decision in my book. Quickley tied his career high for games started in a season (38) and had most of his stat categories increase. The potential is high despite him already entering year-7. It's a meh move for the Raps simply off the size of the contract. Paying a guy $175M who only has 65 games started in six seasons under his belt is crazy. Guys paid less like Jalen Brunson can only shake their heads. Quickley does have potential as a top-2 player for a team; lets see how it pans out! I am not high on it.

This one will sure piss some people off: I wasn't fully thrilled about the C's handing down the richest NBA super-max deal in history to Jayson Tatum. I am not surprised in the slightest, just wasn't thrilled with it when it did happen. Tatum is their face and FINALLY helped them win a title, but they did so using a fortunate road in the playoffs. Relax, I take nothing away from the champs; best overall team this season (keyword team). I get they brought the city of Boston another ring (again, finally); but paying Tatum and Jaylen Brown over $620M collectively is ludicrous. Hopefully the duo can bring at least another ring or two to help make that investment seem worth it. It's ironic the franchise was just put up for sale after it won it's 18th championship.

Next up, Obi Toppin extended long-term by the Pacers on a 4/YR, $60M extension. I like the move to keep him around for his athleticism, demeanor, and attitude. Toppin falls in the meh sector for being a slight over-pay (most are so whatever) and having some flaws that hurt the Pacers in shades across the playoffs and big games. Expensive depth, but needed depth. Toppin is coming off the best season of his career in his debut season in Indy. I don't hate the decision to keep him a piece in their title aspirations. Pacers forward depth of Toppin, Wiseman, and Jackson isn't too shabby. Not bad work. Same to be said to the Kings.

Sixth-man of the year runner-up stays put in Sacramento as the Kings extend guard Malik Monk to a 4/YR, $78M deal. Monk is coming off back-to-back career seasons since joining the Kings, providing extreme aid off the bench for a fast moving Kings back-court. The deal is solid, especially when you consider Monk's progression since becoming a King. I personally think Monk is a much better fit than the starting 2 for Sac, Kevin Huerter. Good to keep him around. Kings have more work ahead to return to that 2022-23 form; keeping Monk and adding Jalen McDaniels is an ok start. I like them tabling Mike Brown's extension talks too. This needs to be a boom or bust season. Get on that accelerator!

We see the 76ers and Knicks are on the accelerator as they spent some major moolah for huge pieces in their title winning plans. Cavaliers look ready to put their foot down as they extended Donovan Mitchell and are now ready to determine a plan with Darius Garland. Then of course we got the defending champion Celtics opening up their vault as they look to spend more time in the Wonderland in the future. The good extensions came easy for me to decide. Lets start with the two inner-season trade additions that inked long-term.

Both the Pacers (Siakam) and Knicks (Anunoby) were smart in extending their star-forwards, whom they had already spent capital on by acquiring them in blockbuster trade-deadline deals. Knicks keeping OG was the biggest homerun of the two in my opinion; doing so just days after sending in their blockbuster trade (way too much given up) for former Net Mikal Bridges. The Anunoby deal is for 5/YR, $212.5M, which is more than $5M (yearly) less than the deal Indiana gave Pascal Siakam (4/YR, $189.5M). New York losing Hartenstein was tough, but they get Bridges and Anunoby for the foreseeable future instead. The Villanova-Four are officially united once again... now in the NBA. Add OG to that mix? Knicks are going to be dangerous. Good roster building after a decade of bad building. Well, in a sense, they still need to make back major depth loss and fill the roster in whole. I like the idea of Bridges running the two; it's going to be an interesting change of scenery for him. That's gotta be the move. OG at the three; then Randle at the four. That's a solid four with Brunson the head of the snake at point. Some work to do still, but New York is looking good, and made the right choice to keep Anunoby after spending capital to get him at the last deadline. Same for Indy and Siakam. Well done.

76ers front office has finally made a good decision by extending guard Tyrese Maxey long-term. I'll get to their other mega-contract, in regards to Maxey- it's a homerun. Not to walk the plank, but I feel Embiid's future in Philly should soon be evaluated; Maxey is the only player on the roster I'd feel comfortable having a long-term plan with. Take that as you wish. Maxey earned the rookie-supermax inking a 5/YR, $204M deal to be a pillar of the future in Philly. Great move, but I feel Maxey should have gotten out when he had the chance. Hopefully I am wrong and Embiid can help Maxey cash in on the investments.

Lastly, the Cavs extend D-Mitch for another three years ($105.3M max). Great decision to keep Mitchell the face. Now build winning mindsets around him. Hiring Kenny Atkinson is a good start. I see no need in pushing Garland out; take offers, but they need to move forward with their current backcourt. They need a forward; they need a three. Maybe look into pursuing DeMar DeRozan. Cavs and Kings should be on full throttle trying to acquire the veteran DeRozan. It was a great move to extend Mitchell, but you still need to get better from last season.

Founder's Best Moves - NBA & NHL Off-Season

I have several more 'well dones' to hand out for some money-money moves. I wrote on the extensions, now lets focus on the best trades & new signings. Allow me to get opinionated; here are some of my favorite moves up to this point... moves that caught my attention the most.

Preds spend some moolah:

Nashville is not here to play around! Barry Trotz has been perhaps the biggest player of anyone thus far throughout the offseason, bringing in the three-headed free agent monster of Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei. That's $108.5M on those three alone. Preds have spent the most money on free agents ($173M+), and the 4th-largest total of dough in any facet of the offseason (extensions & draft picks). Nashville... or Cashville if I may, spent more than $60M in free agency than the second most spent, Kraken did. GM Barry Trotz is making it known that the Preds are in win-now-mode with Forsberg’s prime dwindling. Can’t forget about the massive extension of goalie Juuse Saros (8/YR, $7.5M AAV) dropped in June. Here is the top-10 spenders thus far during the NHL offseason via Spotrac (they rock):

via Spotrac

Panthers resign Sam Reinhart:

The defending champions accomplished their most important task of the off-season: extending and rewarding forward Sam Reinhart. Panthers extend Reinhart to a rewarding 8/YR, $8.6M AAV deal to make Reinhart a top-35 most paid player after the cat activated a career flip since his arrival in Sunrise, elevating into one of the more dangerous scorers in Chel. Reinhart has scored 30+ goals in each of his three seasons with the Panthers, maxing out at 57 to place 2nd among goal-scorers last season behind Auston Matthews’ coveted 69. Reinhart then netted 10 goals across their Stanley Cup winning run; good for the 3rd-most (tied with two) of any skater in the playoffs. On top of his electric scoring; Reinhart has been an iron-man during his Panthers tenure, only missing 4 regular-season games in three seasons. Very good move to extend Reinhart and give him a good pay for his services. Still nowhere near an over-pay in my book, especially if his production continues to rise.

Thunder swap Josh Giddey for Alex Caruso; then sign Isaiah Hartenstein

Oklahoma City sure did a good job evaluating what went wrong in the playoffs to respond in good motion here in the off-season to find suitable pieces in efforts to complete their puzzle. First, they do a player swap with the Bulls sending them Josh Giddey for Alex Caruso. Then, they sign a marvelous big-man piece in Isaiah Hartenstein (3/YR, $87M) to pair up with Chet Holmgren on the front-end of the starting rotation.

Grade is easy for OKC thus far. They are rockin’ things without doing anything outlandish. The Giddey-Caruso deal is an unfair player-swap; bravo move by Presti. Adding Hartenstein is even better. His prototype and vibe is a perfect fit in OKC, and alongside Holmgren. They now sit far under the cap, which alters their focus. Getting rid of Hayward is ideal. Presti has used the off-season to bolster the rotation and depth. I see this as being similar as the Celtics adding KP and Jrue Holiday... maybe a "light" version of that. A big plus. Job is not done, but Thunder look good on paper going into 2024-25.

Utah takin’ advantage of “1st” OFF-SZN:

For the third time in franchise history, the FKA Jets & Coyotes have a “1st” off-season under a new regime and name. Things are off to a damn good start in Utah if you ask me. Bill Armstrong has had major hurdles as a GM since takin’ on the role with his current ‘chise in 2020. Now, he is showing strides of improvement here in his first rodeo as Utah’s GM and not Arizona’s. The roster has been bolstered in a swift way. Armstrong continues to lean on a strong focus in drafting as he selected two highly-skilled forwards in Tij Iginla, the son of Jarome, and also Cole Beaudoin in this year’s draft. Add in excellent trade work as the D-room looks real-real sharp after resigning Sean Durzi and with the trade acquisitions of Mikhail Sergachev (TBL) and John Marino (NJD). Signing veteran Ian Cole wasn’t a bad move either. Bolstering the defense was a monstrous move to play.

Adding veteran pieces is huge for a team flooded with young talent & potential. Utah is the fourth youngest team (27.8); centered around the youth core of Logan Cooley, Clayton Keller, Dylan Guenther, Josh Doan, and Jack McBain; this team’s potential is looking good. Not sure if André Tourigny is the right mind for the core, but giving him the first month or two of the new campaign to change that theory is a safe bet with the available coaching candidates right now. I may hate them for not having their name deciding process done earlier, but I do love what I am seeing from the “Club”, here early on as they prep for their debut season in Salt Lake City. Keep up the progression and roster building.

Red Wings retain Patrick Kane & bring in Vladimir Tarasenko:

There seemed little belief that Patrick Kane would resign with the Red Wings after some negative buzz and little action from the front office to start free agency. Sure enough, Steve Yzerman finally got active by pulling the trigger to convince Kane to stay in HockeyTown… an excellent move for Detroit. Red Wings bring him back on a one-year deal to keep their top-2 lines strong, especially after adding veteran sniper Vladimir Tarasenko. Now, me marking those two as good moves does not mark the Wings as winners thus far. Yzerman has been lackluster and has work to do. Tarasenko is a nice addition, but he has yet to eclipse 20 goals since leaving the Blues in 2022-23. Yzerman can’t look at the signing as a final result.

Detroit sits number-1 in CAP space with $24M available while having free agents available to re-sign with holes still left in the roster. Mo Seider is the first to-do, then you look at Lucas Raymond, then more work on defense. If they bring back Raymond- then the Wings have two filthy top lines. You would love to elevate the center for Kane & Tarasenko (drop Compher to line-3), if they stick with DeBrincat-Larkin-Raymond; going after a Cole Perfetti or Martin Necas would be gear shifting for the new winger combo. Making a big trade could happen too. Lots of work for Yzerman, it’s good to see he is getting more active. Giddy up!

Knicks trade for Mikal Bridges:

The haul for Mikal Bridges was absolutely ridiculous, but I still can’t degrade the move. Knicks adding Bridges’ defense and versatile while uniting the Villanova-4, should make them a far more dangerous contender to Boston’s throne atop the Eastern Conference next season. That's a pretty damn good core if the lot can stay healthy. Mostly speaking to Randle and Anunoby there. Again, Bridges at the two is interesting, but I love the intrigue. Big move by Scott Perry to solidify the win-now motives for New York. Some work left in regards to adding depth & working the future cap, but really the ball is now in the hands of Thibodeau. Perry has done his work, the roster is shaping to be fine- time to win.

There was some moves made that in due time won't result in "winning". Regrets in the makin' type of moves that have the chance to go haywire. Could they be gold? Maybe. Anything can be good or bad, I'm just a bloody journalist, no sports god, but Paul George, 76ers? Paul George? Really? You evaluate another dreaded season failure to find the solution of an aged Paul George? For 4/YRS, $212M of all dough? I think that is just asinine.

Paying Maxey is smart, not Paul George. He simply is not the same player he was in Indiana. Now, he is going into year-15 as a declining "star" with back-to-back failed experiments in OKC and LAC due to injuries & over-hype. 76ers sit 28th in cap space available and have just 10 players currently contracted on the active-roster. Take away financials and that nastiness; I can't even fathom how they can think he is the missing piece after how they ended their season, and after testing James Harden and Tobias Harris. Can't fathom it. Morey's tail gotta be heatin' up and ready to catch fire. Paul George and Joel Embiid. Oh, the comedy ahead of us, folks. I don't like it. I feel more pain is ahead for 76ers Nation.

Another hoops move I didn't like was the trade the Pelicans made for Dejounte Murray. Off first take, I didn't hate the idea of Murray returning to the point, where he played most of his days in San Antonio. Murray was superb in his final season with the Spurs. This grade isn't as much of a degrade as the PG move; I just think the haul is a bit outlandish. Two players plus two first-rounders? The players are fine if you are working cap or building a more fitting roster, they aren't too valuable (Larry Nance Jr. & Dyson Daniels), but two first-rounders? You buggin'. Hopefully it works out for them. I do feel a new scenery for Murray & reverting him back to point could salvage a rough two-year tenure in the A. We will see. I don't think it was a move that this Pels team needed to make.

Jump to the ice for two more with a brief one evolved around Yzerman and the Red Wings first. I want them to be more active with how the roster is built around stars at, or nearing past their primes. You bring in Tarasenko, which is a good start, and we know (I'd hope so) that some of the cap availability will be used soon to lock up Seider, however there is still plenty-plenty more to spend without being in a bad spot financially. It's wild the Red Wings have the third-oldest roster (31.0), which makes them not spending money make zero sense. Wouldn't be surprised if it's Christopher Ilitch holding the funds, unfortunately in that case it's Yzerman who still gets most of the public blame. They spend some money, and Kane and co. will do the rest.

Biggest regret for me on the Chel side is the Stars letting Chris Tanev walk after acquiring him at last season's trade-deadline. I can't say they just let him walk, thankfully, they traded his rights to Toronto to get some capital back, but seeing the Maple Leafs extend him to just a 6/YR, $4.5M AAV deal makes it feel like they let him walk. If that's all it took- for pete sake! Dallas now has a weaker defense and look dumb for trading for Tanev and failing to win a Cup. Unlike the trade-deadline blockbusters off the hardwood, the NHL's big blockbusters have resulted in nothing with Tanev, Guentzel, Lindholm, and Sean Walker now signed long-term with another party. Tanev stings the worse behind Guentzel. Stars have regressed. They will regret letting Tanev go. As the Lakers will regret betting their future on a soon to be 40-year old past his prime.

Rob Pelinka killing the Lakers' prestige

Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka are beginning to turn a once rich dynasty into a reality show and laughing stock of the league. Now, they continue to invest in an aging superstar with no real coaching, system, or plan around him. Creating one big joke and a poor final chapter to an all-time great career. Seeing Michael Jordan wash away in DC (with sparks) was odd and a bit distasteful. Seeing what Bron has done is even worse. "Controlling" teams to weaken coaching, development, and future plans to the point a retired player turned analyst can walk into a NBA head coaching gig with no prior coaching experience. JJ Redick has a real solid basketball mind and can do great in leading a group of men, but this is a f'n joke. There has been Darvin Ham, Tyronn Lue, David Blatt, Luke Walton, and now Redick. Insert Mark Jackson's "what happened to the game I loved" gif.

Lakers had a golden chance to build for the future with UCONN's Dan Hurley in reaching distance to hire as coach. A hire that would have added true coaching, chemistry, and development, something the Lakers haven't had since D'Antoni or Brown (Vogel was ok). Something they haven't had long-term since Phil Jackson. Hurley would have delivered a coaching performance similar to Jackson's success in LA, instead you send him a weak offer which forced you to settle with Redick and a player-coach LeBron James after Hurley declined to accept a bag with UCONN in quest for a three-peat in the NCAA tourney. Despicable by Buss and Pelinka. They should have let LeBron walk to build around Hurley and a younger superstar... along with AD. Instead, they choose a dangerous domino effect waiting in the winds.

Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka are killing the prestige of the franchise since takin' over in 2013 after Jerry Buss' death. Pelinka is hands down one of the worst GMs in all of sports. This dude sucks. Not surprised he is paying a 40-year old Bron $48.7M next year after seeing him pay a 36 y/o Dwight Howard, 37 y/o Carmelo Anthony, and 35 y/o Jared Dudley. All contracts they still have on the books and are paying out... despite those three players being well out of the NBA. Pelinka is still paying Dion Waiters, Wayne Ellington, Avery Bradley, and Spencer Dinwiddie. Can't forget the Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov contracts; each for a 30+ year old player at the tail-end of their career. It's embarrassing to watch them work a front office. It's embarrassing to see unqualified coaches take jobs that have them looking like dull mannequins on the sideline. The game is not the same; that's for sure. That era should be nearing an end soon. Any Lakers fan that still defends Pelinka and Buss must be on that fentanyl, crack, or whatever else they got on those LA streets these days.

My three early winners on the ice may surprise you, but I am all in on what Utah, Buffalo, and Washington are doing early on to build their rosters. The Capitals snuck into the playoffs in controversial ways, then got swept out of the first-round. Instead of feeling depleted; they took advantage of having little UFAs to put the ship in over-drive to bolster the roster with Ovi's window closing. Doing most their damage on the barter-field.

Capitals are some trade merchants! DC traded for high-level defenseman Jakob Chychrun (OTT), winger Andrew Mangiapane (CGY), center Pierre-Luc Dubois (LAK), and goalie Logan Thompson (VGK). They also got busy at the market landing defenseman Matt Roy in an excellent long-term move. Caps look far better on paper than they did last season. Lindgren & Thompson is a real-solid net tandem and the defense has been elevated in a big-way. Good stuff by Brian MacLellan.

I already went into good detail with what the Utah squad is doing behind Bill Armstrong- without a doubt one of my early winners. They are takin' full advantage of their first off-season in Salt Lake City. It's tough working around dead contracts like Shea Webber's, but Armstrong has Utah lookin' good with the cap (5th in space) and bolstered the D-room in a big-way. Utah has quite the crop of young skill and have money coming in. They sit in a good spot with clear skies. Now don't botch the name! Yeti. Yeti. Yeti!

My final early winner: the Sabres. Buffalo fans are quite funny; I don't agree with ya's vision, I can feel you are hurting from missing the playoffs in 14 consecutive seasons. I won't fault your strict criticism. I for one, think the Sabres are doing a great job in their rebuild (it's been a really long rebuild). I like what Kevyn Adams has done since takin' over the GM reigns in 2020. The team has progressed every season and so as he in the off-seasons.

Bringing back Lindy Ruff as head coach is a solid move; Ruff was the last coach to lead the Sabres to the playoffs, doing so 8 times in 15 seasons from 1997-12. Ruff has taken all three teams he has coached (NJD, DAL, BUF) to the playoffs, with one Stanley Cup appearance (BUF). With confidence in the return of Ruff; Adams moved his focus on building the roster while getting capital for assets. Resigning Henri Jokiharju was money to keep the Sabres atop the league in defensive pairings. Adams then rebuilt the final line which is centered around Sam Lafferty, who had a career-best season with Vancouver last year. Buffalo didn't do anything extraordinary, nor anything outlandish- I believe they are ready to take that next step to be players in the Atlantic division once again.

Knicks and Thunder are no-brainer selections for my early winners. Celtics are third for extending & rewarding their core as they prep to take advantage of a bare Eastern Conference in the future. Thunder's moves remind me of the moves that the defending champion made before winning their title. It's been a real good off-season for Sam Presti and the Thunder.

OKC upgrading Giddey for Alex Caruso is a flawless move. Signing big-man Isaiah Hartenstein was just as good. Another great OKC move? Drafting Nikola Topić. Perhaps the best landing spot for the stud-Serbian. The Thunder have their young core. It's a damn good core. Presti evaluated the playoff exit to great execution with the added pieces thus far. Great work. Solid guard depth. Great front-court depth. Young potential with high ceilings. Give a bow Presti. Thunder are prepped to be dangerous again... and then some.

That last sentence speaks to the Knicks as well. Maybe in louder tone. Off paper, New York looks poised to be a back-to-back 50-win club for the first time since the '90s. They also look poised to stump the Celtics in any potential repeat plans... that's early-early talk, but Knicks acquiring Bridges and retaining Anunoby makes them major winners in the early shade and keeps them dangerous contenders atop the East. Pre-season predictions should have them higher than the Bucks, Pacers, and 76ers no doubt. I see Knicks at 2 with their new core-6. The roster depth is shaky; they lost significant guard depth. They sit middle of the pact in regards to the cap, but are expected to be negative with how the books look today- getting that depth will be tough. Knicks are investing in those six. Here's to good health, but I like the vision despite the lack of roster building/depth plus the capital given up for Bridges. Hopefully it works out for the sake of Knicks Nation.

Celtics being a winner is an easy decision. They invest and keep their core unit in tact. Derrick White: locked long-term. Jayson Tatum: locked long-term. Xavier Tillman: extended. Brad Stevens has his coach and team, and is ready to run things back. Skies are blue and clear for the Celtics. They have a strong chance at repeating.

The pace has been unreal between both off-seasons thus far. The trades haven't been to unreal, but the activity and free agency period has been nothing but fireworks. A pure extravaganza. Alert after alert, after alert- just nonstop action of signings and moves. Over a billion spent across Chel on a single day? That's just wild! As a sports analyst, all you can do is sit back and lick your chops. No shortage of headlines, takes, and news to break. It's great stuff, lets keep up the noise!