There were moves, however, that didn’t get as much publicity but could still prove integral in the success of several teams next year. Here are the top five:

5. O.J. Mayo – Dallas Mavericks

After averaging 18 points per game on 45% shooting in his first two seasons, Mayo was surprisingly relocated to a bench role with the Grizzlies. He would still go on to average double digit points, but his other statistics suffered across the board. Now that he’ll be the starter in Dallas, Mark Cuban and company should expect some big returns from their free agent pick-up. The guards behind the former USC Trojan are more defensive-minded, so Mayo will likely be asked to take the scoring load off forward Dirk Nowitzki’s back – something that recently departed guard Jason Terry did well for several years. With just four seasons under his belt, Mayo could be a scoring machine for a long time in Dallas.

4. Ryan Anderson – New Orleans Hornets

After losing Chris Kaman to Dallas, Carl Landry to Golden State and Emeka Okafor to Washington, the Hornets had a serious need for size. They had drafted Anthony Davis with their #1 pick, but he’s young and still needs to develop before he can be the franchise center many expect him to be. To combat that, the Hornets traded for 2011′s Most Improved Player, Ryan Anderson. They also signed center Robin Lopez and forward Hakim Warrick from Phoenix, but Anderson is truly the prize of the trading haul for New Orleans. The 6’10”, 240 pound power forward had a career season last year, averaging 16.1 points and 7.7 rebounds. He might not provide much defensive assistance to Anthony, but his three-point shooting ability will stretch the floor for all of his Hornets teammates.

3. Kyle Lowry – Toronto Raptors

With Jerryd Bayless leaving Toronto through free agency and Jose Calderon looking to join a contender, it was extremely important for Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo to provide his core of talented young players – DeMar DeRozan, Jonas Valanciunas, and Andrea Bargnani – with a similarly-skilled point guard. Lowry averaged career highs in points, rebounds, and steals last season, and could tally even more assists with the new talent around him. The former Villanova guard also has extended playoff experience, something that only three current Raptors have; that experience will help him take on a leadership role for his much younger teammates.

2. Antawn Jamison – Los Angeles Lakers

The 6’9” veteran forward may be in his 14th year, but he doesn’t seem to be slowing down. As a starter last season, Jamison averaged 17.2 points and 6.3 assists, while playing in all but one game for the Cavaliers. Alongside standout point guard Kyrie Irving, he was one of the few reasons to even watch Cleveland. In his return to the West Coast, the former Golden State Warrior should provide much-needed low-post scoring for the Lakers, who have lacked interior offense outside of forward Pau Gasol. The other current big men for LA – Josh McRoberts and Jordan Hill – are serviceable, but won’t come close to having the impact that Jamison should in his first season with Kobe and company.

1. Darren Collison – Dallas Mavericks

After missing out on Deron Williams and losing Jason Kidd in free agency, the Mavericks looked to be dead in the water in terms of point guard prospects for next season. Rodrigue Beaubois and newly-drafted Jared Cunningham were the only real possibilities on the roster; that is, until Indiana inexplicably traded Collison and Dahntay Jones to Dallas for little-used center Ian Mahinmi. The third-year guard has averaged 5+ assists in his career, but with a huge upgrade in surrounding talent, he really should have a huge season across the board. With this trade, the Mavericks have completed a total overhaul of their backcourt, forming a young and dynamic backcourt for the foreseeable future.

• Steve Nash (Suns to Lakers): This one has to be the biggest shocker this offseason. Pretty much everyone knew Nash would leave the desert, but not once did I hear the Lakers in the conversation. The Raptors, Knicks, and Mavericks had all shown interest, but eventually it was the ability to stay close to his children in Phoenix that helped ease the exit for Nash. Not all is bad for the Suns, though. They just drafted Kendall Marshall, arguably the top PG in the draft, and now have Los Angeles’ first-round picks in 2013 and 2015 and their second-round picks in 2013 and 2014. As a team likely in transition, those types of assets should prove helpful.
• Deron Williams (resigned by Nets): After toying with the idea of leaving Brooklyn, Williams took his money and stayed with the Nets. While $98.8 million over five years will help make that decision easier, it was the chance to play on the biggest stage (New York) at the newest, swankiest arena – the Barclays Center. The chance for endorsements also played a key role in the 28-year old’s decision to re-up with Brooklyn. While it’s not likely they’ll be able to get Dwight Howard anymore – the team also re-signed center Brook Lopez and forward Gerald Wallace to big contracts – getting Williams to return to the team was a huge coup for owner Mikhail Prokhorov and the entire organization.
• Joe Johnson (Hawks to Nets): The Nets go all in and attempt to create their own “Big Three” with this trade. Johnson was traded for five players and a 2017 draft pick, a pretty steep price for a 31-year old shooting guard who is a bit of a “chucker,” someone who is more about volume of shots and less about quality of shots. He’ll help the team, for sure, but will they become title contenders? It might take more than this move to achieve that.
• Blake Griffin (re-signed by Clippers): This one is important because it appears that star guard Chris Paul wants out of LA (for some reason); if Griffin had left at the end of his rookie contract, it would’ve undone all the progress made by the Clip Show this past season. In a bit of bad luck that only the Clippers would have, Griffin re-injured his left knee – the one he sprained in the playoffs – and has withdrawn from the Olympics. If the injury isn’t too serious, he should be able to rest and recover for the start of next season.
• Tim Duncan (re-signed by Spurs): I never once thought that San Antonio would let “Timmy” go elsewhere to likely finish out his career. The former #1 overall pick may be 36, but he has still been productive the past few seasons and will probably continue to be. Last season saw a 20-game winning streak (regular season and playoffs) come to a screeching halt against the red-hot Thunder, but the team will likely compete for a top seed again in 2012-13.
• Kevin Garnett (re-signed by Celtics): Unlike Ray Allen, who bolted for Miami, Garnett re-upped with Boston in the hopes of a few more playoff runs. While it remains to be seen if the team is actually capable of that, most people – myself included – figured that the team’s window had already shut, but they went to the Conference Finals last season. His production has gone down since his first year in Beantown, but I’m sure plenty of GMs would take his 15.8 points and 8.2 rebounds, not to mention his intensity, on their team.

These are just a small handful of moves that have occurred so far in the offseason, and I’ll continue with more posts in the next few days highlighting the best and worst offseason moves.