Best-Case, Worst-Case Scenarios for Every Team in 2013 NBA Free Agency

Free agency is less than a week old, and we've already seen several landscape-altering changes across the NBA.

While the Dwight Howard saga is over, there's still plenty of player movement on deck before training camps kick off this fall.

For some franchises, free agency is essentially over given the events of the past few days. That said, everyone still needs to fill out their roster, and all 30 NBA teams won't be able to achieve the best-case scenarios they've crafted in anticipation of this offseason.

Atlanta Hawks

Best Case: Signing another top-end free agent to complement Paul Millsap

Worst Case: Losing Jeff Teague to free agency without acquiring a starting-caliber point guard

Once the Atlanta Hawks renounce the rights to the plethora of free agents on their roster, they'll have loads of cap space to use this summer.

A large portion of that money is already allocated to new signings Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll—both reported by Ken Berger of CBS Sports—but Atlanta still has the resources to land a big-time guard, if it so chooses.

The Hawks could decide to go the point guard route if they're no longer enamored with Jeff Teague, but there are several free-agent shooting guards (Monta Ellis and Nick Young, to name a couple) that could pique Atlanta's interest.

Boston Celtics

Best Case: Do nothing

Worst Case: Move Rajon Rondo in a sign-and-trade deal for a lesser talent with a longer deal

The Boston Celtics' roster is pretty much set at this point: The likelihood of them making any significant moves at this point is remote.

There were suggestions that the Celtics should considering tanking the 2013-14 season, but as reported by Gary Washburn of the The Boston Globe, team president Danny Ainge quickly put those rumors to rest.

For what it's worth, Boston still boasts a fair amount of talent after shipping Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry to the Brooklyn Nets. And with Kris Humphries and Keith Bogans set to come off the books next year, the Celtics would be wise to build around Rajon Rondo and start building towards the future.

Brooklyn Nets

Best Case: Convince a few mid-level free agents to sign discounted deals to help bolster the bench

Worst Case: Do nothing

Much like the Boston Celtics, the Brooklyn Nets are done making significant moves this summer. That said, they still need to fill out the rest of their roster, a task made difficult given that they're already committed to nearly $96 million in salary next season.

The Nets have already lost the Kyle Korver sweepstakes, but with their improved starting lineup, they may be able to land a player of a similar caliber this offseason. The most Brooklyn can offer is the taxpayer's mid-level exception (which starts at $3.18 million per year), so general manager Billy King figures to have his work cut out for him as he tries to fill out the rest of the Nets' rotation.

Charlotte Bobcats

Best Case: Convincing a talented, low-cost free agent or two to come to Charlotte

Worst Case: Not much—after signing Al Jefferson, it's hard for the offseason to be considered anything other than a win

Let's be clear: The Charlotte Bobcats won't be good this year. But with a trio as talented as Kemba Walker, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Al Jefferson, they don't figure to be terrible, either.

If they can land a decent, cheap player to serve as one of the first bigs off of the bench (Dallas' Brandan Wright would be a good fit), Charlotte could be markedly improved this season. And while the Cody Zeller pick can be questioned, the Bobcats are in pretty decent financial shape heading into the 2014 offseason.

Chicago Bulls

Best Case: Figure out some way to acquire Monta Ellis from the Milwaukee Bucks

Worst Case: Strike out on Ellis, forcing them to start Jimmy Butler at the 2 (thus weakening a fairly solid reserve unit)

The Chicago Bulls are reportedly hot and heavy over Milwaukee Bucks guard Monta Ellis, according to a report by Ken Berger of CBS Sports, but without a sign-and-trade, there's absolutely zero possibility of a deal.

A Derrick Rose-Ellis tandem in the backcourt would terrorize the Eastern Conference, and as long as the Bulls don't give up significant assets in order to get a deal done, they'll still be in the Eastern Conference title hunt.

Aside from that, don't expect Chicago to do much else this summer given that hefty luxury tax penalties are on the horizon.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Best Case: With most of the big-name free agents off the board, the best thing for the Cavaliers to do is sit on most of their cap room.

Worst Case: Frivolously spend money on long-term deals for second- and third-tier free agents

The Earl Clark signing—as reported by Sam Amick of USA Today—was a good move by the Cleveland Cavaliers, but the team also happens to be in the envious position of having $20 million in cap space.

Instead of using that money to sign free agents, however, the Cavs would be better served by using it to absorb the contracts of players that other teams are looking to unload. There's plenty of talent around the league available thanks to their hefty salaries. With the Cavs boasting more cap room than just about anyone, they're in a prime position to bolster their roster without committing to a four-year contract.

Dallas Mavericks

Best Case: Holding off on making significant long-term financial commitments until next offseason

Worst Case: Signing Andrew Bynum to a long-term deal

In the Dwight Howard sweepstakes, the Dallas Mavericks were a fringe competitor at best. But now that Howard is in Houston, owner Mark Cuban should resist the urge to sign free-agent center Andrew Bynum as a consolation prize of sorts.

With Bynum's unwillingness to work out for anyone this summer, any team that locks him up for any significant amount of money is playing with fire. Dallas did the smart thing by agreeing to a four-year deal with sharpshooting point guard Jose Calderon, as reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Signing Bynum would be a move in the opposite direction.

Denver Nuggets

Best Case: Pray that Monta Ellis will sign for a discount

Worst Case: Not being able to find a scorer on the open market

It never appeared as if the Nuggets were the favorites to sign Andre Iguodala this summer, but now that he's officially gone, reality feels a bit colder in Denver today.

Monta Ellis is on the Nuggets' radar, as reported by RealGM, but they'd have to do a hard sell to convince the prolific scorer to take his talents to the Midwest. Gallinari's injury puts Denver in an undesirable place: The team has to find someone this offseason who can score 15-plus points per game.

Unfortunately, that will be difficult given that most of the elite players have already agreed to deals.

Detroit Pistons

Best Case: Landing a starting shooting guard in a sign-and-trade deal involving the expiring deals of either Charlie Villanueva or Rodney Stuckey

Worst Case: Not being able to upgrade at shooting and/or point guard

Give the Detroit Pistons credit for making a splash. They were enamored with the possibility of Andre Iguodala, but ultimately wound up coming to terms with athletic forward Josh Smith, as reported by Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com.

With Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond in the middle, the Pistons can focus most of their efforts this summer on finding backcourt options who can either fill it up or defend at an elite level. But even with $10 million-plus at his disposal, team president Joe Dumars has his work cut out for him. Detroit simply isn't an enticing destination for most free agents, Smith signing notwithstanding.

Golden State Warriors

Best Case: Unload Andrew Bogut's expiring deal to an interested suitor and use the cap savings to sign a lower-priced center

Worst Case: Nothing, now that Andre Iguodala is in the fold

The Golden State Warriors appeared to be the lead dogs in the Dwight Howard chase, but they called an audible Friday afternoon by signing Andre Iguodala to a four-year, $48 million deal, as reported by Sam Amick of USA Today.

In order to make it happen, Golden State had to unload Richard Jefferson and Andris Biedrins (among other assets) to the Utah Jazz. While the trade—which included two first-round picks—deals a strong blow to the Warriors' future, it gives them a legitimate chance at the Western Conference crown next season.

Houston Rockets

Best Case: Hope that Dwight Howard doesn't change his mind before the team is officially able to sign him on July 10

Worst Case: Nothing, given the fact that the Howard addition makes them immediate title contenders

Mere days into the free-agency period, the Houston Rockets are the undisputed winners of the summer of 2013—the Howard signing was reported by Sam Amick of USA Today.

Pairing Dwight Howard with James Harden instantly vaults Houston into the Western Conference aristocracy. Most of the credit should go to general manager Daryl Morey, who expertly managed the litany of salary cap restrictions to craft an impressive roster.

And while the Rockets may have little room to sign players outright, they still figure to be active on the trade front this offseason.

Indiana Pacers

Best Case: Signing a solid, backup point guard would be nice, but not essential.

Worst Case: Not much—with 14 players under contract, Indiana doesn't have much roster flexibility.

One of the best free-agent signings this summer was a re-sign: By keeping David West on the roster, the Indiana Pacers are all be assured of being in the hunt once again in the Eastern Conference.

Other than that, it's all about finding quality bench options. The team would like to improve at both of the starting backcourt spots, but with $67 million in salary commitments for 2013-14, that's easier said than done.

Los Angeles Clippers

Best Case: Signing a player such as Matt Barnes to take care of the hole at small forward

Worst Case: Inability to find someone to play the 3 and/or fill out the bench

The Los Angeles Clippers have two superstar-level talents in Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, but they'll need to find creative ways to fill out the rest of the supporting cast this summer.

Strangely enough, the Clippers are now one of the league's top destinations after winning a franchise-record 56 games in 2012-13. Unfortunately, they're also one of several teams whose offseason moves are limited by a lack of cap space. After striking out on Carl Landry, finding quality bench players willing to sign for the league minimum will be a chore.

14) Los Angeles Lakers

Best Case: At this point, L.A. needs to hope that the Lakers' mystique is alluring enough to attract decent talent willing to play for the league minimum.

Worst Case: For the Lakers, it doesn't get much worse than losing out on Dwight Howard...at least in the short term.

For every winner, there has to be at least one loser, and the Los Angeles Lakers found themselves on the wrong side of the ledger after Dwight Howard followed his heart and signed with the Houston Rockets.

All the Lakers can do now is sign a competent big man (Kenyon Martin, perhaps?) who can hold the fort down this season. And though the 2013-14 figures to be rough, you can already pencil the Lakers in as the winners of next year's free-agency period.

With Howard now in Houston, L.A. has just one player under contract for next season (Steve Nash). Re-signing Kobe Bryant will be the team's No. 1 assignment, but they'll have more than enough room to land at least one more max-salary free agent. Could we ultimately see LeBron James in L.A.?

Memphis Grizzlies

Best Case: After locking up Tony Allen, the Memphis Grizzlies would be wise to stand pat.

Worst Case: Not all that applicable since Memphis has its hands tied thanks to salary cap issues.

Large salary commitments to both Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol have made the Memphis Grizzlies little more than observers this summer, but the team did the wise thing by re-signing Tony Allen to a four-year deal.

What's next for the Beale Street Blues? Not much, other than filling out the roster. The team was fortunate that point guard Jerryd Bayless exercised his $3.1 million option, and other than signing someone to bolster their front line, the Grizzlies' training camp roster is pretty much set.

Miami Heat

Best Case: Sign Greg Oden and/or another healthy big man

Worst Case: Amnesty Mike Miller or Joel Anthony without finding a replacement in free agency

With three consecutive NBA Finals appearances and two straight titles, it shouldn't be difficult for the Miami Heat to find a skilled center who would be willing to take his talents to South Beach for a discount.

Greg Oden is the name that's linked most often to Miami, and Milwaukee Bucks' center Samuel Dalembert has publicly expressed interest in joining the Heat, according to Chriis Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida.

But regardless of who team president Pat Riley adds to the roster, Miami needs to relieve some of the burden on Chris Bosh, who looked out of sorts while manning the pivot during the Heat's title run.

Milwaukee Bucks

Best Case: Free up cap dollars by using the amnesty clause on Drew Gooden

Worst Case: Spending most of the available cap space by locking up mid-level free agents to long-term deals

With both Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis officially off of the books this summer, the Milwaukee Bucks are flush with cap space. The smart money says that they'll use a fair amount of that to re-sign Jennings, but kudos to the Bucks' front office for giving O.J. Mayo a three-year deal.

Milwaukee still has a bit of money to play with under the cap, and if they spend it wisely, the Bucks could strengthen the roster enough to give them their first plus-.500 season since 2009-10.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Best Case: Re-signing center Nikola Pekovic to a reasonable deal (approximately $10 million per season

Worst Case: Losing Pekovic to free agency without signing a proven replacement

Minnesota is one of a few teams that does have some money to play with under the salary cap (even after signing Kevin Martin), but their primary objective this summer is to lock up center Nikola Pekovic for the long-term. If the 6'11", 290-pound Pekovic decides to sign elsewhere, the Timberwolves could be left scrambling for a less-than-ideal replacement.

Pekovic (16.3 PPG, 8.8 RPG in 2012-13) had his fair share of injuries last year, but he could be the best pivot man on the market not named Dwight Howard. First-round draft pick Gorgui Dieng may evolve into a fine center for the Timberwolves down the road, but he's far too raw to be expected to step in and start from Day 1.

New Orleans Pelicans

Best Case: Move Eric Gordon to another team for picks and cap space that can be used on a small forward

Worst Case: Doing nothing and assuming that Al-Farouq Aminu is the long-term answer at the 3 spot

Seeing the name "New Orleans Pelicans" is odd enough, but the fact that the team may be a competitor in the not-too-distant future is even stranger.

No one has any idea if the three-headed monster of Jrue Holiday, Eric Gordon and Tyreke Evans can thrive in the Big Easy, but the fact remains that the Pelicans are a much better team than they were last season.

Ideally, the team would love to cut ties with Gordon and the nearly $45 million that he's owed over the next three seasons. If they can, then New Orleans could potentially be an interesting team to watch in the coming years.

New York Knicks

Best Case: Sign Elton Brand, land a decent mid-level free agent (or two) for the veterans' minimum

Worst Case: Lose out on Brand, settle for low-end free agents to serve as backups

With only a handful of players under contract for next season, it was imperative that the New York Knicks re-up Chris Copeland. Unfortunately, the 29-year-old forward signed a two-year deal with the Indiana Pacers, so the Knicks will need to be aggressive in finding his replacement.

New York has more needs than just the small forward spot, however. Aaron Brooks and Carlos Delfino could be viable options for the Knicks in the backcourt.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Best Case: Unload Kendrick Perkins' contract in a trade for a shooter and/or cap space that the team could use for a Kevin Martin replacement

Worst Case: The team is unable to sign someone who can replace Martin's prolific scoring.

Oklahoma City is in trouble.

Kevin Martin didn't start a single game for the Oklahoma City Thunder last season, but he was one of the keys to the team's impressive 60-22 record.

With Martin and his deft shooting ability now on the Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City will be hard pressed to find someone who can fill that offensive void. Anthony Morrow makes the most sense of the players left on the free-agent market, but the Thunder may be better off trying to land a shooter by trying to peddle Kendrick Perkins around the league.

Orlando Magic

Best Case: Buying out the contracts of Al Harrington and Hedo Turkoglu.

Worst Case: Spending the available cap space to lock up a free agent on a long-term deal.

The primary goal for the Orlando Magic right now is to rebuild. To that end, the smart thing for them to do is to unload those players who don't figure to be part of the movement going forward (i.e. Hedo Turkoglu and Al Harrington).

It actually wouldn't be crazy for the team to include Arron Afflalo and/or Jameer Nelson in some sort of sign-and-trade deal as well, but only if the player(s) in return aren't burdened with long-term deals. At this point, the Magic need to figure out exactly how much potential is on the roster, and the best way to do that is to rid themselves of some of their dead weight.

Philadelphia 76ers

Best Case: Sign several mid-level free agents to one-year/short-term deals to fill out the roster

Worst Case: Re-signing Andrew Bynum to a lucrative long-term contract

The best- and worst-case scenarios for the Philadelphia 76ers depend on who you ask. But nearly everyone is in agreement that re-signing Andrew Bynum would be a mistake.

With a loaded 2014 draft class on the horizon, the Sixers don't seem intent on winning too many games this season. The team has ample cap space and assets with which they could make a significant move, but with new general manager Sam Hinkie focused on the future, Philadelphia doesn't figure to do much of note this offseason.

Phoenix Suns

Best Case: Clear cap space by moving some of the team's expiring deals (Marcin Gortat, Michael Beasley, Shannon Brown)

Worst Case: Committing to any available free agent long-term

Trades are the new free agency in the NBA. Phoenix didn't have the salary cap space to outright sign any players of note, but they were able to parlay a three-team deal that landed them former Los Angeles Clippers' guard Eric Bledsoe.

Phoenix can still use the mid-level exception to lure other players to the desert, but the Suns' rotation (while not all that impressive) is fairly set. With the potential for $25 million-plus in cap room next summer, it would be shocking for Phoenix to sign anyone to a long-term deal this offseason.

Portland Trail Blazers

Best Case: Since convincing a premier free agent to come to Portland is apparently difficult, it's best of the Blazers just fill out the roster with complementary pieces.

Worst Case: Not being able to land one or two additional role players

The Portland Trail Blazers are in a strange spot: They have a fair amount of cap space and a talented core, but they've barely generated any buzz on the free-agent market.

The recent acquisition of Robin Lopez is probably going to be the biggest move that the team makes this summer. Portland agreed to a two-year deal with free-agent swingman Dorell Wright, according to Matt Moore of CBSSports.com, but that signing won't necessarily move the needle all that much.

Otherwise, the Trail Blazers won't do much in free agency this year, and that's not a bad thing...as long as Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge continue their development.

Sacramento Kings

Best Case: No more spending after the recent signing of Carl Landry

Worst Case: Not much—the Kings are in decent shape, surprisingly enough.

The Sacramento Kings saved themselves from themselves by withdrawing the four-year, $52 million offer that was extended to former Denver Nuggets' swingman Andre Iguodala, according to Sam Amick of USA Today.

The move—or lack thereof—worked out well for all involved. After signing with the Warriors, Iguodala is surrounded by one of the league's best supporting casts. Sacramento, meanwhile, was able to re-sign Tyreke Evans and send him to New Orleans in a three-team deal that netted them Greivis Vasquez and two second-round picks.

After the bait-and-switch move the Kings pulled on Iguodala, the smart money would have said that Sacramento's chances at landing a quality small forward would have been slim. Carl Landry's arrival changes all of that, according to Jeff Zillgitt and Sam Amick of USA Today, putting a nice bow on a very active week for the Kings' front office.

San Antonio Spurs

Best Case: Standing pat now that they've kept (most of) the band together and signed shooting guard Marco Belinelli

Worst Case: Upsetting the chemistry by moving some of their players on expiring deals (Boris Diaw, Matt Bonner, Patty Mills)

After being seconds away from winning an NBA title this past June, the San Antonio Spurs shouldn't be moved to do much this offseason. Their most important goal this summer was to re-sign Manu Ginobili and Tiago Splitter to extensions, and both were locked up in relatively short order.

The addition of Belinelli gives the Spurs yet another capable shooter who is also one of the league's better perimeter defenders. San Antonio could free up some cap money by moving a few of its players with expiring contracts, but to do so at this point would almost be counterproductive.

Toronto Raptors

Best Case: Trade Rudy Gay to the Detroit Pistons for draft picks, expiring deals, and/or cap space that can be used to sign players to complement the team's core

Worst Case: Not finding another team to take some of the heftier salaries off of the books

The Andrea Bargnani deal will likely represent the lion's share of the Toronto Raptors' offseason moves this summer. A lack of cap space will force them to sit out now that the action is truly heating up, but they could position themselves for the future if they play their cards right.

Like the majority of NBA teams, if the Raptors want to be active in the free-agent market, they'll need a dance partner to take some salary off of their hands. But with most of the team's assets generating little buzz around the league (save for Rudy Gay), it will be hard to Toronto to do much of note until the season begins.

Utah Jazz

Best Case: Finding a solid point guard on the free-agent market who is willing to sign a short-term deal

Worst Case: Exactly what happened—losing both Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson without receiving anything in return

Give the Utah Jazz credit in that they have little desire to sign anyone to a long-term deal. With roughly $30 million in cap space staring them in the face in 2014, the Jazz are all but waving the white flag on the 2013-14 campaign even before it started.

Any cap space that the franchise had was absorbed in the Golden State trade that brought Richard Jefferson, Andris Biedrins and Brandon Rush to Salt Lake City. This summer is a mulligan for the Utah front office: Once they sign a point guard this offseason, don't expect to hear much more out of Jazz camp.

Washington Wizards

Best Case: Fill out the roster via the mid-level exception and veterans/rookies willing to sign for the league minimum

Worst Case: Using some of the team's expiring contracts (Emeka Okafor, Trevor Ariza) in sign-and-trade deals that will limit future roster flexibility

After landing Eric Maynor and re-signing Martell Webster, the Washington Wizards' don't figure to be players in the free-agent market.

The team already has $64 million committed to 11 players, so any significant upgrades will have to wait until next year when Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza come off of the books. With an extension to John Wall coming in the near future, Washington simply can't afford to be burdened with excessive contracts going forward.