While the peak of the 2026 NBA offseason took place in July, there were other strategic moves pulled off by a number of teams the month after. Though none of these moves is as flashy as a LeBron James signing or Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, some teams have added key pieces to bolster their run for the playoffs this season.
On the other hand, there are teams whose moves in August are questionable at best and underwhelming at worst. Their activity (or lack thereof) in the previous month could end up hurting their playoff chances down the road.
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The biggest winners and losers of the 2026 NBA offseason – August
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#1. Loser: Golden State Warriors
This offseason, there is perhaps no NBA team that better embodies lethargy than the Golden State Warriors. While this franchise has been linked to Antetokounmpo and James over the past several months, the Warriors front office has struck out on both all-time greats while failing to land a game-changing deal in the month of August.
Over the past four weeks, all the Warriors could muster was the re-signing of Gary Payton II and the acquisition of Brandon Williams. At this point, the Warriors are no closer to playoff contention than they were at the end of last season, when they entered the play-in tournament but fell short of a postseason berth.
With Steph Curry playing in the twilight of his career, Golden State is putting in a lackadaisical effort to surround him with pieces that have a high ceiling.
Winner: Minnesota Timberwolves
The Warriors have been sluggish this offseason, but the same cannot be said for the team that picked up a member of their 2022 championship squad.
The Minnesota Timberwolves, in fact, may have gotten a great deal by signing Jonathan Kuminga to a two-year, $12.4 million contract. Kuminga looked like a rejuvenated athlete when he was dealt by Golden State to Atlanta earlier this year, and now, he’ll get to play with an athletic core that includes Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, and Jaden McDaniels.
Loser: Denver Nuggets
There have been instances when giving up a young piece and acquiring a veteran works out better for a team looking to make postseason waves. Sometimes, though, getting an older player and losing a young prospect hurts in the long run.
This might end up being the case with the Denver Nuggets, who were unable to lock in 3-and-D wing Peyton Watson this offseason. Though Watson had just played the best basketball of his career (14.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.1 apg), he ended up getting dealt to the Cleveland Cavaliers after not coming to terms with the Nuggets on a new contract.
Two days later, news broke of the Nuggets signing DeMar DeRozan to a one-year deal for the veteran minimum. Though DeRozan remains a skilled shot-maker, the 37-year-old is a short-term fix for a team that needs to start planting the seeds for its future.
Winner: Cleveland Cavaliers
As it turned out, the Nuggets’ loss is the Cavaliers’ gain. Watson now adds shooting and perimeter defense to a Cleveland squad that sputtered on offense when they got swept by the New York Knicks in this year’s Eastern Conference Finals.
Aside from the Watson trade, the Cavs front office also secured another key piece of their playoff core when they signed James Harden to a three-year, $97 million deal. For all of the criticism of Harden’s postseason struggles, he and Donovan Mitchell were able to make Cleveland’s offense hum nicely in their first playoff run together.
Watson’s addition can help mitigate Harden’s shortcomings on the defensive end, while also creating more turnovers that can lead to easy transition buckets for the Cavs’ starting backcourt.
Loser: New Orleans Pelicans
Much like the Warriors, the New Orleans Pelicans have barely lifted a finger in the offseason. Here’s what the Pelicans have done in the past month: sign guard Trendon Watford, waive center Hunter Dickinson, and sign forward Malik Dia to a two-way contract. None of these transcations is a needle mover that brings the Pelicans closer to an above-.500 record or even a chance to sniff the play-in.
At the very least, the Warriors still have the firepower of the NBA’s all-time leader in 3-pointers made. The Pelicans, on the other hand, have a handful of rising talent and an often-injured cornerstone in Zion Williamson. For quite some time, it has been imperative for this team to retool their roster, but no serious moves have been made recently.
Winner: Miami Heat
Over in South Beach, the arrival of one sharpshooter could have seismic implications.
On the heels of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis coming over from Milwaukee, Klay Thompson takes his talents to Miami in a move that is reminsicent of Ray Allen joining the LeBron James-led squad in 2012. Thompson is exactly the outside threat that Miami needs to keep defenses honest and open up driving lanes for Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.
Edited by Hari Priya CR
