The floodgates have opened and so far, the merry-go-round that is the NBA free agency market has not disappointed. The headliner of this year’s class was the highly coveted all-star center Dwight Howard, standing a year removed from a multi-team trade that landed him in Los Angeles. With his decision to move to Houston presenting new opportunities for the Rockets, other moves this offseason have seen significant improvement to other NBA rosters.

One of the teams Howard made contact with during his free agency dealings was his hometown team, the Atlanta Hawks. Failing to capture Howard and losing an all-star forward in Josh Smith, the Hawks are comforted by the capture of Utah Jazz forward Paul Millsap and two other guards. Kyle Korver was re-signed and the Hawks matched Milwaukee’s offer to Jeff Teague. The frontcourt pairing of Millsap and Al Horford allows Atlanta to maintain current relevancy in the Eastern Conference playoff picture while also having hopes for the foreseeable future.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have also quietly set a complimentary roster around burgeoning star Kyrie Irving. Along with the first overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, the Cavs added veteran Jarrett Jack and Earl Clark, Jack backing-up Irving and contributing off the bench as he did behind Stephen Curry. Clark will try to re-create in Cleveland, the form that temporarily had him leap frog Pau Gasol last year in the Los Angeles starting lineup. A risky move, although one with huge upside for the Cavs, is signing Andrew Bynum. The oft-injured center didn’t play at all last season in Philadelphia but has been a force when healthy.

While their fans might be reeling from the loss of Jack, the Golden State Warriors will be a better team for it because they were able to pick up Andre Iguodala. Part of the Howard trade that sent him to Denver, Bynum to Philadelphia and Howard to the Lakers, Iggy is the perfect fit for the Warriors. His arrival has the potential to stunt the growth of fast-rising sophomore Harrison Barnes, but the addition of an all-star is always welcomed. Iguodala has been relied upon as the go-to option in his most recent NBA stops and while that responsibility has seen him gain individual notoriety, it has seen his teams falter. Added responsibility has seen him get more attention defensively but with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, Iguodala gets less attention from opponents. In the same vein, the guards have another option to alleviate the huge load they carry at the moment.

The team that stands the biggest threat to the Heat in the East is the second-best team from last season. The Pacers re-signed David West which was a necessary action to maintain their current venom. To strengthen its chances, Indiana has added Chris Copeland, the big man who impressed backing up Carmelo Anthony for the Knicks and former Derrick Rose or Deron Williams understudy; C.J. Watson. Getting Danny Granger was enough alone to rise hopes for the next season but the two additions stand to strengthen the team even further. Copeland will add rebounding and scoring off the bench for the Pacers while Watson will be a disciplined backup floor marshal to cut down their turnovers.

The LA Clippers first made the coup for Celtics coach Doc Rivers and they completed their goal, to bring back their former star player. After getting Matt Barnes back, the Clippers retained Chris Paul with the a championship-caliber coach to appease him. The loss of promising guard Eric Bledsoe to Phoenix was an obvious deficiency and the other Los Angeles team fixed it. The Clippers made their declaration for this season by claiming Darren Collison. The signing of a backup hardly seems a statement of serious intent but the pairing of Paul and Collison has proven to be fruitful, with evidence from their stint together in New Orleans.

In less aggressive means, the losing team in last year’s NBA Finals is re-tooling for another championship run. Although their showings in the finals presented minimal evidence to support, the Spurs recapturing Manu Ginobili and Tiago Splitter bodes well for their chances next season. Both players were instrumental in the trip leading up to the playoffs and will no doubt have a role to play if the team is to repeat the success of last year. The Spurs secured the signature of Bulls guard Marco Belinelli to compete for a roster spot. It almost appears blasphemous seeing that Danny Green holds the record for most 3-point field goals made in the NBA Finals, but the Spurs are better off with Belinelli than Green. Belinelli is a better scorer, defender and ball handler, which was severely lacking in the turnover factory that was Ginobili and Green in the finals. With Tony Parker, Ginobili and Belinelli posing all equal threat to the basket with their driving and shooting capabilities, the Spurs look less susceptible to scoring droughts. Adding Belinelli also helps with defending out on the wings so Splitter and Tim Duncan have considerably easier jobs at the rim.

Over the early parts of NBA free agency, Houston has grabbed most of the headlines with its capture of Howard and the pursuit of Smith. The addition has seen the Rockets swell from eighth-seed hopefuls to Western Conference contenders. Not making as big of a splash as others, some teams have been able to navigate the murky waters of free agency and find bargain for their buck. While the first incline might be to flock to Houston, rigorous inspection shows that the race for the winner of the free agency market is closer than it appears.

Lanre is a junior in Media. He can be reached at [email protected].