The NBA offseason is coming to a close as each organization has done its best to put themselves in a better situation moving forward. However, this is an impossible task for every team to accomplish as there have to be NBA offseason losers in addition to ones that improve. Here are two players and one team that did not see the offseason go as planned and are in a noticeably worse situation as a result.

3. Deandre Ayton

The Deandre Ayton contract situation was a strange storyline. The former top pick made it extremely clear that he sought out a max contract and put the pressure on Phoenix to see if they were willing to pay the price. After months of it seeming like the franchise had no interest, they were forced to make a decision as the Indiana Pacers swooped in to offer Ayton a max deal during his restricted free agency. At the end of the day, the Suns elected to match the offer and bring back their big man by giving him the money he desired the whole time.

In a vacuum, this is a fine deal. Deandre Ayon holds career averages of 16.3 points and 10.5 rebounds and has made improvements to his game all four seasons in the league. He is just 24 years old and still has plenty of time to continue developing.

However, the Suns essentially told Ayton they did not believe he was worth the money and ended up giving it to him anyway. This also comes following the Game 7 playoff loss where the Suns were blown out by the Mavericks by 33 points. In this meltdown, Ayton played just 17 minutes and seemed to get into some sort of an altercation with Monty Williams on the bench. When asked about it following the game, the coach simply replied that it was “internal.”

While it is bad practice to allow a first overall pick to walk without getting anything in return, the handling of the situation was extremely poor on the Suns' part. Ayton is ineligible to be traded until January 15th, so at the minimum he will start the season with Phoenix. Some bridges will need to be mended as Ayton certainly did not receive the warmest welcome to return to the organization.

2. Donovan Mitchell

The Jazz made a franchise-altering decision this offseason by trading away Rudy Gobert. Utah received a massive return as they landed four first-round picks and an additional picks swap along with a collection of players. The Jazz clearly believed they had reached their ceiling with the duo of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert and this move set them up greatly for the future.

While it was a great move for the Jazz, Donovan Mitchell is somewhat left in the dust. The Jazz have publicly declared their intention to retool around him, but the perception is that this is not actually the case. Instead, Mitchell has continually seen his name tossed in trade rumors and where he will be playing next season is still somewhat uncertain.

While the Knicks trade chatter has yet to fully die down, the signs may be pointing to a return to Utah. This likely would lead to Mitchell playing a high-usage role on an underperforming team to further increase his trade value. The Jazz seem to be making the right decisions for their future but Donovan Mitchell is certainly one of the NBA offseason losers as a result.

1. Dallas Mavericks

While the Knicks may continue to be wrapped up in trade talks surrounding Donovan Mitchell, they made another notable move already this offseason. New York handed Jalen Brunson a four-year contract worth $104 million where he will handle the point guard duties for the franchise moving forward.

The Mavericks were one of the NBA offseason losers as they are left without Brunson's production and did not find a replacement for him. The Villanova product played a key role in the Mavericks postseason run last year and was an ideal pairing with Luka Doncic. Dallas greatly exceeded expectations last season by making it to the Western Conference Finals. Without Brunson this year they could take a major step back. While Tim Haadaway Jr will be returning from injury and they added Christian Wood and JaVale McGee to the frontcourt, the Mavericks certainly took a step back due to Jalen Brunson's departure.

There should not be major panic as the organization still has Luca Doncic running the show. However, there is no clear replacement for Brunson and the organization will need to find a slightly new direction moving forward. Expect some sort of step back this season from the Mavericks as they search for exactly what this new direction will be.