As the National Basketball Association  off-season begins to settle down, it is time to look back at the frenzy that was. Be they ineffably impactful free agent acquisitions, potentially franchise-altering draft selections or head coaching shake-ups, this offseason had a more active and edge-of-your-seat character than past years. 

Of the abundant significant offseason moves, there are three that stand alone as the most important, in both the near future and the long-term.

First and foremost, the Minnesota Timberwolves selected center Karl-Anthony Towns of the University of Kentucky with the first overall pick in the NBA draft. Few teams have shown the same sort of potential that the Timberwolves did last season. Despite their atrocious record, the talent they threw on the court every night was hard to ignore. With reigning Rookie of the Year forward Andrew Wiggins polishing his game with each passing contest, along with Spanish wiz-kid point guard Ricky Rubio and high-flying guard Zach Lavine, the Timberwolves showed that, though they are not yet ready, they will soon become significant again. 

Not only should Wolves fans be thirsting to see their young stars in action next season, but the rest of the NBA community should eagerly await the emergence of what will  likely become one of the league’s most entertaining young teams in recent memory.

Second, LaMarcus Aldridge said goodbye to the Portland Trailblazers and went home to Texas to join the San Antonio Spurs. Each year, you hear casual NBA fans swear that the Spurs are done. It is the same stale argument —they are too old, too slow and to be facing too many other elite teams to remain great. But, as they do each and every year, the Spurs find a way to silence their detractors. More often than not, they use their play on the court to do the talking. 

However, this off-season, they swiftly hushed the “too old” argument not with their play but their front office savvy. In convincing four-time All-Star forward Aldridge to make the move to the Alamo City, they have not only found a successor for forward Tim Duncan—a future Hall of Fame inductee—but they have found a way to stay relevant for at least the next four seasons. In addition to locking up Aldridge, the Spurs managed to make the moves necessary to bring back a sharpshooting defensive-stopper in guard Danny Green. With Aldridge, forward Kawhi Leanord and talented veteran point guard Tony Parker anchoring the Spurs’ offense, the team looks to be in good shape.

Finally, the New Orleans Pelicans recruited Alvin Gentry and signed center Anthony Davis to a whopping five-year, $145 million contract extension. With a young core of point guard Jrue Holliday, guard Tyreke Evans and forward Ryan Anderson, and one of the game’s best players, Davis, the New Orleans Pelicans appeared primed to become a force entering the 2014 to 2015 season. However, they found themselves swept by the Golden State Warriors in the first round of last season’s playoffs. 

Their disappointing exit made way for the hire of Alvin Gentry, the architect of the Warriors’ historically efficient offense. 

With Gentry at the helm, the Pelicans are sure to blossom into one of the better teams in not only the West but the entire league. Such success is expected well past this season—with the re-signing of Davis to the league’s biggest contract ever, the Pelicans appear to be in a position to use the next few seasons to become serious championship contenders.

—Gabriel Goldstein

—Gabriel Goldstein