Every single offseason, new narratives are created pertaining to certain players and teams based on good things they did. It could be as simple as a player receiving a monumental raise on a new contract or even one free agency signing pushing a team over the edge as a championship contender.
There wasn't a signing like it this summer, but just look back to 2016 when the Golden State Warriors signed Kevin Durant! That transaction not only won the Warriors back-to-back titles, but it changed the landscape for how teams approached the free agency period moving forward.
Looking at this year, Fred VanVleet signed a big deal with the Houston Rockets, plenty of stars from the 2020 draft class got massive $200 million extensions and the Los Angeles Lakers continued to build themselves into a championship contender again by revamping their roster around LeBron James and Anthony Davis. These were the biggest winners during the first weekend of NBA free agency.
However, while there are winners, there are always losers.
This offseason, there are quite a few teams you could point to and say they have been, and continue to be, the biggest losers due to their inability to make moves.
Let's take a look at the biggest losers after the first weekend of free agency.
Be sure to follow out LIVE 2023 NBA Free Agency tracker that is updated as soon as new agreements are announced.
Portland Trail Blazers
Well, we all knew this day was going to come eventually.
Damian Lillard has officially requested a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers and he wants to go to the Miami Heat. Lillard may want to go to Miami, but the Blazers are working the phones and GM Joe Cronin has made it clear that he is going to do what is in the best interest of the franchise. Does this mean Lillard will not get what he wants and he will end up elsewhere? Would he even play for another team besides the Heat?
Nobody seems to have any answers to anything regarding Portland's future, not even their own front office. At the start of free agency, the Blazers did exactly what their superstar wanted and that was giving Jerami Grant a new, long-term deal. Within the first hour of free agency, they agreed to a five-year, $160 million contract with Grant.
Now that Lillard has requested a trade though, Grant may no longer want to be with Portland and things could wind up getting really messy for this franchise. The Blazers are on a collision course with the bottom spot in the league and this is really not that surprising seeing as they haven't made any bold moves to better their future in recent memory.
Time and time again, Lillard has proven that he is one of the best players in the league and all he needs is another star by his side to turn the Blazers into a contender. The franchise has done nothing to aid their All-Star and despite his loyalty to them throughout the years, there is always a point where enough is enough.
This is the case with Lillard and now, it looks extremely likely that he will begin the 2023-24 season on a new team.
James Harden, Philadelphia 76ers
In the Western Conference, everyone is paying attention to the Blazers and what they are going to do with a potential Damian Lillard trade. In the Eastern Conference, everyone is fixated on the Philadelphia 76ers after James Harden opted into his contract only for reports to come out suggesting that he and the Sixers were going to work together on a trade.
He requested a trade from the Houston Rockets, then he requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets and now, it appears as if Harden is doing the same with the 76ers since they are not wanting to give him a long-term deal. If he is to be traded, the former league MVP will play for his fourth team is as many seasons, leading many to ask the question: “Is Harden is even worth trading for at this point?”
Entering the final year of his contract, there is value to be had by trading for Harden, especially for a team like the Los Angeles Clippers who are interested in him. Both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George will have player options to decide on next offseason and if things go south for the Clippers, they could have to deal with a roster re-tool of their own. Adding Harden to the mix and going all-in for a championship is a scenario that does make the most sense for that organization.
As much as the Clippers wanted to get a deal done ahead of the start of free agency though, the Sixers are said to be taking their time and president Daryl Morey is going to evaluated all the options his team has, including keeping Harden through the 2023-24 season.
Who knows how this situation will play out, but the fact of the matter is that the Sixers continue to lose talent in free agency and they have done nothing to help themselves. Georges Niang is now with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Jalen McDaniels agreed to a deal with the Toronto Raptors. Shake Milton is heading to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Those are three key bench talents the Sixers have lost over the last couple of days and they have done nothing to replace them.
Philadelphia did sign Patrick Beverley, but he alone is not going to elevate this team past the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Not advancing past the semifinals since 2001, things are not looking too promising for the Sixers heading into the new league year.
All of a sudden, Harden may not be the ultimate problem this franchise has, as reigning league MVP Joel Embiid's future is being discussed around the league. If things do not go well in Nick Nurse's first season as the head coach of the 76ers and this organization cannot get their act together with the drama surrounding Harden, it is not crazy to believe that Embiid will be on the move in the coming years.
The 76ers have a lot of work to do between now and the start of the 2023-24 season and they have done nothing to help themselves over the last few days.
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat went on a magical run to the 2023 NBA Finals after claiming the 8-seed in the Eastern Conference via the play-in tournament. Nobody except those within this organization though the Heat had a chance to contend for a title, yet they were one of the last two teams standing in the NBA.
This offseason has not been kind to the Eastern Conference champions though, as Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, Victor Oladipo and Cody Zeller are now with new teams. Losing Oladipo, who is injured, and Zeller is not that big of a deal, as they were nothing more than rotational players for Miami. Vincent and Strus however were key starters in the playoffs and instrumental to the Heat's success.
Replacing them will not be easy and so far, all the Heat have done in free agency is retain Kevin Love and sign both Thomas Bryant and Josh Richardson, who spent the first four seasons of his career in South Beach.
The signings they have made are not bad whatsoever, but the departures the Heat have had the last few days are the most impactful out of any in the league. Losing Vincent and Strus is not an ideal situation for Miami to deal with right now. On the other side of things, the Heat could very much turn themselves into big winners of the offseason if they can land Damian Lillard from the Blazers.
Lillard wants to play in Miami and the Heat are doing everything they can to make this possible by leveraging Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry and other assets in trade talks for the superstar guard. All signs point towards Dame eventually finding his way to the Heat in order to play alongside Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler. The only question now though is if Portland will make this trade this summer and if the Heat have enough assets from the Blazers' point of view to pull off this blockbuster trade.
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