NBA offseason grades 2026: 76ers earn only A+ after LeBron move
CBS Sports gave Philadelphia the top offseason mark after LeBron James joined, while Cleveland took the harshest hit among suitors.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
The updated NBA offseason grades 2026 from CBS Sports put the Philadelphia 76ers alone at the top after LeBron James joined the team, while the Cleveland Cavaliers slid to a D after missing out.
CBS Sports writer Sam Quinn said James’ free agency held up the exercise because at least five teams were known to have pursued him. The list of James suitors in the grades: Philadelphia, Minnesota, Miami, Golden State and Cleveland.
Quinn wrote that the 76ers are not flawless and are not even his stated Eastern Conference favorite, citing James’ age, Joel Embiid’s injury history, defense and fit questions among high-usage stars. The grade still landed at A+, the only one in the piece, because of what Philadelphia added compared with what it gave up.
What grade did the 76ers get for signing LeBron James?
CBS Sports gave the 76ers an A+ after James became a Philadelphia player. Quinn wrote that the Sixers turned Paul George, two first-round picks, the mid-level exception and likely two deep bench players into James, Jaylen Brown, Dean Wade, Anfernee Simons and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Quinn called that a major resource win and said Philadelphia moved from having no realistic title shot to having some chance of contending. He framed the move as a high-risk, high-reward push in a league where he views the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs as young, asset-rich favorites.
The Timberwolves held at a B. CBS Sports said James would have fit neatly in Minnesota, especially after the team traded Naz Reid and Julius Randle, but Quinn argued the franchise still raised its long-term ceiling by turning Randle, Reid and a first-round pick into LaMelo Ball.
Miami received a B-. Quinn wrote that the Heat needed James’ shot creation after trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo, but he said missing James recast their summer as part of a longer build rather than an all-in title chase. He pointed to Andrew Wiggins’ front-loaded deal and Tim Hardaway Jr.’s one-year contract as signs Miami kept future flexibility in mind.
Golden State dropped to a C-. Quinn said the Warriors’ championship window around Stephen Curry appears closed and argued that adding James, or James and Anthony Davis, would not have made them 2027 title contenders. He credited Golden State for drafting Yaxel Lendeborg at No. 11 and for avoiding a bad win-now trade.
Cleveland fared worst among the James teams with a D. CBS Sports said the Cavaliers lost Dean Wade and Keon Ellis while waiting on James, weakening their on-ball defense, and Quinn wrote that Cleveland now looks like a play-in team.
Who else scored well in the CBS Sports grades?
Among non-James teams, Quinn gave the Charlotte Hornets an A for moving LaMelo Ball and emerging with a cleaner cap sheet, a young core and future draft capital. The Los Angeles Clippers got an A- contingent on a Kawhi Leonard trade going through.
Other notable marks included a B+ for the Utah Jazz, B grades for the Spurs, B- grades for the Raptors, Hawks and Grizzlies, and C+ grades for the Knicks, Rockets, Thunder and Pistons. Chicago and Dallas each received a C in the portion of the grades published by CBS Sports.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS Sports.