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The previous offseason of the NBA was a particularly busy one, after a third consecutive finals matchup between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Some teams tried to reconstruct their roster and try to challenge the two for a place in the finals this year, others tried to snatch a playoff spot vacated by a rebuilding team.
While the Houston Rockets franchise had the best record in the league and is now on its way to the Western Conference Finals, most of the teams did not make a lot of progress; some even suffered a setback. This summer will be a turning point for big teams this year, and might even be a last chance for players and coaches.
#1 Washington, Detroit and Toronto trade PGs
The Wizards receive: Kyle Lowry
The Pistons receive: John Wall, Ian Mahinmi
The Raptors receive: Reggie Jackson, Langston Galloway, Stanley Johnson and a lottery protected 2019 first-round pick (from Detroit)
Detroit's new president, whoever it may be, has the difficult task of getting them back in the playoffs, after failing to do so for two straight seasons. They paired their big-man Andre Drummond with Blake Griffin just before the trade deadline, but the move had no immediate effect because they lacked a focal point in the backcourt.
Reggie Jackson missed 67 games in the last two seasons and it affects the team, but they might benefit from the John Wall situation in Washington.
Somehow, Wizards players seemed to enjoy playing without him than with him. The former All-NBA point guard missed half of the season, and his teammates didn’t have a problem with that at all.
Breaking up a backcourt duo like John Wall and Bradley Beal sounds crazy on paper, but clearly one of them has to go. Swapping Wall for a player like Lowry, who is also a better shooter, can bring Washington back to the top while solving some personal issues.
Toronto had a good regular season; they were the best team in the East, actually. But LeBron James got them again, knocking them out of the playoffs for the third year in a row. With LeBron having one of the worse supporting casts he ever had, not getting close to the finals will have a big impact on the Raptors' future.
Kyle Lowry is already 32 years old and recorded his lowest point average and usage rating since his first season in Toronto five years ago. He wasn't as important as he was before and he is definitely expendable.
It is important to note that John wall cannot be traded until July 26 because he signed a Designated Veteran Player Extension on that date last year. Also, Detroit has to wait until after this draft in order to trade their 2019 first-rounder because their 2018 pick was a part of the Blake Griffin trade.
#2 Denver get the point guard they need, Charlotte go full rebuild
The Nuggets receive: Kemba Walker, Nicolas Batum and Willy Hernangomez
The Hornets receive: Jamal Murray, Kenneth Faried, Mason Plumlee and a 2018 first-round draft pick
Denver missed the 2017 playoffs by a single win, signed Paul Millsap to a $90 million contract and missed the playoffs by a single win again. Even with the addition of the four-time All-Star, half of the team's roster was 23 years old or less. This lack of experience might explain why the team averaged the most turnovers in the clutch this season.
The team didn’t have a veteran point guard on their roster for most of the season and although Jamal Murray could develop to a top-level point guard, Denver needs quality know.
Kemba Walker is definitely a good match for the Nuggets and an upgrade on Murray. Charlotte failed to make the playoffs again and if they don’t act fast they will lose Kemba to free agency in 2019 and will remain empty handed.
The All-Star carries a "user-friendly" $12 million contract for next year but will probably have to be accompanied by one of Charlotte's heavy long-term contracts. Batum's contract is their top priority, guaranteed $76.6 million starting this summer.
But he's also the best player Denver can get, and success in this league is expensive. Hornets' owner Michael Jordan said he is not looking to rebuild, but young talent, salary dump, and a lottery pick might convince him otherwise.
#3 Miami and Whiteside bid farewell, Portland try to upgrade
The Trail Blazers receive: Hassan Whiteside
The Heat receive: Evan Turner, Meyers Leonard and a top-10 protected 2019 first-round draft pick
Miami Heat is clearly heading towards a breakup with Hassan Whiteside. The Heat signed him to a $98 million/4-year contract, after playing two years on a minimum salary, putting their full faith in him. This year, Coach Spoelstra decided to cut his playing time, especially in the playoffs, and Hassan didn’t handle it very well. He blamed his coach for "not giving him a chance to fight".
Publically criticizing the head coach forced a reaction from Heat president Pat Riley, who suggested being a mediator in an intervention between the two. If the intervention will not work, Whiteside will be on the move.
Portland need to bounce back from their first-round sweep and decide how to handle Jusuf Nurkic. Since he joined midseason last year from Denver, he filled the center spot pretty good, but they were swept twice in a row in the playoffs.
Nurkic will be 24 years-old and a restricted free agent this summer. A rebuilding team with cap space might sign him to an offer sheet Portland won't be interested in matching. Miami is looking for a player like Leonard, who can play as a center and stretch the floor, and could use Turner to add depth in the small forward position.
Portland can become a serious title contender for the next few years to come, they have an amazing backcourt duo and a good coach, but the rest of the roster reek of mediocrity. A master shot blocker and rebounder like Whiteside can make Portland better match to the NBA's alpha dogs
#4 Milwaukee gets a dominant big, Orlando create some cap space
The Bucks receive: Bismack Biyombo and Rodney Purvis
The Magic receive: Tony Snell, D.J. Wilson and Tyler Zeller
Milwaukee's goal this summer is to find solutions to the problems they had in their first-round playoff series against the Celtics. First, they didn’t get enough production from players not named Middleton or Antetokounmpo. Some of the blame falls on Tony Snell, who arrived in Milwaukee as a "sharpshooter", but managed to shoot only 23.8% from deep in the series.
Second, the Bucks had trouble finding the right starting center, trying out three different players through the series.
John Henson started the first two and got injured, Tyler Zeller replaced him in the starting lineup the next three games but spent most of them on the bench, as Thon Maker played better and eventually took his starter role in the last two encounters.
A dominant big-man like Bismack Biyombo, who has a conference finals series on his resume only at 25, can help robust the teams' frontcourt. He and Snell have offsetting contracts, with about $34 million guaranteed, but Biyombo's stretches through two seasons rather than Snell's three.
This opens up a few millions in Orlando's cap this summer, helping them re-sign Aaron Gordon more easily. Depending on how Milwaukee Bucks will handle Jabari Parker's free agency, they can remain a non-taxpaying team and use the Mid-Level Exception of about $8.5 million to attract free agents and bolster their roster.
#5 San Antonio get the best they can for Kawhi
The Spurs receive: Gordon Hayward, Terry Rozier and a 2018 first-round draft pick
The Celtics receive: Kawhi Leonard and Patty Mills
This might have been the most unstable Spurs season in the Gregg Popovich era. The on-court effect of Kawhi Leonard's injury was expected, but what happened off the court could affect the teams' near future.
He claimed the teams assessed his injury wrong, after he was medically cleared to play, and caused a rift between him and everybody else in the franchise. Some of his teammates even called him out for not coming back.
Those recent developments have vultures circle around the AT&T Center, hoping to get a hold of Kawhi. If the Spurs can't patch things up with the former NBA finals MVP, they'll consider trading him, but only for the right price. A satisfying deal will have to include a player at a 4-star level at least and some future pieces.
The only team in the league prepared to this Spurs' "doomsday scenario" is the Boston Celtics. The brilliant moves by Celtics GM Danny Ainge put them in the position to put together a package San Antonio cannot refuse.
Gordon Hayward is coming off a horrible injury, but let's not forget he had a great 2016-17 All-Star level season, scoring over 20 points and leading the Jazz to a respectable playoff run.
He deserves the contract he got and a fair shot from Boston, but when you have a chance to sign one of the best two-way players in the league, you should be able to make some cruel moves.
Boston also has a variety of assets they can deal. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum were a phenomenal wing duo this year and will be in the future as well, but Terry Rozier is playing sensational basketball since Irving went down.
It's another cruel move to make, but if Kyrie is coming back in time for training camp, Rozier is probably the more logical way to go. San Antonio needs a quality replacement for the aging Tony Parker, and Rozier is an improvement on their current option of Dejounte Murray. This deal requires some brave moves, but it also fits its purpose for both the Spurs and the Celtics.
