In the summer of 2024, we saw no major superstars change teams. And rarely does an offseason such as that have as much of an impact on the following season's title race. Of the four teams that reached the 2025 conference finals, only the Indiana Pacers returned the same starting five from the previous season.
Months after swapping All-Stars (Julius Randle and Karl-Anthony Towns) as the headliners in a seismic six-player deal, the Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks both reached the conference finals. Meanwhile, the Oklahoma City Thunder put the finishing touches on what proved a championship supporting cast by trading for Alex Caruso and signing Isaiah Hartenstein away from the Knicks in free agency.