ESPN - With the bulk of the NBA’s offseason moves complete, it’s time to evaluate how teams did.

As ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Bobby Marks laid out last week, there are a handful of storylines to watch the rest of the summer, including the restricted free agents locked in apparent standoffs with their current teams and potential extensions. It’s also possible we could get a surprise trade.

Barring that, most of the moves that will affect the 2025-26 season have already been made, with virtually all the top unrestricted free agents having already signed contracts, and blockbuster deals have turned the Houston Rockets and Orlando Magic into contenders in their respective conferences.

The grades aren’t just about how much teams improved or declined, but more on how well they used the tools at their disposal, with a focus on free agency and trades because the outcome of the draft is more difficult to predict.

Here are the top grades:

Atlanta Hawks Grade: A

The Hawks vaulted themselves into the ranks of legit East threats by nabbing one of the top free agents to change teams (former Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker) and adding Kristaps Porzingis to give them more size up front. Yet, the real coup was adding the better of 2026 first-round picks from the Milwaukee Bucks and New Orleans Pelicans on draft night to move down 10 spots from No. 13 to No. 23.

Even if Atlanta remains stuck in the play-in, potentially adding another lottery pick to a core that includes 2024 No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher is a franchise-changing opportunity for a Hawks team that swapped its own pick to the San Antonio Spurs in the Dejounte Murray trade.

Houston Rockets Grade: A

No team did more to improve its chances at the 2026 title than the Rockets, who added two-time Finals MVP Kevin Durant without sacrificing depth in the process. Give Houston credit for pouncing at a reasonable trade for Durant, then using a team-friendly contract for Fred VanVleet (two years, $50 million) to access the non-taxpayer midlevel exception. That allowed the Rockets to add proven 3-and-D wing Dorian Finney- Smith to help replace departed Dillon Brooks.

Denver Nuggets Grade: A

After the dust cleared, Denver’s offseason resulted in the strongest Nuggets team on paper since they won the 2023 title, highlighted by swapping Michael Porter Jr. for Cameron Johnson at the cost of a valuable 2032 unprotected firstrounder. The payroll flexibility the deal created helped the Nuggets heist Jonas Valanciunas from the Kings, shedding little-used Dario Saric. And Denver beefed up its perimeter depth by signing Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. to minimum contracts.

OKC Thunder Grade: B+

The defending champs return every player who saw at least 50 minutes of action during the 2025 playoffs, so the real work for the Thunder front office was securing long-term extensions for stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams. A supermax deal for Gilgeous-Alexander and max deals for Holmgren and Williams will force tough choices for Oklahoma City, but the Thunder did well to sign Holmgren to a deal locked in at 25% of the 202627 cap and avoid giving Williams a player option on his extension.

Miami Heat Grade: B+

It was an opportunistic offseason for the Heat, who took advantage of the money saved by swapping Duncan Robinson for Simone Fontecchio to convert players on the fringes of their rotation into Norman Powell, who scored 21.8 points per game for the Clippers last season. Powell helps replace some of the scoring lost with Jimmy Butler’s February departure and keeps Miami’s books clear for now -- as the team eyes 2027 cap space.

LA Clippers Grade: B+

There are concerns about the Clippers’ age after adding veterans Chris Paul (40), Brook Lopez (37) and Bradley Beal (32). For the Clippers to land all three armed only with the non-taxpayer midlevel exception, however, is a win. The Clippers bolstered their depth in the short term and added size with a trade for John Collins while keeping an eye on cap space possibilities as soon as next summer, with 2027 a more likely target to retool the roster with younger talent.