Biggest Question for Every NBA Team Now That Free-Agency Dust Has Settled
Any NBA general manager with cap space can throw a maximum contract at LaMarcus Aldridge or Greg Monroe and look good doing it. It's the period after the first wave of free agency when general managers earn their keep.
Building an NBA team is a lot like putting anything else together, be it a structure, a book or even a recipe. Once you get the essential ingredients in order, you focus on the peripheral details to bring the project to life.
Take, for example, the San Antonio Spurs. San Antonio "won" the offseason by luring Aldridge, the top free agent on the market. Its work is yet to be done, however. It has bench players to replace and areas in need of fine-tuning.
What's the key question facing your team? Click ahead to find out and, as always, use the comments to tell me where things have gone wrong.
Atlanta Hawks
1 of 30
How will they replace DeMarre Carroll?
DeMarre Carroll may have been the lone member of the Atlanta Hawks starting five to depart, but that doesn't make him replaceable. Given Atlanta's reliance on all five players (in any given lineup) working together on both ends of the floor, the Hawks' ability to replicate last season's 60 wins may depend on finding the right replacement for their departed small forward.
Carroll averaged 12.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game and was more than solid defensively. That two-way ability is going to make it hard for Atlanta to replace him.
Thabo Sefolosha can provide the same level of defense—but almost no offense. Tim Hardaway Jr., acquired from the New York Knicks, has flashed some scoring ability but has yet to effectively guard anyone in the NBA.
Justin Holiday, signed from the Golden State Warriors, is the dark-horse candidate. He has intriguing three-and-D tools, but he's played only 68 games in the NBA.
Boston Celtics
2 of 30
Around whom are they building?
The one word that immediately comes to mind when looking at the Boston Celtics roster is "average." The Celtics are stocked with guys who can play a little bit, but no one looks ready to be more than that.
Sixth man Isaiah Thomas led Boston in scoring last year at 19 points per game. Defensive specialist Avery Bradley played the most minutes at 31.5 per game. Tyler Zeller was the only player to post a PER better than 18, according to Basketball-Reference.com (18.9).
Marcus Smart, the sixth pick in the 2014 draft, was supposed to be a cornerstone of Boston's rebuild, but he struggled badly as a rookie. Lottery pick No. 2 never came because the Eastern Conference was so lousy that the Celtics made the playoffs.
Unless one of the kids grows up over the summer, general manager Danny Ainge will have to swing a big trade to jump-start the team's rebuild.
Brooklyn Nets
3 of 30
Can general manager Billy King find a taker for Joe Johnson or Deron Williams?
Despite their limited flexibility, the Brooklyn Nets have done an admirable job of getting younger and more athletic this offseason. Somehow, the Nets again have a future, only two summers after trading it away in an ill-advised attempt to win a championship.
Still, Brooklyn won't be able to fully rebuild its team until the starting backcourt moves on. The chances of either player leaving before his contract expires appear slim.
Brooklyn owes Joe Johnson $24.9 million this year, while the team is set to pay Deron Williams $43.5 million over the next two seasons. Matching salaries in a deal for either player will be challenging at best, impossible at worst.
ESPN.com's Marc Stein is reporting that the Nets are discussing a buyout with Williams, which would be one way out of that particular mess.
.png?w=256)
Charlotte Hornets
4 of 30
Have they struck the right balance?
Per John Hollinger's statistics at ESPN.com, the Charlotte Hornets finished 28th in offensive efficiency and ninth in defensive efficiency last season. The previous season, they were 24th in offense and sixth in defense.
Charlotte set out to change that this summer. It brought in three-and-D specialist Nicolas Batum to add shooting next to Michael Kidd-Gilchrist on the wing and used the ninth pick in the draft on skilled big man Frank Kaminsky.
It will be up to head coach Steve Clifford to integrate his new offensive weapons in a way that doesn't impede the Hornets' strong defensive base. There may be a few too many one-way players on Charlotte's roster for this to work.
Chicago Bulls
5 of 30
Can the roster adapt to Fred Hoiberg's style?
Aside from having better talent, the Chicago Bulls are in a situation similar to that of Charlotte. Most of their scorers struggle to defend, and their better defensive players struggle to score.
That worked fine under former head coach Tom Thibodeau, whose stifling defense made any offensive inefficiency irrelevant. Can an opposing philosophy work under new coach Fred Hoiberg?
Chicago will play more of a pace-and-space style under Hoiberg, and it remains to be seen if the team has enough shooting and passing to outscore its opponents. The Bulls finished 22nd in field-goal percentage (44.2) last season, which doesn't make you wish to see them shoot the ball more.
Chicago did keep some offense on the bench—Nikola Mirotic averaged only 20.2 minutes per game, while Doug McDermott didn't make an impact—but subbing those guys into the lineup could be disastrous for the Bulls defense.
Cleveland Cavaliers
6 of 30
Can they find consistent bench players?
It's easy and possibly accurate to say the Cleveland Cavaliers would've won the championship last season if they stayed healthy. The simple truth of the matter is that not only did the Cavs not stay healthy, but their depth also failed them pathetically.
Matthew Dellavedova had his moments in the Finals, but Tristan Thompson (a restricted free agent, by the way) was the only player to consistently step up for the Cavs following Kyrie Irving's injury (knee). J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert went 35-of-120 from the field for the series. It was rough.
The addition of Mo Williams in free agency helps, but Cleveland still needs to find one or two more reliable shooters to fill its bench. With a skyrocketing payroll, finding solutions won't be easy for general manager David Griffin. He'll have to act wisely with the nonguaranteed contract of Brendan Haywood.
Dallas Mavericks
7 of 30
Where do they go from here?
The Dallas Mavericks' summer belly-flopped thanks to one improbably bizarre day that saw their prized free-agent recruit, DeAndre Jordan, re-sign with the Los Angeles Clippers.
While the trade for Zaza Pachulia helps, per Yahoo Sports' Marc Spears, the Mavs still need to regroup. Whether they can compete for the playoffs this season may hinge on how well Wesley Matthews can bounce back from a torn Achilles.
Expect Dallas to let the dust settle and see how its new starting five looks before embarking on a plan for the future. The team is stuck in the middle right now, and with its 2016 first-rounder going to Boston if it lands outside the top seven picks, the Mavs may be without a key asset for their rebuild.
Denver Nuggets
8 of 30
Who's staying and who's going?
The Denver Nuggets have done a solid job of charting a new course this summer by hiring Mike Malone as coach and drafting Emmanuel Mudiay with the seventh pick in the draft. Now, it's time for the real work to begin.
The Nuggets know they're going nowhere with their current core and have already shopped point guard Ty Lawson, according to ESPN.com's Chad Ford, as well as forward Danilo Gallinari, according to Yahoo Sports' Marc Spears.
At this point, it's safe to say no one but Mudiay is off limits as Denver looks to acquire more draft picks and young talent. Gallinari ($11.5 million) and Wilson Chandler ($7.1 million) both have reasonable expiring contracts, while the team owes Lawson only $26 million over the next two years.
Denver should be able to make some moves between now and the trade deadline to give it the assets needed for a brighter future.
Detroit Pistons
9 of 30
Can their young players grow into Stan Van Gundy's system?
It may not have been the most efficient roster retooling in history—they did, after all, lose Josh Smith and Greg Monroe for nothing—but head coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy has done an impressive job of overhauling the Detroit Pistons to fit his one-in, four-out system.
Marcus Morris and Ersan Ilyasova will provide the frontcourt shooting Smith and Monroe lacked, while Reggie Jackson is a solid replacement for the injured Brandon Jennings (Achilles).
The real key, though, is how quickly Detroit's young core can grow up. Jackson is 25, while Andre Drummond is 21, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is 22 and Stanley Johnson is 19. Their development will determine how far Van Gundy can take this team, both this year and down the road.
Golden State Warriors
10 of 30
How much will it cost to extend Harrison Barnes?
Golden State entered the summer with no immediate needs and little to do. It drafted Kevon Looney with the 30th pick in the draft, re-signed restricted free agent Draymond Green and swapped David Lee for Gerald Wallace. Fin.
Without much to do for the upcoming season, Golden State should look to the future. Harrison Barnes hits restricted free agency next summer, and there's no reason for the Warriors to wait around for someone to offer him a maximum contract.
With DeMarre Carroll signing a four-year, $60 million contract with the Toronto Raptors, players with Barnes' skill set are clearly in demand.
The summer of 2017 may seem like a long way off, but that's when Golden State will have to start replacing the majority of its roster. Getting Barnes at a discount now will only give the Warriors more flexibility in two years.
Houston Rockets
11 of 30
Can Daryl Morey find his third star?
General manager Daryl Morey has gone hunting for a third star over the past two summers but has come up short both times. First, it was Chris Bosh. Then it was LaMarcus Aldridge.
The Houston Rockets have both capable role players and intriguing young talent, but none appears good enough or ready to take pressure off James Harden and Dwight Howard.
Morey has the pieces in place to make a splash; he just needs the right player to become available via trade.
Indiana Pacers
12 of 30
How are they going to bolster their frontcourt?
The Indiana Pacers, like a lot of teams around the league, are looking to play smaller and faster. Losing David West for nothing wasn't part of that plan, but trading Roy Hibbert was.
How are they going to replace their starting big men?
Paul George will see some minutes at power forward, but beyond that, the picture is murky. The Pacers did keep Ian Mahinmi around, but his career averages of 4.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per game aren't screaming for more time on the floor.
Rookie Myles Turner is an interesting prospect, but it takes young bigs time to acclimate to the NBA's physicality.
Indiana has a solid guard rotation of George Hill, Monta Ellis and Rodney Stuckey, but even in the East, the team needs someone to rebound and protect the paint.
Los Angeles Clippers
13 of 30
Will the bench step up?
In the politest of terms, the Los Angeles Clippers managed to keep DeAndre Jordan and salvage their summer in the most interesting fashion, but they still have a ton of work to do.
After Jordan, the Clippers' biggest priority this summer was to upgrade their bench, which decided not to show up for their second-round series against Houston in the playoffs. So far, they've managed to only bring in Charlotte malcontent Lance Stephenson, and the cost of that piece of business was backup center Spencer Hawes.
If Los Angeles is going to have any chance of a deeper playoff run this season, it will need legitimate backups for Jordan and Chris Paul as well as a second scoring option to help Jamal Crawford off the bench. The team is capped out, so head coach and president of basketball operations Doc Rivers will have to get creative.
Los Angeles Lakers
14 of 30
What's plan B?
It's safe to assume that trading for Hibbert wasn't general manager Mitch Kupchak's goal for the offseason.
It sounds glib, but taking on Hibbert's expiring contract looks like a placeholder for what's to come next, even if it's just cap room next summer.
The Los Angeles Lakers are in a tricky spot. They have two nice pieces in D'Angelo Russell and Julius Randle around whom they can build, but they also have to find a way to mollify Kobe Bryant at the end of his career. Worse, their first-round pick this year goes to the Philadelphia 76ers if it doesn't fall in the top three.
Unless Russell and Randle surprise in their rookie and sophomore seasons, respectively, and Kobe is not only healthy but also efficient, the Lakers aren't going to contend for a playoff spot. Kupchak has some assets at his disposal, though, and it may just come down to the right star becoming available at the right time.
Memphis Grizzlies
15 of 30
Do they have the pieces in place to adapt to a new NBA?
The narrative is the narrative at this point. The "Grit 'n' Grind" Memphis Grizzlies are going to try to win with defense, intensity and low-post scoring.
On the surface, the additions of Brandan Wright and Matt Barnes look like they're just doubling down on that philosophy in the face of a league rapidly moving in the opposite direction. Look deeper, however, and you can see some flexibility come into view.
Memphis won't fully embrace pace-and-space small ball, but it can put together some interesting lineup combinations. A Mike Conley-Courtney Lee-Tony Allen-Barnes-Wright lineup might not scare anyone, but it can at least keep up with smaller, quicker teams.
Second-year guard Jordan Adams can provide some much-needed shooting, while Barnes will also help space the floor. Memphis may still be the Grindhouse, but the Grizzlies have the option to adapt, too.
Miami Heat
16 of 30
Do they have enough shooting?
As much as they've earned it with rotten luck, the biggest key for the Miami Heat isn't health.
They're actually too deep for that now.
Miami has six players capable of starting now, thanks in no small part to the fact team president Pat Riley is a wizard. Where the Heat have to be careful is that only one of those six players—Chris Bosh—is an above-average shooter for his position.
Miami finished in the bottom third of the league in both three-pointers made (6.8 per game) and three-point percentage (33.5) last year, and Gerald Green is the only shooter it has added in the offseason. Unless Riley has another miracle up his sleeve, head coach Erik Spoelstra will have to get creative to keep defenses honest.
Milwaukee Bucks
17 of 30
Is Michael Carter-Williams the right point guard for this team?
The signing of Greg Monroe makes the Milwaukee Bucks immediately better, as will the return of Jabari Parker. But just how good were the Bucks, anyway?
Milwaukee surprised everyone by entering the All-Star break with a 30-23 record. It then surprised the league again by going 11-18 after the break.
The difference was the trade of Brandon Knight for Michael Carter-Williams.
The Bucks offense stagnated without Knight's leadership and shooting. Defenses packed the paint and clogged Carter-Williams' driving lines.
Can head coach Jason Kidd help Carter-Williams refine his game, or will general manager John Hammond have to scour the trade market for another young guard?
Minnesota Timberwolves
18 of 30
What should they do with Nikola Pekovic?
Nikola Pekovic has been productive while on the floor for the Minnesota Timberwolves, averaging nearly 13 points and seven rebounds per game for his career. The problem is that he isn't often on the floor.
Pekovic has yet to play more than 65 games in a season, bottoming out at 31 games played last season.
While his contract isn't particularly burdensome at nearly $36 million over the next three years, he could be in line for a diminished role with the addition of No. 1 overall pick Karl-Anthony Towns to Minnesota's roster.
As they're not in a particular hurry, the Timberwolves could give the duo time in the frontcourt together to see how they mesh. Towns can cover some of Pekovic's defensive liabilities while Pekovic handles some of the offensive burden.
Still, if the right offer comes in, the Timerbwolves would be wise to move Pekovic while they can to free up cap space.
New Orleans Pelicans
19 of 30
Can they stabilize the backcourt?
The New Orleans Pelicans have spent the offseason ensuring that the power rotation of Anthony Davis, Omer Asik and Alexis Ajinca would remain in New Orleans for the immediate future.
Now they just need to do something about their backcourt.
Jrue Holiday, brought in to form a one-two punch with Davis, has played in only 74 games for New Orleans over two years. Eric Gordon can still shoot, but injuries have robbed him of a more dynamic game. In a surprising turn of events, Tyreke Evans has been the player who has kept the Pelicans backcourt productive.
Getting Holiday back on the court is a massive first step, but the Pelicans may have to decide between gambling on a trade or waiting for cap space to open up in order to stabilize their guard play.
New York Knicks
20 of 30
Who's going to play defense?
The New York Knicks didn't make the splash they were hoping for this summer, but they did significantly improve their roster. Arron Afflalo, Robin Lopez, Derrick Williams and Kyle O'Quinn can all play, even if they're limited. Rookie Kristaps Porzingis has big-time upside.
The Knicks will be better, but they may be difficult to watch on defense.
Per Basketball-Reference.com, Afflalo (minus-1.3), Williams (minus-2.7), Carmelo Anthony (minus-2.2) and Jose Calderon (minus-2.6) all posted negative defensive box plus/minus ratings last season, while it'll take Porzingis time to learn that side of the game.
A team built around a healthy Anthony should be able to challenge for the playoffs in the East, but the Knicks will come up short if they don't find a way to stop the opposition.
Oklahoma City Thunder
21 of 30
Do the pieces fit together?
Thanks to a steady stream of injuries, we never got a good feel for how Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka would work with newcomers Dion Waiters and Enes Kanter.
Unlike previous acquisitions, general manager Sam Presti didn't bring Waiters and Kanter in as role players to fit around Durant and Westbrook; he brought them in to help with the scoring load.
On paper at least, the defensive-minded Steven Adams and a spot-up shooter at shooting guard would fit best next to Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka, leaving Waiters and Kanter to come off the bench. Is that the best way to utilize everyone's talents?
Note: The assumption is, as Presti has indicated, per the Oklahoman's Anthony Slater, that the Thunder will match Kanter's offer sheet from the Portland Trail Blazers.
Orlando Magic
22 of 30
Can they protect the rim?
Without doing much, the Orlando Magic look to have nailed this offseason. Scott Skiles is the perfect coach for this team, while no rookie fits Orlando's young core better than Mario Hezonja. Skiles will teach his team how to defend, while Hezonja is the shooter Orlando desperately lacked.
Now the Magic just have to find a way to protect the rim.
Orlando finished 29th in the league in blocked shots (3.8 per game) last season, while starting center Nikola Vucevic allowed opponents to shoot better than 53 percent at the rim, according to NBA.com's player tracking. Backup Dewayne Dedmon fared better, but that was in limited action.
The Magic can try to find a better defensive center via trade, but Vucevic's offense will be difficult to replace. Aaron Gordon has the athleticism to help out from the weak side, but he'll have to develop those instincts.
Philadelphia 76ers
23 of 30
Who's going to run the offense (and get the big fella the ball)?
We didn't take injuries into consideration for this slideshow; otherwise, Joel Embiid's status would be the highlight here.
Besides, even if Embiid is healthy, this question would still linger in Philadelphia.
For the first time in two years, the Fighting Hinkies have pieces in place that are not only worth developing but that they also actually need to develop. Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel could be franchise cornerstones, while Nik Stauskas can provide a scoring punch from the perimeter.
Now, all they need is someone to get them the ball in positions to succeed.
Whatever their talents, no one would go so far as to accuse Tony Wroten Jr. and Isaiah Canaan of being sound decision-makers on the floor. Whether it means going out and getting a grizzled veteran (Steve Blake?) or another young player they can develop (Tyler Ennis?), the Sixers need a floor leader running the show.
Phoenix Suns
24 of 30
Do they have enough depth to contend for the playoffs?
General manager Ryan McDonough has done a lot of good during his tenure with the Phoenix Suns, but he has come out of a lot of trades with fewer assets than he originally had a worrying number of times. The result is that depth is now a serious problem for the Suns.
As the roster currently stands, Phoenix will look to Alex Len and Mirza Teletovic, per NBA.com's David Aldridge, to provide experience off the bench. They have a combined five years of service in the NBA.
Wings Archie Goodwin, T.J. Warren and Devin Booker all have plenty of upside, but they'll have to prove that they can succeed in the NBA. Backup point guard remains an unsolved problem.
Phoenix will have a crack at the playoffs again this year, but it might need to upgrade its bench at the deadline to stay in the race.
Portland Trail Blazers
25 of 30
Who's going to be the second option on offense?
Given the circumstances, general manager Neil Olshey did everything he could. Still, the Portland Trail Blazers may want to consider putting up one of those "Pardon Our Appearance" signs on the Jumbotron during games this season.
Signing Kanter would help, but it appears that the Thunder will be matching that offer, according to Anthony Slater of the Oklahoman.
Gerald Henderson and C.J. McCollum are the presumptive favorites for the secondary ball-handling role, but there's not much on the roster that inspires confidence beyond them. Meyers Leonard and Noah Vonleh have intriguing skills, but they have yet to prove anything at the NBA level.
Damian Lillard will have to do a lot of work this season.
Sacramento Kings
26 of 30
How is this going to work?
The Kings have a lot of talent, a lot of ego, a lot of players who need the ball and not a lot of shooting.
On the floor, a Rajon Rondo-Marco Belinelli-Rudy Gay-Willie Cauley-Stein-DeMarcus Cousins lineup would have only one above-average shooter, which would make it difficult for Cousins to operate on the block. Swapping Omri Casspi for Cauley-Stein would help the offense, but then who's going to defend?
The bigger issue, though, is the combustible personalities throughout the organization. Everyone from owner Vivek Ranadive to the point guard seems to have conflicting agendas. The talent is there to make some noise—but only if everyone gets on the same page.
San Antonio Spurs
27 of 30
Is the bench good enough?
The Spurs have given themselves a future by signing LaMarcus Aldridge and keeping Danny Green. The cost of doing business, however, was considerable.
Tiago Splitter, Aron Baynes, Cory Joseph and Belinelli were all casualties of the Spurs' summer, and they'll need to be replaced if San Antonio wants to give its aging veterans time to rest during the season.
General manager R.C. Buford has a habit of spinning straw into gold, but he has his work cut out for him this summer. Boris Diaw and Kyle Anderson are interesting pieces off the bench, but the team needs backups for Tim Duncan and Tony Parker as well as someone to space the floor.
Toronto Raptors
28 of 30
Can they play as a team?
Per ESPN.com's Hollinger statistics, the Toronto Raptors finished this past season third in offensive efficiency (108.1) and 22nd in assist ratio (16.2), a tricky feat.
As a result, not only did their offensive efficiency plummet in the postseason, but they were also bounced out of the playoffs in the first round for the second consecutive season.
Toronto was blessed with three gifted individual scorers last season in DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry and Lou Williams. They were not blessed with many gifted passers. The Raptors were left with precious few options once the Washington Wizards defense dug in during the playoffs.
Toronto has done well to address its defensive issues this summer, but it will go only as far as its offensive execution takes it.
Utah Jazz
29 of 30
Will the young guards take the next step?
Many fans say that guards tend to develop quicker than big men, and while that may be true, the Utah Jazz are currently facing the opposite problem. They need their guards to catch up to their big men.
The Jazz used the ninth pick (via trade) in the 2013 draft on Trey Burke and then selected Dante Exum with the fifth pick in 2014. The duo managed only 17.6 points and 6.7 assists per game last season, leaving Utah's offense sputtering when not initiated by Gordon Hayward.
While some questions remain regarding whether Burke and Exum can play together, Utah will need to find some production out of its backcourt in order to score enough points to let its suffocating defense win some games.
Washington Wizards
30 of 30
Do they have enough depth behind Marcin Gortat?
Washington moved quickly to replace Paul Pierce, acquiring Jared Dudley from Milwaukee via trade. Dudley will team with Otto Porter Jr. and rookie Kelly Oubre Jr. to fill Pierce's shoes.
Getting production off the bench from the bigs might be a more difficult task.
ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported the Wizards have been shopping Nene, while Kevin Seraphin remains a free agent. That could leave Marcin Gortat, Kris Humphries and Drew Gooden as the only big men on the roster.
Going small is always an option, but teams would rather have a reliable fallback plan, should an important player go down.
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "Offseason Moves for Every Team 👉")