The message is clear: If an NBA team is at least a 50-win squad (or close to it) with multiple stars (or burgeoning stars), the time to make a title push is now.
Since Golden State won back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018, no team has repeated as champ and not even one team has returned to the Finals following a Finals appearance the previous season.
New champions and different teams in each Finals starting in 2019.
Teams who believe they are contenders see that championship windows can open quickly – and shut quickly.
The five most intriguing, title-altering free-agent acquisitions to watch in the 2024-25 NBA season:
Klay Thompson, Dallas Mavericks
In Boston’s Finals victory against Dallas, it was clear the Mavericks needed more and better 3-point shooting: 9.6 made 3s at 31.6% shooting isn’t sufficient to win a title. Enter Klay Thompson, whose 11-year career with Golden State expired after last season. Thompson needed a new team and found it with Dallas on a three-year, $50 million contract. This isn’t All-Star Klay but he still shot 38.7% on 3s, made 3.5 3s per game and was No. 4 in total made 3s last season. With Dallas featuring the Luka Doncic-Kyrie Irving pairing, Thompson doesn’t have to be a No. 2 scorer and some games he doesn’t even need to be the No. 3 scorer. But for Dallas to get back to the Western Conference finals and beyond, it needs Thompson’s 3-point shooting and competent defense.
Paul George, Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers want a title with one-time MVP Joel Embiid at the center. With Embiid and young All-Star Tyrese Maxey, the addition of George should give the Sixers their best chance to win the East since Allen Iverson led them to the Finals in 2001. Philadelphia hasn’t won a title since Julius Erving and Moses Malone got it done in 1983. Now, so much of the 76ers’ postseason success in April and perhaps May and June depends on Embiid’s health. But George was an All-Star for the ninth time last season, averaging 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals and shooting 47.1% from the field, 41.3% on 3s and 90.7% from the field. That’s a difference-maker on a four-year, $211.5 million deal that the Los Angeles Clippers were unwilling to spend to keep George.
DeMar DeRozan, Sacramento Kings
The Kings are trying to carve out a spot in the West – no easy feat considering the competition. They lost in the first round in 2023 and didn’t escape the play-in game format from the ninth-place position last season. Enter DeMar DeRozan, who is embarking on his 16th season and trying to help a team that won 48 games in 2022-23 and 46 games in 2023-24 win a playoff series for the first time since 2004. DeRozan posted All-Star stats for Chicago last season, averaging 24.0 points, 5.3 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals and shooting 48% from the field. The Kings sought DeRozan, who signed a three-year, $73.8 million contract, to help Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox take the team to the next level.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Orlando Magic
Denver’s loss is Orlando’s gain. The young and promising Magic won 47 games last season but lost to Cleveland in a seven-game first-round series. Like Dallas, the Magic need 3-point shooting (30.9% in the playoffs, 35.2% in the regular season) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope can deliver there, shooting at least 40% on 3s in three of the past four seasons. He also provides defense to an already strong defensive team and his championship experience (titles with the Los Angeles Lakers and Nuggets) will help Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero. Pope joined the Magic on a three-year, $66 million deal.
Isaiah Hartenstein, Oklahoma City Thunder
As the New York Knicks battled injuries during the 2024 playoffs, Isaiah Hartenstein took on a significant role offensively and defensively. Oklahoma City snuck in and signed the center to a three-year, $87 million contract, giving the Thunder, who had the top seed in the West last season with a 57-25 record, more depth alongside a roster that includes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams. Hartenstein averaged 8.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and nearly one block while shooting 59.2% from the field in 13 playoff games last season. At 7-foot, 250 pounds, he also brings a physical presence to the Thunder.
Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on social media @JeffZillgitt