In an offseason where Paul George and Jimmy Butler were traded by the Indiana Pacers and Chicago Bulls for disappointing returns, the Boston Celtics decided to blow those trade packages out of the water by sending Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and Brooklyn's 2018 first round pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Kyrie Irving.

According to one general manager, Irving would have to become a top-10 player in the NBA to equal the value of what Boston send to the Cavaliers.

Cleveland also sought either Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum in the trade.

While Irving is a consistent All-Star and one of the best playmakers in the NBA, he is not widely considered to be a top-10 player.

The Golden State Warriors were able to keep their core together while also adding three potential rotation players.

“We have a great potential and opportunity to do amazing things and win more championships,” Stephen Curry said. “When you have that chemistry, you don’t want it to end. You don’t want to start over. You want to take advantage of the camaraderie, chemistry and vibe we’ve created.

“So for the front office to get it done and sign all the guys they needed to sign — and add two great players in Omri Casspi and Nick Young, and draft Jordan Bell — I think we got better.”

Curry also acknowledges the Western Conference had several teams improve.

“You look around the Western Conference, and the amount of talent up and down the board is going to be crazy,” Curry said. “… Everybody is trying to make moves to become championship contenders. Before our first Finals appearance, we were doing the same thing — trying to load up and put together the right combination of guys to take our team to the next level.

“It’s great for the league that there’s that much movement and shuffling of the deck, and teams taking chances to try to get better.”