NBA free agency winners and losers from wild offseason shakeup

Yet, as the growth of the salary cap has lagged — the cap for 2026-27 will increase just 6.7% — that has squeezed the NBA’s middle class. Essentially, local broadcast revenue has dragged, leading to the lukewarm increase in the cap. And because star players are always a premium, teams are being far more selective with their limited cap space.

I’m looking, mainly, at the Houston Rockets and Orlando Magic. Both were playoff teams, and both flamed out at the end. Houston is likely banking on point guard Fred VanVleet (torn ACL) stabilizing the position. And Houston’s biggest weakness was indeed at point guard, but after a rather awkward season in which Kevin Durant’s frustrations with his younger teammates spilled out into the public, it was time to take some calculated risks in roster management. The Rockets, however, have been quiet and — as currently constructed — are no closer to the Spurs, Thunder, Nuggets or even Timberwolves.

The Magic fired former coach Jamahl Mosley and hired ex-Spurs assistant Sean Sweeney. A change in leadership will help, but Orlando’s lack of consistent shooting hasn’t been addressed. Neither has the seemingly odd fit of stars Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Sweeney should define the roles more clearly. But as much of the East got better, the Magic have stayed stagnant.

The Golden State Warriors, who missed out on Antetokounmpo and may miss out on LeBron James, should probably be added here as well. Golden State now absolutely needs Jimmy Butler to return from his torn ACL and be an impact player once again.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA free agency winners and losers from wild offseason shakeup