This NBA season was full of surprises and teams finding new identities, such as the Nets making a huge splash with the James Harden trade, the Jazz securing the best record in the NBA, the Suns solidifying themselves as legitimate contenders, and Denver’s Nikola Jokic running away with the MVP award. Next season will surely be full of some more exciting surprises, as this off-season could completely flip the whole landscape of the NBA. With key players such as Kyle Lowry, Mike Conley, DeMar DeRozan, Tim Hardaway Jr, and Dennis Schröeder becoming free agents, this off-season is sure to be one to keep track of.
Below, I’ve put together a short plan regarding what each team should look to do in this upcoming off-season.
Teams that need to begin a rebuild:
Indiana Pacers:
Off-season Plan: With a top-heavy Eastern Conference, it's obvious that the Pacers aren’t going to be competing for a title any time soon, so it's best to re-tool and build around their young stars now. This team was originally built around Oladipo, but his Pacers career was abruptly ended by injuries. It doesn’t take an expert to realize that Oladipo has a completely different playstyle when compared to their best player, Domantas Sabonis. It would be better for the Pacers to build around Sabonis and find other players that fit his play style. The Pacers are deep in terms of bigs, so it would be best to find a suitable, young shooting guard in free agency or the trade market. I’d look towards Josh Richardson of the Mavericks if he declines his player option worth $10.5 million.
San Antonio Spurs:
Off-season plan: Rumors have it that DeMar DeRozan is leaving San Antonio and will look at his options in free agency, and if I was the Spurs GM, I wouldn’t be too worried about that. The team won’t be in contention soon, so convincing DeMar to stay or bringing in another superstar wouldn’t be my first priority. For next season, I would run out a starting lineup of White, Johnson, Murray, Walker IV, and Poeltl to give them all some more experience while also securing a lottery spot. The only downside of a small market team like San Antonio starting a rebuild is that not a lot of free agents have placed at the top of their destination list. In fact, almost everything the Spurs have gotten in the last 25 years (Robinson, Duncan, Ginóbli, Parker), aside from Kawhi Leonard, has come through the draft. I’m not saying it’s impossible because the Spurs have done it before, but it will be tough now that the Western Conference is much better than it was 25 years ago.
Portland Trail Blazers:
Off-Season plan: Blow it up. Rumors around the league say that Dame is unhappy in Portland, and understandably so. The front office has barely done anything to build a team around him, which is sad to see. Teams I would like to see target Dame would be the Mavericks and the Bulls. The Mavericks have been in the hunt for another superstar since the Porzingis situation didn’t really work out for them, they have the young pieces - Brunson, Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr (if he re-signs with DAL) - and it would be great to see Luka and Dame share the court together. As for the Bulls, I feel like they’re in a situation where they have to win now, otherwise LaVine will get unhappy with the constant losing, and leave. Coby White, Lauri Markkanen (pending FA), and picks might be enough to get it done, which would make the Bulls serious contenders in the East.
Los Angeles Lakers:
Off-season plan: I have no idea. I spent a long time thinking about this, and I couldn’t find a situation that fits the Lakers. On one hand, they just won the championship in the bubble, so they shouldn’t be in a rebuilding situation just one year after that. On the other hand, this year showed that there are no valuable players aside from LeBron and Davis. Davis always gets injured, and LeBron has suffered serious injuries in 2 of the last 3 seasons, which could be his age showing. If I was Rob Pelinka, I would trade Schroeder, Harrell, Drummond, and Kuzma for young assets and picks, while still fielding a team, much like this year’s Lakers, that can get to the play-in and possibly the playoffs. This way, you’re still competing as well as preparing for the future when LeBron retires and Davis (possibly) leaves.
Washington Wizards:
Off-season plan: The Wizards, yet again, wasted another year of Beal’s career. It’s time to move on from Beal, and possibly Westbrook because it’s clear this team isn’t going anywhere. Possible trade destinations for Beal would include Boston, Miami, and Dallas. I don’t know what Boston would trade, maybe Jaylen Brown, but they don’t have a lot of valuable, young, tradable assets that would fit in a trade for Beal. Miami could package Herro, Nunn, and Oladipo, plus a pick, which would fit very nicely for the Wizards. Dallas could trade Tim Hardaway Jr. and/or Porzingis with a couple of first-round picks involved, which would also suit Washington nicely.
Teams that should continue their rebuild:
Oklahoma City Thunder:
Off-season plan: First and foremost, if you’re Thunder GM Sam Presti, you MUST give Shai a max contract extension. He will be a free-agent at the end of the 2021-22 season, and if he leaves, the Thunder rebuild will have to start all over again.
As I was writing this article, the Thunder traded Al Horford, Moses Brown, and a 2023 second-round pick to the Celtics for PG Kemba Walker and the 16th overall pick in the upcoming draft. This gives the Thunder an all-star level veteran point guard as well as the trading opportunities that come with the 16th pick.
Sacramento Kings:
Off-season plan: Richaun Holmes is most likely out of Sacramento. I have no idea what the Kings can do to fix this franchise. They likely won’t sign a big-name free-agent (DeRozan, Lowry, Oladipo) because Sacramento is such a small market that I can’t see any free agent going there. The Kings need to figure something out fast, or else they will be stuck in a loop of irrelevance for a very long time.
Houston Rockets:
Off-season plan: Right now, the Rockets need to hope for a top 4 pick. For those who aren’t aware, if Houston’s pick falls outside of the top 4, it belongs to Oklahoma City because of the Chris Paul-Russell Westbrook deal before the 2019-2020 season. Hopefully, for the Rockets, they don’t have to give up their pick and they can continue to build and solidify their future. Good for the Rockets, they’re in a much better position now than they were on January 14th, the day their franchise cornerstone was traded. They have two young stars in Kevin Porter Jr and Christian Wood, who have both shown a lot of talent in the past season.
Toronto Raptors:
Off-season plan: For the Raptors, the main priority is to trade Aron Baynes. Baynes was the Raptors biggest free-agent signing this year, and he did not pay off. After that, you just have to rebuild through the draft, and make sure most of your talented - and relatively young - players (Boucher, Trent Jr, Flynn, Announby, Siakam, and VanVleet) stay with you until you’re back in contention.
Orlando Magic:
Off-season plan: Sign any young talent that you can. Will Barton, Lonzo Ball, Kelly Oubre Jr, Richaun Holmes, and Tim Hardaway Jr are all unrestricted free-agents this off-season, so getting one or two of them to sign with Orlando would help the rebuild move forward. At this point, if the Magic don’t get any of those free agents, they’ll end up like the Kings.
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Off-season plan: There’s not much Cleveland can do at this point. They obviously need to get rid of Love and draft a PF in the draft with their lottery pick. For next year, it definitely wouldn’t be a bad idea to roll out a lineup of Garland-Sexton-Okoro- *1st round pick* -Allen. Then, that lineup can get some experience together while still maintaining a lottery spot to continue a rebuild.
Minnesota Timberwolves:
Off-season plan: The Wolves need bench help. And a starting PF. Those things need to be addressed this season with a free-agent class as deep as this one is. Now, the TimberWolves only get their first-round pick if it falls in spots 1-3, due to the Wiggins for Russell swap that occurred last season. If the pick falls in that 1-3 range, I would spend it on Evan Mobley, who will likely be there when it's time for them to pick. If not, I would work on signing a deal with Richaun Holmes or Kelly Oubre Jr, who could both fit at the PF position.
Detroit Pistons:
Off-season plan: I can’t say this enough when talking about the Pistons. DON’T. MESS. UP. THE. DRAFT. It’s going to be very hard to mess up this draft especially with a loaded top 4 like this one has, but if they make the wrong pick, it’ll be the most Pistons thing ever. If they land the #1 pick this draft, they obviously have to go with Cade, who I think would be a great fit for the Pistons. Only thing is, I don’t want to see Cade’s insane potential wasted in Detroit, so they would have to build a winning team quickly to keep Cade with them.
Teams that need to target the Playoffs/Play-in:
Memphis Grizzlies:
Off-season plan: Keep developing the young guys. Ja Morant took a big jump in production this season, and so did Dillon Brooks, Jonas Valancuinas, and Jaren Jackson Jr (who was injured for most of the season. The Grizzlies took down the Warriors in the 8th seed play-in game, and they made things tough for Mitchell and the Jazz in the first round. There’s a lot to be excited about for the Grizzlies, as they have a great young core and a decent pick in this draft (#17). I wouldn’t be surprised if we see the Grizzlies make a deep playoff run sometime in the near future.
Golden State Warriors:
Off-season plan: Make sure Oubre stays. The Warriors are in a good place as of now, and they have Klay Thompson coming back. Jordan Poole and Damion Lee developed nicely this season, so they’ll be great for the future. If the Warriors can stay healthy, they could be a top 5 seed in the West next season.
Charlotte Hornets:
Off-season plan: Target signing Richaun Holmes. If this happens, and Gordon Hayward and Lamelo can stay healthy, the Hornets can be scary next year. They were the 4th seed in the East before Hayward got injured, which is a good sign. Obviously, the Hornets didn’t make the playoffs, but they are a strong team with a bright future. If everyone can stay healthy, they can be a scary team in the coming years.
Chicago Bulls:
Off-season plan: Run it back. The Bulls made a great move for their future by trading for Nikola Vucevic, and it could really get them far in the future. There is one possibility for amazing improvement, however. Trading for Damian Lillard. Coby White, Thaddeus Young, Patrick Williams, and 2 future first-round picks might be enough to get that deal done, but it remains to be seen. Even if that deal doesn’t happen, the Bulls can still make the playoffs as a 7-8 seed.
New Orleans Pelicans:
Off-season Plan: Do everything you can to keep Lonzo. I know Lonzo isn’t a star or anything like that, but he’s a decent young point guard. Lonzo averaged 14.6p/4.8r/5.7a in 55 games this season and shot nearly 40% from 3, so he’s got some talent. If Lonzo leaves, Dennis Schroder is the only true PG that will be a free agent this year, so the market isn’t great. Another target for the Pels would be to trade Eric Bledsoe. He was terrible this year for them, and trading him for a first-round pick would be a good move for that front office. Once that happens and Zion can stay healthy, the Pelicans could become a consistent playoff team.
Teams that are one piece away from title contention:
Dallas Mavericks:
It’s become very obvious over this last year that Kristaps Porzingis is not the star the Mavericks need. Actually, we don’t even know if he’s a star anymore. One idea would be to trade him on draft night, where phone lines are way more active. After playing around on a trade simulator, I created a decent trade to send Porzingis to the Warriors. Here are the details:
Mavs trade: Porzingis, 2022 first-round pick, 2025 first-round pick
Warriors trade: Andrew Wiggins, 2021 second-round pick
This gives Luka a second young star (who can also play defense) that is better than what he currently has. This move can boost the Mavs into contention if they make sure to re-sign Tim Hardaway Jr, who had the best season of his career in the 2020-21 season.
Boston Celtics:
Off-season plan: The Celtics need to do what I call a quiet rebuild. Basically, that means to keep yourself in the playoffs while retooling your roster. If the Celtics can somehow land a big piece in the trade market (Dame) or a good free agent (Hardaway Jr), they could become a contending team in a top heavy Eastern Conference.
Miami Heat:
Off-season plan: Sign Kyle Lowry. The Heat need a primary ball handler that can feed Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler the ball. Lowry may be getting old, I know. He’s not scoring as much as he used to, I know, but Lowry had a game this season where he only scored 8 points but had a +/- of 42. That’s insane to me. His impact on the court is much more than scoring, which will help the Heat tremendously by taking the primary ball-handler role away from Butler or an aging Dragic.
New York Knicks:
Off-season plan: Find a starting PG. Sure, Derrick Rose is great, but at this point in his career, he’s better used on the bench. And if you didn’t know, Elfrid Payton isn’t really the type of point guard that will fit on a championship team. I know it's not the most attractive decision, but signing Dennis Schroder would help the Knicks. It’s something better than Payton, and Schroder has been productive in the past, so it’s not out of the question that he can produce value for New York. And if Schroder doesn’t happen, Lowry is also an option for the Knicks, but I think the Heat will get to Lowry first.
Teams that should run it back for the title:
Brooklyn Nets:
Off-season plan: Get bench depth as soon as possible. This is one of the main reasons why they lost game 7. Durant had to play 53 minutes, and Harden had to play 53 minutes on a hurt hammy. Any of the talented free agents would be a good fit for Brooklyn so that Mike James and Bruce Brown don’t have to be on the court in clutch moments.
Milwaukee Bucks:
Off-season plan: Sign Richaun Holmes. The Bucks need depth at center so that Brook Lopez isn’t playing all their minutes. Nothing against Brook Lopez, but he’s not that guy at this point in his career. If he can split minutes with Holmes, the Bucks can come back to the ECF year after year. Another move that would be key for Milwaukee is hiring a coach better than Budenholzer. His rotations are terrible and he hasn’t put together a consistent winner in the playoffs. If she’s still available, I would target Becky Hammon for the Bucks head coaching job. She’s been under Popovich for 4 years now, which has been great for other coaches, and it would give the Bucks a fresh start with a great new coach.
Philadelphia 76ers:
Off-season plan: Figure out something with Ben Simmons. Simmons completely choked away Game 7 against the Hawks. He shot 32% from the FREE THROW LINE this playoffs. That should never happen with any player. The Sixers can possibly trade for Damian Lillard using a package around Simmons. Here’s my idea:
Sixers trade: Ben Simmons, Matisse Thybulle, Tyrese Maxey, 2021 and 2023 first-round picks
Blazers trade: Damian Lillard
I know Thybulle and Maxey are proving to be big for the Sixers, but I feel like they are in a win-now situation. They’ve made the playoffs 4 straight years and they don’t have one East Finals appearance. Eventually, they’ll have to blow it up once Embiid becomes unhappy.
Phoenix Suns:
Off-season plan: The Suns are definitely the favorite to win the Finals as of right now. Devin Booker is hot, Chris Paul is hot, Deandre Ayton is hot, Mikal Bridges is hot, and Jae Crowder is hot. Everything is clicking for them right now, and they look so much better than any other team remaining. If they win a championship this year, I’m sure Chris Paul will accept his $44 million player option, but if not, they’ll have to take on the task of convincing him to stay - which shouldn’t be that hard.
Utah Jazz:
Off-season plan: The Jazz need to run it back. They had the best record in the league this season, there’s no way they shouldn’t be competing for a title next year. Part of their second-round exit this year was Donovan Mitchell not being 100% and Kawhi Leonard going absolutely crazy. The Jazz can compete in this Western Conference, and maybe they can make a Finals run in the coming years.
LA Clippers:
Off-season plan: Trade Luke Kennard. In one of the most head-scratching deals of all-time, the Clippers signed Luke Kennard to a 4 year, $64 million deal. He didn’t even play 20 minutes per game. Trading Luke Kennard for a first-round pick and a salary filler would be a great move for the Clippers, as they also need youth on their team. Here’s a mock trade I put together for Luke Kennard:
Clippers trade: Luke Kennard
Bulls trade: Thaddeus Young, 2024 first-round pick (Lottery protected)
This gives the Clippers a solid role player in Thaddeus Young as well as a late first-round pick if the Bulls miss the lottery in 2024.
Denver Nuggets:
Off-season plan: The Nuggets also need to run it back and compete for a championship. They made it to the second round without their second best player and All-Star caliber guard Jamal Murray. The biggest key for Denver is re-signing Will Barton, who was injured for some of this year’s playoffs. Barton has been key for the Nuggets in their past playoff runs, and to maintain that consistency, Denver has to get him to re-sign.
Atlanta Hawks:
Off-season plan: Get young guards on your bench. The Hawks are a much better team than I thought they were, and I’m pleasantly surprised by that. Other than securing Nate McMillan as the head coach, getting a young “do-it-all” type guard on the Hawks would be a great move. And for this situation, I love Josh Hart. He’s a restricted free agent this upcoming offseason, but doing a sign and trade with the Pelicans wouldn’t be a bad idea. Here are my thoughts:
Pelicans trade: Josh Hart
Hawks trade: Lou Williams, 2023 first-round pick.
I like Lou Williams on the Hawks, but this is a move that has to be made if the Hawks want to get better for the future.
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