Just in time for the 2018-19 season, the NBA Offseason Playlist finale is the perfect way to wrap up the eventful summer of roster changes throughout the league. Whether teams mixed up their entire lineup or sat quietly in the background, this series is an entertaining and unique way to go through what has happened this offseason, and where teams stand as a result. It’s always a blast to write these, but with the series finale, it means that we actually have NBA basketball back. Let’s finish off the offseason summaries for the last five squads.

In case you missed out on any previous segments, here’s a recap:

• Atlantic Division, featuring Drake, Khalid, and various others
• Central Division, led by Ludacris, J. Cole, and…Victor Oladipo?
• Southeast Division, as voiced by Russ, a former American Idol winner, and more
• Northwest Division, with Weezy, Kid Cudi, and Zac Brown Band
• Pacific Division, explained by John Mayer, Quinn XCII, and more great voices

Be sure to follow the actual Spotify playlist and listen along while you read! Here’s the full playlist, with this week’s lineup starting on track 26:

Southwest Division

The Southwest teams had an interesting fast few months. While one team hopes to enter a new generation, another was left with no option but to shake things up. Meanwhile, two squads are drifting away from their goals, while another is back on the road towards theirs.

San Antonio Spurs: No Option (Post Malone)

“Show up at the spot and now everyone, they all watchin’

Don’t wanna prove you wrong but shit, you leave me with no ”  

Notable Moves

In: DeMar DeRozan, Marco Belinelli, Lonnie Walker, Jokb Poltl, Dante Cunningham

Out: Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, Kyle Anderson

Year after year, the Spurs are rock solid. In fact, a year ago I selected Bob Seger’s “Like a Rock” track to describe their consistent roster and performance. This year, Greg Popovich and R.C. Buford had their hands tied.

Two years ago I wrote a column exploring how championship teams get their talent. In it, I discuss how the Spurs had a combined nine traded players from all five championship teams, only contributing to a shockingly low 6% of their wins. That gives you a good idea about how rarely the Spurs trade away or trade for star talent. Yet, as Posty preaches in this joint, the Spurs had no choice.

The entire Kawhi Leonard situation was a mighty strange one, but at the end of the day, Leonard wanted out. I honestly thought The Claw was going to be the next Tim Duncan of the franchise, given their similar quiet demeanors and immense talent level. Instead, he wanted out of San Antonio, forcing them to facilitate a rare blockbuster. DeMar DeRozan is an elite offensive player but overall, is a notch or two below a healthy Kawhi. Plus, they also gave up sharp-shooter Danny Green in the deal as well. Ultimately, the Spurs had no option but to downgrade and look to DeRozan to take over some heavy responsibilities next to LaMarcus Aldridge.

Dallas Mavericks: New Generation (Dizzy Wright)

“Came so far and it feels so amazing

and now we dealing with a new generation”

Notable Moves

In: Luka Doncic, DeAndre Jordan, Jalen Brunson

Out: Nerlens Noel, Seth Curry, Doug McDermott, Yogi Ferrell

The Mavericks have ended each of the last four seasons with fewer wins than the year before. Their descent down the NBA power rankings has been a slow and painful one. But as Drizzy Wright attests to here, it’s turn-up season! The Mavs have made some great moves that put them in a position to turn their negative trend around and move forward with a new generation.

After thriving with European superstar Dirk Nowitzki as the face of the franchise, it’s time to pass the torch to a new international phenom. Dallas believes their third overall pick Luka Doncic is just that. The 19-year-old Slovenian will mark the start of this new generation for the Mavs. And he has a nice little roster to work with. Harrison Barnes has had a lot of pressure as the No. 1 option, but will now be able to settle back into a smaller role which should actually benefit him (think Golden State efficiency). Dennis Smith Jr is another nice option Doncic will have at his disposal. The real difference maker is their other summer pickup, DeAndre Jordan.

Jordan will be a large part of this new generation in Dallas, giving them a much-needed dominating presence under the rim. The Mavericks were the fourth worst team in the league at rebounding the basketball last season, so DJ will instantly fix that problem. I love these two pickups and think they will help this franchise start new.

Memphis Grizzlies: Recovery (Frank Turner)

“A long road up to recovery from here

A long way to making it right”

Notable Moves

In: Jaren Jackson Jr., Kyle Anderson, Garrett Temple, Omri Casspi, Shelvin Mack 

Out: Tyreke Evans, Mario Chalmers, Ben McLemore, Deyonta Davis

The Grizzlies had made the playoffs in seven straight seasons prior to 2018. They were right up there with the Spurs with the “ole’ reliable” label, where you can always count on them to be a solid team that made the postseason. This was not the case this prior season, as the Grizzlies had their worst individual loss and losing streak in franchise history over the course of the year. With Zach Randolph and Tony Allen departing a year ago and Mike Conley injured for all but 15 games, Memphis didn’t have many options to rely on. It was strange to see them struggle as much as they did. Enough about the past, though – now Memphis is on the road to recovery.

For Conley, it’s literally about making a recovery from his injury-plagued 2017-18 season. He is a huge piece to their roster, and will instantly help this team’s outlook. At the same time, though, the team still has a long road to recovery as a whole. This was evident when they drafted Jaren Jackson, one of the youngest prospects in the 2018 draft class. They also signed 25-year-old Kyle Anderson as a hope for younger growth. Considering Jackson is really their only long-term piece, Memphis is on the road to recovery but have a long way to go.

Houston Rockets: Waves (Mr. Probz)

“But still I reach, to find a way; I’m stuck here in between

I’m slowly drifting, drifting away”

Notable Moves

In: Carmelo Anthony, Marquese Chriss, Brandon Knight, Bruno Caboclo, Michael Carter-Williams

Out: Trevor Ariza, Ryan Anderson, Joe Johnson, Luc Mbah a Moute, Tarik Black

On paper, it seems like Houston had a decent offseason. They added some intriguing pieces while maintaining their big household names. I am not going to be deceived by this, though. In reality, the Rockets are worse off after this summer and this Mr. Probz remix encapsulates this beautifully.

The Rockets were oh so close to passing Golden State in last year’s Western Conference Finals. They were one game away from finishing them off on two separate occasions before ultimately dropping Game 7. After a tough defeat, Houston came into the offseason looking to further their position to take down the Warriors. They attempted to do this by trading Ryan Anderson for a younger, bouncier Marquese Chriss and a useful bench player Brandon Knight. They then signed a former Rookie of the Year and a 10-time All-Star forward. Sounds solid, right? Not so fast.

Chriss, despite his athleticism and youth, saw no improvement during his sophomore campaign in 2018. Knight has been injury-prone and, when healthy last year, was a nonfactor. That former ROY winner is Michael Carter-Williams, who has averaged fewer points and rebounds every season since his freshman year. That 10-time All-Star is Carmelo Anthony who, despite the well-known name, has been one of the least efficient players in the league these past few years.

The Rockets lost their two best defensive forwards in Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute. Furthermore, at this point in their careers, Ariza is more valuable than Carmelo. In an attempt to avoid “drifting away” from the Warriors’ talent level, Daryl Morey reached for accomplished players out of their primes, praying they will put them over the hump. However, they lost far too many underrated, valuable pieces for this to pan out, leaving them stuck yet again behind the juggernaut in Golden State.

New Orleans Pelicans: Drift Away (Uncle Kracker)

“Beginin’ to think that I’m wastin’ time

I don’t understand the things I do”

Notable Moves

In: Elfrid Payton, Julius Randle, Jahlil Okafor, Trevon Bluiett

Out: DeMarcus Cousins, Rajon Rondo, Jordan Crawford

I’m blessed that we can cop off this year’s final Offseason Playlist with such a classic jam. Try to play this Kracker song and not singing along and/or just feeling good…you can’t. Such a good tune, but also, such a great fit for the New Orleans Pelicans (ironically, it also includes the “drifting away” aspect).

New Orleans are a ticking time bomb yet again. They tried to accelerate the construction of their roster by trading for Boogie Cousins, which hardly even paid short-term dividends for them. Now with Cousins gone and a few unexciting additions (all due respect to Julius Randle), the Pelicans long-term future is yet again a major question mark as their title contention is drifting further away. With the clock running on Anthony Davis’ contract, the Pelicans are wasting the time they have with him, failing over and over again to add a great core around him. I certainly

The second verse describes the Pelicans, their lack of important moves, and their reliance on the Brow very well when Uncle Kracker says “beginin’ to think that I’m wastin’ time, I don’t understand the things I do. The world outside looks so unkind, and I’m countin’ on you – you can carry me through.” So fitting. New Orleans is wasting time as the world around them continue to get better, as they are left leaning as heavily as ever on Anthony Davis to get them through. Unfortunately, I don’t see this happening and expect the Pels to be drifting away from relevance.

That’s a wrap for the 2018 Offseason Playlist! It’s been a fun ride filled with various artists and genres, new music discoveries, and informative team recaps. I hope you enjoyed reading the series as much as I enjoyed putting it together! And don’t forget to check out the actual playlist on Spotify.

-Erik

Follow Erik J Johnson on Twitter: @erikjohnson32

Cropped photos of Anthony, DeRozan, and Jordan via Flickr/BigThreeSports artwork

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