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NBA Free Agency 2026 Grades: The 10 Worst Offseasons, Rated 0-10 (Part 1 of 3)
The worst offseason in the NBA this summer belongs to the New Orleans Pelicans, who entered July with cap space, a roster full of needs, and left it with a backup center and a camp invite. This was the wildest player movement summer since the initial formation of "The Big Three" down in SoBe circa 2010. We had: Giannis to Miami, LeBron to Philadelphia, LaMelo to Minnesota, Ja to Portland, (my belove) Mitch Robinson to Boston, Malik Beasley to Jail...and yet some franchises still managed to do nothing.
At RateGame, Sports Fans rate every game 0.0–10. So I rated every front office the same way. This is Part 1 of 3: the ten worst offseasons, counted down from rock bottom.
For each team: What'd they do (every key move), why'd they do it (the GM's-eye view), and how'd they do (the grade). Parts 2 and 3 cover the middle ten and the winners.
The bottom ten, ranked from worst
#30 New Orleans Pelicans | 2.5 🔴
- In: Christian Koloko (1yr, non-guaranteed)
- Re-signed: DeAndre Jordan (2yr)
- Out: Kevon Looney → Lakers (FA)
Why'd they do it? New coach Jamahl Mosley inherited a roster that won nothing last year, and the front office apparently decided the fix was ummmm...patience. Preserve flexibility, evaluate what's here, act later.
How'd they do? 2.5/10. Roughly $12.6M in cap space sat unused for a month while the one position everyone agrees they need — center — got addressed with a 38-year-old DeAndre Jordan and a camp deal.
#29 Sacramento Kings | 3.0 🔴
- In: None
- Re-signed: Precious Achiuwa (2yr/$11.5M)
- Out: DeMar DeRozan (waived), Devin Carter → Hawks (salary dump), Russell Westbrook (FA)
Why'd they do it? Why not lol. A teardown to clear the books and hand the keys to No. 7 pick Darius Acuff Jr. is a perfect way to jump start the ol' Beam Machine...and see what Sabonis trade calls bring.
How'd they do? 3.0/10. Rebuilding is defensible; paying a second-round pick to give away a 2024 lottery guard and cutting DeRozan for nothing is just asset leakage. The Acuff pick is the only reason this isn't last.
#28 Golden State Warriors | 3.5 🟡
- In: None (No. 11 pick Yaxel Lendeborg is the lone new face)
- Re-signed: Draymond Green (1yr/$27.7M), Al Horford (2yr/$14M), De'Anthony Melton (2yr/$11M), Porzingis ext (2yr/$40M)
- Out: Quinten Post → Grizzlies (offer sheet unmatched, 3yr/$30M)
Why'd they do it? One more run with Curry: keep every veteran and hope health cooperates.
How'd they do? 3.5/10. They struck out on LeBron, let their 26-year-old center walk over $30M, and brought back Draymond Green at 36 and Al Horford at 40. The only new face on the roster is a rookie.
#27 Toronto Raptors | 3.8 🟡
- In: Kyle Anderson (1yr)
- Re-signed: Alijah Martin
- Out: Sandro Mamukelashvili → Lakers (FA, 4yr/$52M)
Why'd they do it? They swung as big as anyone: an agreed June 30 blockbuster sending Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two unprotected firsts, a swap and two seconds to the Clippers for Kawhi Leonard. Then the NBA froze the deal pending its investigation into the Clippers' salary-cap-circumvention case.
How'd they do? 3.8/10. Betting that much on a 35-year-old with Kawhi's medical file was already a coin flip. Now the entire roster sits in limbo, waiting on a ruling that could drag into 2027.
#26 Denver Nuggets | 4.0 🟡
- In: Marvin Bagley III (1yr min), Alpha Diallo (1yr min)
- Re-signed: Tyus Jones (1yr)
- Out: Jonas Valanciunas (waived, signed in Lithuania)
Why'd they do it? Cap gridlock. With no room and a Peyton Watson restricted-free-agency standoff, Denver shopped exclusively in the minimum aisle.
How'd they do? 4.0/10. Nikola Jokic is still the best offensive engine alive, and his front office spent the summer of Giannis-and-LeBron signing a EuroLeague defender to a minimum. Nice. Wasting a prime Jokic year should require the Kroenke's to pull him in that little wheel bucket like a rickshaw while he whips some sense into them.
#25 LA Clippers | 4.2 🟡
- In: Rui Hachimura (2yr/$28M), Johni Broome (trade, for cash)
- Re-signed: Jordan Miller (3yr), Kobe Sanders (4yr), Brook Lopez (option)
- Out: Bogdan Bogdanovic → Rockets (FA), John Collins → Pistons (FA), Nicolas Batum (unsigned)
- Investigation: Pending? Pablo Torre still finding out?? This has been the subject of so much speculation and finger pointing I'm kind of over it. Just get on it with it already.
Why'd they do it? Transition on the fly: the Kawhi-to-Toronto deal would return Ingram, Dick AND picks - careful, but the league paused it while investigating the franchise itself over the Aspiration payments.
How'd they do? 4.2/10. Two rotation players walked, the headline trade is frozen, and the organization's summer storyline is a cap-circumvention probe. Hachimura was a good signing. He was also the only one.
#24 Memphis Grizzlies | 4.5 🟡
- In: Jerami Grant + Kris Murray (Morant trade), Isaiah Stewart, D'Angelo Russell, AJ Johnson (6-team trade), Quinten Post (3yr/$30M offer sheet)
- Re-signed: Their self-respect. With is constant antics both off and ON the court Ja held this Front Office..for lack of a better word - hostage.
- Out: Ja Morant → Blazers (trade), Santi Aldama → Mavericks (trade), Caldwell-Pope (buyout)
Why'd they do it? Full teardown. With Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. already gone, trading Morant closed the era and reset the franchise around No. 3 pick Cameron Boozer, Zach Edey and Cedric Coward.
How'd they do? 4.5/10. Getting Jerami Grant's $34M salary and no draft picks for a two-time All-Star is one of the lightest superstar returns in recent memory. Boozer and the sneaky Post signing keep this out of the bottom five.
#23 Milwaukee Bucks | 5.0 🟡
- In: Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis + No. 13 pick + 2 firsts + swap (Giannis trade); Caris LeVert (trade)
- Re-signed: Gary Trent Jr. (4yr/$64M), Ousmane Dieng (3yr/$17.5M)
- Out: Giannis Antetokounmpo → Heat (trade), Bobby Portis → Heat, Prince + Harris → Pistons
Why'd they do it? The era was over and everyone knew it. Milwaukee took the biggest package on the table and hired Taylor Jenkins to start again.
How'd they do? 5.0/10. The haul is real and so was Bam's punch — four rotation-age players and three first-round assets — but there is no future star in it, and 4 years/$64M for Gary Trent Jr. was the most confusing contract of the summer.
#22 Cleveland Cavaliers | 5.1 🟡
- In: None (ouch)
- Re-signed: Donovan Mitchell (4yr/$273M max extension)
- Out: Larry Nance Jr. → Pacers (FA), Dean Wade → 76ers (FA) Rich Paul's Inner Circle → Shams (Insider)
Why'd they do it? They made the East finals but whiffed on the prodigal son's (2nd) homecoming; keeping Mitchell locked in through the decade was the whole offseason, and the tax bill left no room for more.
How'd they do? 5.1/10. The Mitchell extension is franchise saving stuff. But the East just added Giannis and LeBron (not to them - if I haven't made that clear), and Cleveland's counter was losing two bench pieces and shopping Dennis Schroder.
#21 Orlando Magic | 5.2 🟡
- In: Nikola Vucevic (1yr/$3.9M, a homecoming)
- Re-signed: Jevon Carter (1yr), Jonathan Isaac (waived, re-signed at the minimum)
- Out: Moritz Wagner → Nets (FA), Jett Howard → Mavericks (FA)
Why'd they do it? Orlando believes last season's collapse was injuries, not construction. Keep Banchero, Franz Wagner, Bane and Suggs together, stay under the second apron, and let health be the upgrade. Sorry to see Ze Brozas Vagnaa split up. Auf Wiedersehen, Mortiz!
How'd they do? 5.2/10. Vucevic taking less to come home is the best value signing in this article. The bet on internal health is reasonable. It isn't the ambition the moment demanded.
Frequently asked questions (From me to me)
Who had the worst offseason in the NBA in 2026?
The New Orleans Pelicans. They left roughly $12.6M in cap space unused, made no rotation-level addition, and never addressed their hole at center in the busiest free agency in league history.
Why is Toronto ranked so low if they're getting Kawhi Leonard?
Because are they? The trade is frozen in time like the iconic picture from Game 7. The NBA pushed pause on July 9 pending its investigation into probable alleged Clippers salary-cap circumvention, leaving Toronto's roster — and Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick — in limbo that could stretch into 2027.
What did the Bucks get for Giannis Antetokounmpo?
Tyler Herro's black eye, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, the 2026 No. 13 pick (Nate Ament), first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, a 2030 swap and a 2033 second-rounder. And a 36 minute farewell interview on his YouTube channel with former Milwaukee Bucks announcer Jim Paschke that nobody asked for.
Sources: ESPN, NBA.com, HoopsRumors, Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated, Bleacher Report and team beat outlets; every move cross-verified against multiple reports as of July 30, 2026. Grades are RateGame's (it's me Nick the Founder) own. If you disagree, good: rating the games (and the GMs) is the whole point. The app is free, and Part 2 is where the real arguments start.
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