NBA · 1 year ago

NBA Offseason: 5 Teams Facing Make-Or-Break Summers

Ben DiGiacomo

Host · Writer

1. Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers most important offseason this century is finally here, and their championship hopes in the Joel Embiid era are riding it. After years of being handcuffed to Tobias Harris’s max contract, the deal is finally up, opening up a max spot for whatever star wants to join forces with Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. Unfortunately, in terms of talent looking to change teams, this free-agent class may be as bad as it gets.

Paul George has been linked to the 76ers for months now, as recently as Embiid giving him the “wink” at the NBA Finals, but reports are swirling that the 76ers appear to be looking elsewhere instead of giving George a max. Could it be a smoke screen? Absolutely, but in reality, the 76ers need to be looking at all options. They’ve earned that right, and Embiid deserves it. Brandon Ingram and Jimmy Butler lurk as potential trade options, but at the end of the day, I don’t expect Daryl Morey to either hand out a contract he doesn’t want to out of necessity or give up his tradable assets for a player he doesn’t believe will improve the 76ers title odds. If they ultimately strike out on Paul George, which seems increasingly likely, look for the 76ers to sit back and wait for their opportunity rather than force something they don’t believe in.
5. Orlando Magic
By no means does the Orlando Magic’s future hang in the balance this offseason, but they are at the critical stage in their rebuild, where they are nearing the second tier of contenders in the Eastern Conference. Loaded with money, assets, and the desire to win sooner rather than later, the Magic can’t get ahead of themselves here. It’s hard to imagine any star-caliber player like Paul George or even DeMar DeRozan heading to Central Florida. Still, the Magic can absolutely woe a few mid-tier free agents. I’d like to see the Magic sign D’Angelo Russell as he can provide stability and veteran leadership from the point guard position. They'll need to find additional scoring help at the guard position off the bench, but that could from a variety of cheap options like Gary Trent Jr. The Magic haven’t been able to draft an offensive-minded guard despite all their attempts, so they better spend wisely this summer there to solidify themselves as a top-four seed come next spring.
4. Milwaukee Bucks
Emotionally, the 2023-24 season couldn’t have gone any worse for the Milwaukee Bucks. Everything that could have gone wrong collapsed in the most epic proportions. Ideally, things will improve schematically as Doc Rivers has a full offseason to work with on the court, but the Bucks’ front office needs to do whatever they can with limited resources to keep this franchise afloat. If things are still bad in Milwaukee at this time next year, we very well could be talking about Giannis Antetokoumpo trade destinations. He’s still in Milwaukee, and the Bucks need to do everything in their power to keep him there. Ideally, they’ll be able to flip their first-round pick for someone who can provide immediate help off the bench, as Jae Crowder, Danilo Gallinari, and Malik Beasley are all free agents. Someone like Corey Kispert makes sense for them in a trade, while on the free agent market, a dependable backup combo guard and shooter to replace Beasley are necessary. Kris Dunn, Luke Kennard, and Naji Marshall all deserve looks as cheap options.
3. Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers finally have their head coach in JJ Redick, with all signs pointing to LeBron James re-upping for another season in the purple and gold. It’s a good start in Hollywood, but now what? We know this current Lakers team is far behind the top teams in the Western Conference, and not even the best coach of all time could take them to that level, let alone a first-timer in Redick. Luckily for the Lakers, no one really expects them to win the West or, frankly, come close, but given the current state of the Lakers, they can’t get embarrassed.

Most importantly, they’ll need to find a replacement at the point guard position with D’Angelo Russell’s expected departure, someone who can confidently command the floor and allow LeBron and Anthony Davis to do what they do best. However, few names make sense in their price range, forcing Rob Pelinka to be creative in the trade market. Trae Young seems a long shot, but could someone like Darius Garland force his way out of Cleveland? You never know in the NBA, but in the free agent market, the Lakers should do everything they can to land Tyus Jones. He proved to be one of the league’s most dependable facilitators as Ja Morant’s backup before being sent to the Washington Wizards, where he was rather efficient despite the lack of talent. Additionally, I like the idea of them taking a couple of fliers on guys like Kris Dunn, Jose Alvarado, and Markelle Fultz, but Tyus Jones is far and away their best roster. Elsewhere, they’ll need to find a few depth pieces for cheap, and luckily, you can always find a veteran eager to join the Lakers.
2. LA Clippers
The LA Clippers are in a tough spot because I think deep down they know they aren’t winning it all with their current group of players, but at the same time, they are eager to stay competitive and relevant in the West as they open their new stadium in Inglewood this fall. However, barring a miracle run, it’s rather clear and obvious that this core isn’t winning it all. Still, a huge offseason looms, and to be honest, Paul George’s decision will affect how everything else goes down. It seems that George wants to re-up with the Clippers but has not received the contract he seeks. The Philadelphia 76ers loom as a dangerous threat to sign PG, and if he ultimately likes what Philly is offering, where will the Clippers go from there? In all likelihood, they’ll panic and give DeMar DeRozan a solid contract to return to his hometown, but in reality, is that the right thing to do for them long-term? Plus, James Harden is a free agent, putting the Clippers in another tough spot to hand out a lucrative contract they may not want to do.

At the end of the day, the Clippers want to stay relevant in the news cycle with their star power, which makes sense when opening a new area, but I fear this arena opening will impact the roster for the long term. The right thing for the Clippers is not to get married to long-term deals for injury-prone and aging superstars, but unfortunately, they’re handcuffed into doing so.
1. Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers most important offseason this century is finally here, and their championship hopes in the Joel Embiid era are riding it. After years of being handcuffed to Tobias Harris’s max contract, the deal is finally up, opening up a max spot for whatever star wants to join forces with Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. Unfortunately, in terms of talent looking to change teams, this free-agent class may be as bad as it gets.

Paul George has been linked to the 76ers for months now, as recently as Embiid giving him the “wink” at the NBA Finals, but reports are swirling that the 76ers appear to be looking elsewhere instead of giving George a max. Could it be a smoke screen? Absolutely, but in reality, the 76ers need to be looking at all options. They’ve earned that right, and Embiid deserves it. Brandon Ingram and Jimmy Butler lurk as potential trade options, but at the end of the day, I don’t expect Daryl Morey to either hand out a contract he doesn’t want to out of necessity or give up his tradable assets for a player he doesn’t believe will improve the 76ers title odds. If they ultimately strike out on Paul George, which seems increasingly likely, look for the 76ers to sit back and wait for their opportunity rather than force something they don’t believe in.
5. Orlando Magic
By no means does the Orlando Magic’s future hang in the balance this offseason, but they are at the critical stage in their rebuild, where they are nearing the second tier of contenders in the Eastern Conference. Loaded with money, assets, and the desire to win sooner rather than later, the Magic can’t get ahead of themselves here. It’s hard to imagine any star-caliber player like Paul George or even DeMar DeRozan heading to Central Florida. Still, the Magic can absolutely woe a few mid-tier free agents. I’d like to see the Magic sign D’Angelo Russell as he can provide stability and veteran leadership from the point guard position. They'll need to find additional scoring help at the guard position off the bench, but that could from a variety of cheap options like Gary Trent Jr. The Magic haven’t been able to draft an offensive-minded guard despite all their attempts, so they better spend wisely this summer there to solidify themselves as a top-four seed come next spring.

NBA Offseason: 5 Teams Facing Make-Or-Break Summers

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