2019 NBA offseason

The summer the league redrew itself

Kawhi Leonard and Paul George chose the Clippers, Anthony Davis reached the Lakers, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving chose Brooklyn, Jimmy Butler found Miami and two former MVPs swapped teams.

Why this window matters

#1 in the Sportsboxd NBA offseasons ranking

No single favorite inherited the league; an unprecedented amount of star power changed teams and created the contenders that defined the next several seasons.

In the order it happened

The transaction timeline

Major signings, trades and roster decisions are ordered by announcement or completion date. Open linked trades for the original package and every downstream asset.

  1. June 15 · Trade agreed

    Anthony Davis is headed to Los Angeles

    The Lakers and Pelicans agreed to the defining pre-draft trade of the summer, pairing Davis with LeBron James while sending Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart and major draft control to New Orleans.

  2. June 30 · Free agency

    Durant and Irving choose Brooklyn

    Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving committed to the Nets, ending one contender and creating an entirely new star experiment in Brooklyn.

  3. July 1 · Sign-and-trade

    Jimmy Butler finds his team in Miami

    Miami assembled a multi-team sign-and-trade that delivered Butler, the centerpiece of two Finals runs and a new Heat identity.

  4. July 6 · Free agency and trade

    Kawhi chooses the Clippers—and Paul George follows

    Leonard's commitment depended on Los Angeles landing George. The resulting package sent Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari and historic draft control to Oklahoma City.

  5. July 11 · Trade

    Westbrook and Chris Paul swap places

    Houston reunited Russell Westbrook with James Harden; Oklahoma City added Chris Paul and more long-term first-round control.