The 5 most underrated moves of the NBA offseason
In the shadow of star acquisitions and big-name moves, a handful of smaller summer transactions always end up paying surprising dividends once the NBA's new season tips off. Here are five deals from this offseason that you may have missed or ignored that will make a real impact for their respective teams.
Spurs sign Luke Kornet
Since some observers expected the Spurs to go big-game hunting in an effort to expedite their timeline, Kornet might seem like an underwhelming addition. He shouldn't. The former Celtics big man has been one of the league's best per-minute reserves, doing all the little things that help good teams win.
Kornet's development story is the inverse of the game's overall 3-point revolution. The 29-year-old began his career as a floor-spacing center before moving inside, with less than 1% of his field-goal attempts coming from 3-point territory over the last two years. Kornet is a solid rebounder and interior scorer with playmaking smarts and a knack for screening, but he brings the bulk of his value on defense. The 7-footer posted the 10th-best defensive field-goal percentage among the 273 players who defended at least 100 shots at the rim in 2024-25, ranking just behind Rudy Gobert and Jarrett Allen.
Kornet will serve as a great backup for Victor Wembanyama, but he can also play beside the Spurs prodigy in giant two-big lineups, providing plenty of surplus value along the way. Kornet's new contract is only guaranteed for $24 million, with the fourth year of the deal a team option.
Lakers sign Jake LaRavia
Much of the discourse surrounding the Lakers' offseason has focused on LeBron James' impatience, the loss of Dorian Finney-Smith, and the team being forced to settle for the ill-fitting Deandre Ayton to fill its glaring need at center. But don't sleep on LaRavia, who signed a two-year, $12-million contract with the Lakers.
The 19th overall selection in the 2022 draft, LaRavia is only 23 years old, three years into his pro career, and has flashed some promising two-way potential. He'll mostly serve as a stretch-four on the offensive end, where he quietly shot a sparkling 42.3% from deep on a small but respectable sample (142 attempts) this past season. LaRavia's unlikely to sustain that kind of success rate as his volume of long-range attempts grows, but with Luka Doncic (and James) driving and kicking, he should get enough clean looks to make them count.
LaRavia is also a defensive workhorse, strong enough to guard fours and mobile enough to guard smaller forwards. He's got great hands and can be very disruptive, though he can sometimes be too aggressive, leading to foul trouble. Still, expect him to be a fan favorite in L.A. by Christmas.
Pacers trade for Jay Huff
Indiana's offseason has been downright depressing, from Tyrese Haliburton being ruled out until the 2026-27 season to Myles Turner departing for a conference rival, but there's reason to be excited about Huff, who made my 2024-25 All-Nobody Team.
Stats per-36 minutes can often be misleading because there's a reason reserves don't play starters' minutes: They usually aren't good enough, and their production would fall off if they tried. That caveat aside, how many of you were aware that Huff matched, if not outperformed, Turner on a per-minute basis last season?
Among 180 players who made at least 80 3-pointers, Huff's conversion rate ranked 35th. The only other centers who shot better than 40% from deep on as many attempts as Huff were Nikola Jokic, Karl-Anthony Towns, Kristaps Porzingis, and Nikola Vucevic, a quartet with a combined 15 All-Star selections. He also finished fifth in block percentage among qualified players, with a slightly better defensive field-goal percentage than Turner. Huff's not the most mobile defender, but he gets the job done as a rim-protector. The combined ability to pull opposing centers away from the rim on the offensive end while protecting it on the defensive end remains highly coveted in the modern game, making Huff an extremely valuable player on his current contract ($2.7 million average annual value over the next three years).
Huff won't help a Haliburton-less version of the Pacers make another deep playoff run, and there probably aren't any nine-figure contracts in his future, but don't be surprised if Indiana misses Turner less than previously expected.
Magic sign Tyus Jones
Jones' one-year, $7-million deal should prove to be one of the bargains of the summer, putting the veteran in a perfect situation after a disappointing season in Phoenix.
He didn't impact the Suns the way most had hoped, but he's still a steady ball-handler who can help a more stable organization like the Magic - especially one that can use a pure point guard.
Jones can back up Jalen Suggs and share the court with either Suggs or the newly acquired Desmond Bane. His size limits him defensively, but he's joining an elite defensive team that can benefit from his combination of shooting and caretaking. Remember, Orlando hasn't finished higher than 22nd in offensive efficiency since 2012 and just finished last in 3-point shooting. Meanwhile, Jones has shot 41.4% from deep in each of the last two seasons and owns a remarkable 5.4-to-1 career assist-to-turnover ratio.
76ers sign Jabari Walker to 2-way contract
Walker having to settle for a two-way contract was one of the most stunning results of the offseason for those who've paid attention to the 22-year-old forward. A 2022 second-round pick, Walker carved out a decent role off the bench for a vastly improved Trail Blazers team down the stretch. He's a good rebounder with a great motor and a willingness to do the dirty work, and his shooting has also started to pop. He shot 45.5% on corner threes and 38.9% overall from deep in 2024-25, albeit in a small sample. Don't be surprised if Walker spends more time as a 3-and-D role player off the Sixers' bench than he does in the G League.
Honorable mention: Raptors sign Sandro Mamukelashvili
The Raptors needed a backup center and more 3-point shooting. They may have found both in Mamukelashvili, a 26-year-old who just shot 37.3% from deep in 11 minutes per game off the Spurs' bench. He's an efficient offensive player but subpar defender. If the Raptors can get 10-15 serviceable minutes per night from Mamukelashvili - who can play behind or beside newly extended starter Jakob Poeltl - his two-year, $5.5-million contract will look like a tidy piece of business.
Joseph Casciaro is theScore's lead NBA and Raptors reporter.