Four of the five teams in the NBA’s Southwest division made the playoffs a year ago with the San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies and Houston Rockets finishing among the top eight in the Western Conference. All four of those teams are expected to contend for the postseason in 2016-17 with the New Orleans Pelicans hoping they have improved enough to bounce back after a disappointing season. Here is a look at the offseason grades for every Southwest Division team.
San Antonio Spurs
Grade: B
The Spurs couldn’t convince Tim Duncan to come back for one more year but at this point it might be a blessing in disguise. San Antonio managed to bring in Pau Gasol to replace the veteran Duncan, who for all of his accomplishments was clearly worn down by the time the playoffs rolled around last season. Gasol should fit in perfectly next to LaMarcus Aldridge and Kawhi Leonard. Meanwhile, the Spurs also took a step towards getting younger at the point guard position by drafting Dejounte Murray at No. 29 overall and he could turn out to be an absolute steal. Tony Parker and Danny Green will start for the Spurs but don’t be surprised if Murray carves himself an important role for San Antonio as they look to reestablish themselves as contenders this coming season. They’re still the team to be in the Southwest Division.
Dallas Mavericks
Grade: C+
It didn’t take long for the Mavericks to agree to a max deal with Harrison Barnes but he doesn’t necessarily represent an upgrade after they lost Chandler Parsons. Dallas didn’t stop there either as they added another big man from the Golden State Warriors in Andrew Bogut while reaching a deal with Steph’s younger brother Seth Curry. Bringing back Dirk Nowitzki and Deron Williams ensures the Mavericks will contend for a playoff spot in 2016-17 but it doesn’t necessarily mean they are anywhere closer to contending for a championship out of the Western Conference.
Memphis Grizzlies
Grade: A
The Grizzlies are coming off an injury-ravaged season in which they were barely healthy enough to compete by the time the playoffs rolled around but they did an excellent job improving their roster in the offseason. The addition of Parsons should make for the perfect fit as a stretch wing that can shoot the three-ball and Memphis brought in veterans Troy Daniels and James Ennis to work in to their rotation as quality shooters. The Grizzlies also drafted well with the additions of Wade Baldwin IV and Deyonta Davis and both players should contribute from the outset. The Grizzlies kept their core together while bringing in a handful of quality shooters to help provide a spark for their offense and a strong offseason haul should put them on the radar to contend for a championship this coming season.
Houston Rockets
Grade: B
Houston lost Dwight Howard, Terrence Jones, Donatas Motiejunas and Josh Smith but they actually improved by bringing in Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon. Anderson should be able to help the Rockets stretch the floor as a three-point shooter at the four spot while Gordon is another sharpshooting specialist that will be a major threat if he can stay healthy. Houston narrowed its focus to pure scorers that can stretch the floor in the offseason and despite not making a major splash, they have clearly improved their roster in the Southwest Division.
New Orleans Pelicans
Grade: C
After failing to meet expectations again last year, the Pelicans finally opted to address their lack of guard talent through both free agency and the draft. New Orleans may very well have landed one of the gems of this year’s NBA Draft in Buddy Hield, who is a talented pure scorer that could emerge as the perfect compliment to big man Anthony Davis. The Pelicans didn’t stop there though as they added a versatile guard in E’Twaun Moore while also signing Solomon Hill, Langston Galloway and Terrence Jones to compete for touches. New Orleans simply can’t afford to let their prime years with Davis pass away and while they didn’t add a superstar, they did address a key area of need by bringing in some guard help. They should move up the ranks slightly in the Southwest Division.
