Following the finalized deal, Golden State received game-changing news on their pursuit of free-agent center Al Horford. “All signs, for the record, continue to point to Al Horford landing with Golden State,” The Stein Line’s Jake Fischer wrote Sunday.

Even though it's been two weeks since the Phoenix Suns traded star forward Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets, the official terms of the deal were slow to be released. That's because there was more work to be done. In fact, The Athletic reported that the trade would be historic -- becoming the first trade in NBA history to feature seven teams .

Even as the Houston Rockets were playing their way to the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference last season, it wasn't difficult to see them as a young team that was maybe a year or two away from serious championship contention.