Philadelphia was rated the NBA offseason’s top winner after turning Paul George and a couple of first-round picks into Jaylen Brown and LeBron James, then adding free agent Dean Wade.
Four top-50 usage players now share the floor in Philadelphia, where James is expected to operate as a point forward and all of Joel Embiid, Brown and Tyrese Maxey will need to sacrifice touches.
Boston was cast as a major loser because dealing Brown for George and picks helped open the door for James to join a division rival, even if the Celtics still project as a playoff team.
The broader offseason review also tagged the Lakers, Timberwolves, Hornets and Mavericks as winners, while the Warriors, Clippers, Cavaliers and Trail Blazers landed on the losing side.
With free agency largely exhausted and only a few notable moves still pending, the league’s title picture has shifted most sharply around Philadelphia’s new star-heavy core.