Every NBA Team's Worst Fear This Offseason
The NBA offseason rewards the bold. Teams that are proactive in addressing their needs tend to be successful and, as the saying goes, scared money don't make money.
Fear is still a major part of the offseason.
While teams try to improve themselves or choose new directions, they have to do so with the downsides in mind. The bigger the swing, the more consequential a miss becomes.
Shifting market forces, prohibitively costly free agents, moves that compromise flexibility—all these and more are on the minds of NBA teams looking to make moves this summer.
Let's take a look at something all 30 squads have to fear.
Atlanta Hawks: CJ McCollum Isn't the Answer
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How do the Atlanta Hawks not bring CJ McCollum back after he effectively won them two playoff games by himself?
Led by Jalen Johnson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, the Hawks have a stash of wings and forwards that would make most teams jealous. McCollum, the main return in the Trae Young trade, provided the primary playmaking and from-scratch scoring none of them could in the postseason. Yes, the New York Knicks overwhelmed the Hawks as the series progressed. But McCollum's impact early on was undeniable.
That said, Atlanta could get itself into trouble by assuming McCollum, 34, can continue to play at the level he reached in those early games against the Knicks. Overpaying a player in his decline phase, even if he so recently played a key role, is a real risk.
Boston Celtics: They're Still Not Flexible Enough
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The Boston Celtics cut heaps of salary last summer and during the 2025-26 season, ducking the aprons, avoiding downstream penalties and cultivating hope that one of the most successful franchises of the last decade wasn't done competing at the highest level.
Even after all that, it's worth wondering whether Boston has the flexibility to address needs that arose during its all-too-brief playoff run.
The Celtics probably need an upgrade over starting center Neemias Queta, and their persistent offensive droughts suggest a paint-breaking guard would be hugely useful.
Being below the luxury tax will be helpful, and the $27.7 million trade exception from the Anfernee Simons deal is going to come in handy. But using that TPE, the midlevel exception or any other roster exceptions will hard cap the Celtics at the first apron.
Can they fill those voids without hamstringing themselves in the future or dipping into the three first-round picks (2027, 2031, 2033) they can trade?
Brooklyn Nets: Free Agency Is Dead
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A dearth of cap space, the years-long trend of players signing extensions rather than changing teams and the lack of difference-making options on the market suggest NBA free agency is going to be quiet this summer.
But the Brooklyn Nets had better hope the silence doesn't last forever.
The Nets didn't have a first-round pick in 2024, failed to find a cornerstone in 2025, landed a disappointing No. 6 in this year's draft and don't control their 2027 first-rounder. With lottery reform likely to hurt the worst teams' odds going forward, Brooklyn may have missed its window to tank for a transformative player.
That means free agency could soon be its best route to ultimate success.
Playing in a big market that has attracted stars in the past should make things easier for Brooklyn than it will be for other teams. And its status as one of three squads with any spending power this summer doesn't hurt either. But it has to be a little concerning that the Nets got no draft windfalls for a couple of bad years and now must rely on an iffy talent-acquisition strategy.
Charlotte Hornets: Coby White Costs Too Much
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In some ways, Coby White was an odd trade target for the Charlotte Hornets, who added him to what was rapidly emerging as the league's best offense—one led by two young guards in LaMelo Ball and Kon Knueppel.
White turned out to be purely additive, and he became necessary when Knueppel went cold in the Play-In. His clutch play in the 9/10 game against the Miami Heat, including a three to force overtime, was among the high points of the entire season.
The Hornets should absolutely want the free agent guard to return, but are they willing to beat the market and perhaps even overpay to retain White?
The Chicago Bulls probably won't be involved, but the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets are both cap-space teams that could show enough interest to drive up the price.
Even if Charlotte saw proof of concept after trading for White, it still has to be careful about overpaying a third guard when it has other needs at forward and center.
Chicago Bulls: The Pivot Came Too Late
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If the NBA adopts the latest lottery reform proposals, the Chicago Bulls will be among the biggest losers.
After years of toiling in mediocrity, chasing the Play-In and refusing to start all the way over, Chicago finally embraced the truth at this year's deadline. The way up is down. The path to winning requires losing. At least that was the logic under the old lottery system, where the very worst teams had the best shot at a top pick that could deliver a franchise cornerstone.
Though the Bulls are armed with as much as $54 million in cap space and hold the No. 4 pick in the 2026 draft, they enter a world where bottoming out is actually bad. If they wind up as one of the three worst teams this coming season, they'll have a worse chance at picking No. 1 than the teams that finish fourth through 10th.
They'd better nail this No. 4 pick. It might be the best one they get for a while.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Donovan Mitchell Won't Extend
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Donovan Mitchell is eligible to sign a four-year extension worth up to $277 million this summer. If he puts pen to paper, which most of his messaging suggests is likely, the Cavs can go about their normal offseason business. That'll include re-upping with James Harden and continuing the search for the support pieces that officially put the team in the contender class.
If Mitchell decides not to extend, things could get interesting in a hurry.
Though he's got a guaranteed $50.1 million coming to him next year, Mitchell can become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2027 by declining his $53.8 million player option for 2027-28. One assumes the only reason he'd turn down an extension worth over a quarter-billion dollars is that he'd prefer to play for another team.
That'd force Cleveland to seek a trade, as losing him for nothing a year from now would be catastrophic. And if the Cavs start shopping Mitchell, all bets are off with Harden, Jarrett Allen and probably everyone on the roster not named Evan Mobley.
Dallas Mavericks: Masai Ujiri Builds the Raptors Again
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To be clear, the Dallas Mavericks would be ecstatic if new president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri built the 2019 version of the Toronto Raptors that won a championship. The fear here is that Ujiri may go down the roster-building path he followed after trading his way to that 2019 ring.
Based on his history, Ujiri prefers to draft project wings with intriguing tools, loads of athleticism and the inability to shoot. The best version of that is Scottie Barnes, who's now a fringe All-NBA candidate, and Dallas would certainly enjoy someone like him next to Cooper Flagg.
What the Mavs and Flagg do not need, however, is a supporting cast that can't space the floor or intuitively move the ball. Dallas handed Flagg the keys to the offense as a rookie, and one of the reasons he struggled (besides the fact that he was a teenager playing a role in the NBA he'd never even tried in college) was the team's lack of reliable shooting and secondary creation.
If Ujiri fails, it'll be because he builds a roster he's familiar with, rather than one that makes sense for Flagg.
Denver Nuggets: Peyton Watson Walks
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The Denver Nuggets showed off several flaws in their first-round loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, not the least of them being the lack of athleticism, defensive pop and secondary shot-creation.
If restricted free agent Peyton Watson gets away, all three shortcomings will intensify.
Normally, you'd assume Denver's matching rights would make a Watson departure almost impossible. But this roster is already prohibitively expensive and has little chance of flipping any nonessential personnel to save cash. If we use Christian Braun's bloated extension as a guide, Watson seems certain to earn a starting salary worth at least the $21 million Braun is getting next year.
Watson is worth more than that, and another team could force Denver into a tough spot by signing him to an offer sheet at market rates. Keeping Watson, then, might thrust the Nuggets into the second apron. Considering the Nuggets are already asset poor and need to retain or replace Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bruce Brown, the restrictions they face could be crippling.
Denver desperately needs Watson, but there's a real possibility it lets him walk.
Detroit Pistons: Somebody Maxes Jalen Duren
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Jalen Duren looked no better in the Detroit Pistons' second-round matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers than he did against the Orlando Magic, but one of the few teams with cap space could still value him like a star.
The most another team can offer the 22-year-old center in restricted free agency is four years and $177 million, while the Pistons can add a fifth year and go all the way up to $287 million if Duren makes an All-NBA team.
Detroit, having seen Duren's overall production decline in the playoffs, can't be in love with the idea of maxing him out. In fact, with offensive needs elsewhere on the roster, the Pistons are probably hoping they can retain him for something close to the $30-million-per-year offer they floated in extension talks prior to the season.
If another team comes in with a full four-year max, Detroit will have no choice but to match it. That might have been an easy decision at the end of the regular season, but Duren's playoff performance could render it a significant overpay.
Golden State Warriors: That Running It Back Is a Mistake
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Sentiment is on the side of the Golden State Warriors keeping the gang together and seeing if Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and newly re-signed head coach Steve Kerr can make one more run before it's all over.
The cold and impartial rejoinder: The 2022 championship was the Warriors' cherry on top, and continuing to chase glory with a roster this old and inflexible is a fool's errand.
As a fan, I'll concede I'm not emotionally ready to move on from Curry and Kerr. I could be persuaded Green's time is up. But looking around at the contenders still alive in the playoffs, it'll be impossible for Golden State to add enough youth, athleticism and depth to compete. Maybe there's a trade out there for a star veteran, but that'll just add to the team's list of age-related breakdown risks.
Nobody wants to let go of something like this, but that doesn't mean holding onto it is the right decision.
Houston Rockets: Overpaying Amen Thompson
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The Houston Rockets managed to extend Alperen Sengün for significantly less than the max when they inked him to a five-year, $185 million deal late in the 2024 offseason. They'd better hope Amen Thompson is amenable to similar treatment.
Though Sengün followed up that agreement by making two straight All-Star teams, questions remain about his fitness as a playoff-worthy cornerstone. Thompson, who has finished among the top eight in Defensive Player of the Year voting each of the past two seasons, faces similar uncertainties because of his total inability to shoot the ball from the perimeter.
All the athleticism and perimeter defensive punch in the world don't matter if defenses can ignore you. That means maxing out Thompson, who's eligible for a five-year extension worth up to $252 million, would be a colossal mistake.
An athletic, high draft pick who's been a regular starter and award-winning defender is worth a lot. Thompson may seek the full max. Houston can't cave.
Indiana Pacers: It Already Happened
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Does it count as good news for the Indiana Pacers that the worst possible offseason outcome is already in the past?
When Indy sent its 2026 first-rounder to the LA Clippers in the Ivica Zubac deal, it included funky protections that meant the selection would convey if it landed between fifth and ninth. Well, that pick is gone now, and it shouldn't make Pacers fans feel better that president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard is "surprised".
You don't get to act stunned by an outcome that had a 50 percent chance of happening.
Indiana's gap year yielded a whole lot of losses and no draft pick, and now Zubac will need to play like an All-Star for a contending Pacers team to ease the sting.
LA Clippers: The Aspiration Hammer Drops
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The biggest story in the league last fall has lain dormant for several months, but this offseason might see the Aspiration scandal return to the spotlight.
Reports by podcaster and ESPN contributor Pablo Torre appeared to show evidence that the Los Angeles Clippers circumvented the salary cap to pay Kawhi Leonard more than he was earning on his contract.
The NBA has been investigating all season, and it could reach a conclusion over the summer.
If the league determines L.A. broke the rules, penalties could include draft pick forfeiture, fines, suspensions and, in the extreme, the possible voiding of Leonard's contract.
L.A. has the No. 5 pick in the upcoming draft via its deadline trade with the Pacers, so that one seems safe. But who knows what might be coming down the pipeline when the league makes its ruling?
Los Angeles Lakers: They Lose More than They Gain
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The Los Angeles Lakers have Luka Dončić under contract, $47 million in cap space and the ability to exceed the cap to retain Austin Reaves ($14.9 million player option) via Bird rights.
We're catastrophizing here, because the Lakers are highly likely to build a new roster better than the one that just got steamrolled by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round. But are we certain Los Angeles is going to improve?
Consider that Deandre Ayton, benched for Jaxson Hayes when Los Angeles was trying most desperately to win, is bound to pick up his $8.1 million player option. Marcus Smart might seek more elsewhere by declining his own $5.4 million option.
Rui Hachimura is an unrestricted free agent, as is Luke Kennard, as is Hayes, as is some guy named LeBron James. It's not a given that the Lakers will be able to attract a marquee free agent (because this class basically has none), keep Reaves and have enough flexibility to flesh out the rest of the rotation.
Memphis Grizzlies: Nobody Wants Ja Morant
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The Memphis Grizzlies couldn't trade Ja Morant at the deadline because he was viewed as a "negative value", per ESPN's Brian Windhorst. Teams weren't interested in taking on Morant unless he came with sweeteners in the form of draft picks and young players.
The only difference this offseason is that Morant's contract is nearer to its conclusion. If he's still a negative asset, at least he'll only require a two-year, $87 million commitment from his acquiring team. That's...something, right?
This is all to say, Memphis knows it's more likely to give picks than get them when it eventually trades its former cornerstone star. That'll be disappointing, but it certainly won't be a surprise.
In a worst-case scenario, interested teams will drive such a hard bargain that the Grizzlies will be better off keeping or buying out Morant, outcomes the team should desperately want to avoid.
Miami Heat: Not Getting Giannis
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The fit between Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo seems pretty terrible, and the two-time MVP is clearly entering the decline phase of his career—at least from an availability standpoint.
But what else are the Miami Heat going to do to get out of no man's land if they fail to acquire the eminently available Antetokounmpo via trade?
Re-sign Norman Powell, spend big to keep Andrew Wiggins if he declines his player option and extend the likes of Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Pelle Larsson? Those are all good players, but keeping the band together doesn't seem like the best way to do better than this year's 43 wins.
The Heat could carve out massive 2027 cap space by keeping the powder dry, but it's been years since anyone put together a contender through free agency.
Antetokounmpo isn't an ideal addition, but he's probably the Heat's best hope at actually mattering in 2026-27. If they don't land him, it'll be hard to envision better days ahead.
Milwaukee Bucks: The Giannis Offers Aren't Any Good
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The Milwaukee Bucks are taking offers on Giannis Antetokounmpo, which isn't actually as big of a development as it seems. The most recent trade deadline featured reports on everything from his preferred destinations to what those teams put on the table for the superstar forward.
What if the offers don't get any better than the ones Milwaukee refused in February?
Sure, a handful of teams who disappointed in the playoffs might enter the chat. But that doesn't really matter if they're not among the squads with whom Giannis would be willing to re-sign. He can become a free agent next summer, and no team is going to onboard him without the certainty that he'll stick around.
Some teams might even balk at offering what they did several months ago, given Antetokounmpo's injury issues after the deadline. It's possible that a slightly more robust market allows the Bucks to get more than they could have in February, but it's hardly a given.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Ayo Dosunmu Gets Pricey
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With Donte DiVincenzo expected to miss all of next season and Mike Conley an unrestricted free agent, the Minnesota Timberwolves are going to need Ayo Dosunmu.
The high-energy guard exploded for 43 points to steal a first-round win against the Nuggets and has been a hand-in-glove fit since joining the Wolves. Knowing he'll likely start and play a massive role next year, he'd be within his rights to seek a contract with an annual value at least three times larger than the $7.5 million he earned this past season.
Other teams will come calling with their $15.1 million midlevel exceptions, so Minnesota needs to at least be prepared to beat those offers. But with Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle, Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid all set to earn at least $23 million next season, a market-rate contract for Dosunmu will shove the Wolves into the tax and probably the first apron.
New Orleans Pelicans: They Can Only Address One Key Need
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The New Orleans Pelicans won 26 games last year, which means they've got a handful of problem areas to address this offseason. The top two are poor rebounding and a lack of floor-spacing shooters.
Projected to land about $5 million below the luxury tax unless they decline team options on Kevon Looney and Karlo Matkovic, the Pels may not have the resources to fix one of those critical flaws, let alone both.
New Orleans ranked 28th in defensive rebounding rate and badly needs a center to keep opponents off the glass. Of course, the lack of shooting across the roster, typified by Zion Williamson at the 4, means that big man probably needs to space the floor. In fact, virtually anyone the Pelicans pursue needs to be able to shoot it; they finished 27th in three-point attempt frequency and 24th in accuracy.
New York Knicks: Mitchell Robinson Gets Away
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The New York Knicks' historically dominant first two playoff rounds stemmed from an unstoppable offense, but let's not forget one of the things that used to make them so effective.
Mitchell Robinson's offensive rebounding was a cheat code under former head coach Tom Thibodeau, and the reserve center remains one of the absolute best glass-cleaners and extra-possession-generators in the sport. Ticketed for unrestricted free agency, Robinson could find himself the target of several teams.
The Knicks have Robinson's Bird rights and can spend what it takes to keep him. Then again, given Robinson's inability to play major minutes, it's possible a New York squad that has massive payroll commitments elsewhere and can't count the big man among its top three most important players will balk at the retention cost.
Lots of teams need quality centers, and the Knicks may not be willing to beat the market due to the salaries already on their books.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Bad Weather Impacts the Parade
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With everyone else in the postseason either looking vulnerable or dominating against a slate of pushovers, it's easier than ever to pick the Oklahoma City Thunder over the field. Here's hoping it doesn't rain when OKC makes its return to Scissortail Park with its second straight championship trophy in tow.
Alarmists and cap strategists will point to the financial crunch the Thunder need to navigate this summer. Isaiah Hartenstein, Lu Dort and Kenrich Williams have team options totaling just under $54 million in 2026-27 salary, no small thing for a team facing the second apron.
Then again, is there really any concern for a team that has playoff breakout star Ajay Mitchell inked for just $3 million next year? Note, too, that the Thunder have the No. 12 and No. 18 picks in the 2026 draft. They can also easily move the salaries of nonessential players like Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe, and two former first-rounders (Nikola Topić and Thomas Sorber) haven't even played yet.
The Thunder have a million ways to streamline their finances, which leaves parade logistics as the only real concern.
Orlando Magic: Jamahl Mosley Wasn't the Problem
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The Orlando Magic had no choice. They had to fire head coach Jamahl Mosley after yet another underwhelming offensive season.
This is just what happens when a team that has real talent, has made significant financial commitments to its cornerstones and has swung a major win-now trade runs out of options. Firing the entire roster isn't realistic, so it's always the head coach who has to go in situations like this.
It's certainly possible Mosley was the main reason Orlando never figured out how to score consistently enough to reach its potential. It's more likely that he was just one of the reasons. His supporters can easily point to injuries, a roster short on shooting and any number of other factors that contributed to another disappointing campaign.
Orlando won't know how much blame Mosley ultimately deserved until it tips off the 2026-27 season and the offense either improves or doesn't. If the head coach wasn't the real issue, the Magic might waste yet another season before conceding the roster was the problem all along.
Philadelphia 76ers: They Can't Improve
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Joel Embiid is 32 and hasn't played more than 40 games in a season since he won MVP in 2023, which seems like it happened hundreds of years ago.
Paul George is 36 and has appeared in at least 60 games just once since 2019.
Those two will combine to earn $112 million next year, and neither is tradeable for positive value. So while it's possible that Tyrese Maxey has another level to jump, and it's likely VJ Edgecombe takes a step forward after a stellar rookie season, it's just not realistic for Philly to transact its way to a better outcome than it earned this year.
Kelly Oubre Jr., Quentin Grimes and Andre Drummond are all unrestricted free agents. It's unlikely all three will return, which means whoever steps in for deposed Sixers president Daryl Morey will be stuck replacing some or all of them with cheaper alternatives.
Even if the Maxey/Edgecombe improvement offsets the Embiid/George decline, the 76ers are going to lose some supporting cast punch unless they nail every other roster move they make this summer. One misstep, and this year's 45 wins may be unreachable.
Phoenix Suns: Ishbia Gets Itchy
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The Phoenix Suns pivoted away from reckless star acquisition and enjoyed some surprising success. This year's gutsy defense and all-hands-on-deck approach was a refreshing departure from the future-mortgaging nonsense that brought together disgruntled mercenaries in years past.
The Suns are still missing virtually all of their draft picks for the rest of the decade, but at least they're plucky and connected and watchable now.
We'll see how long that status satisfies owner Mat Ishbia, who spearheaded one of the most disastrous transactional stretches in recent memory. He called this season a "stepping stone" to the level the Suns ultimately want to reach: a championship.
Is it good news that even if Ishbia reverted to his previous form, his team doesn't have the assets to set on fire for short-term gains? It should still very much concern Suns fans that the next wild idea or foolhardy move could be just around the corner.
You don't get to shake your reputation for organizational destruction after just one year of reasonable behavior.
Portland Trail Blazers: Frugality
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What does it matter if an NBA owner pinches pennies here and there? Teams have to hit a salary floor, and franchise valuations tend to rise in tandem with on-court success, which incentivizes spending to some degree. Surely new Blazers owner Tom Dundon's unrepentant thriftiness won't matter as much as some are suggesting.
Interim Portland Trail Blazers head coach Tiago Splitter highlighted exactly why Portland could be in trouble at all levels of the organization. After a Dundon directive requiring the Blazers' traveling party to check out of their hotel early during the Play-In round (to save money), the team masseuse had nowhere to set up shop.
Per Jason Quick of The Athletic, Splitter told a confidant "...what if the masseuse decides that she doesn't want to do a good job because she's angry and then she doesn't do a good job on Deni (Avdija)? Then it affects me, too."
The best players, coaches and staff are never going to choose Portland, all things being equal, if they know ownership is going to operate this way. That affects free agency, the draft—everything. Dundon needs to act quickly and publicly to change his reputation.
Sacramento Kings: All the Vets Stay Put
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If you gave the Sacramento Kings truth serum and asked what they'd like to see happen with DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine's contracts, they'd probably just wish they'd disappear.
Neither deal was moveable for positive value at the February deadline, which means the Kings might be stuck with both vets when the 2026-27 season opens. LaVine's $49 million player option is too big for him to realistically decline, but at least DeRozan can be waived for the nominal fee of $10 million.
Proposed lottery reform means bottoming out is a less statistically sound approach than ever, but these veterans aren't good enough to help the Kings reach a respectable win total anyway. More importantly, they're obstructing the developmental path of the youth on the roster and whoever comes aboard with the No. 7 pick.
Even Domantas Sabonis, who has two years and $94 million left on his deal, is just in the way. Ideally, the Kings would ditch all of them in a complete teardown. Realistically, all three will be there on opening night.
San Antonio Spurs: They Get Even Thinner at Forward
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We're reaching here, as the San Antonio Spurs are set up to dominate for years to come. But if you had to pick a trouble spot on the roster other than De'Aaron Fox's bloated contract, the forward position stands out.
San Antonio gets away with starting four guards around Victor Wembanyama because nobody is foolish enough to consistently attack the paint against smaller matchups with the world's greatest shot-deterrent lurking.
A collective lack of size still crops up as an occasional issue. Julius Randle battered Julian Champagnie and Devin Vassell for a few stretches in the conference semifinals, for example.
Harrison Barnes lost his starting gig and has probably aged past the point of being a clear rotation option, but he's a free agent this summer. Keldon Johnson could look around in training camp and realize he's the only actual forward on the roster—unless the Spurs are willing to spend on the likes of Kelly Oubre Jr. or Dean Wade.
Toronto Raptors: Shooting Is Too Expensive
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Plenty of very good teams are going to prioritize finding a shooter during the offseason, with the Portland Trail Blazers, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic and others likely to fight over a pretty barren crop of marksmen.
The Toronto Raptors, who ranked 25th in long-range attempt rate and 18th in accuracy, will be among them.
Armed with the midlevel, Toronto can be competitive on the market, but only if it's willing to trigger the hard cap at the first apron by using more than $6 million of that exception, and only if it decides Sandro Mamukelashvili (player option) is not a retention priority.
Given the premium on shooting and the dearth of reliable gunners, could we see Toronto shelling out the midlevel for someone like Tim Hardaway Jr. or Luke Kennard? Addressing needs is important, but the cost is going to be high.
Utah Jazz: The Kessler Situation Gets Messy
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Everything is looking up for the Utah Jazz, who finally enjoyed a little lottery luck in landing the No. 2 overall pick. They'll add that player to a refreshed core that includes trade acquisition Jaren Jackson Jr. and restricted free agent Walker Kessler, who missed virtually the entire 2025-26 season with injury.
Or, at least that's the plan.
Kessler didn't love the way extension talks went last summer, when the Jazz maximized flexibility by keeping the big man's low cap hold on the books rather than replacing it with a hefty extension. Kessler, though dissatisfied, was never a flight risk because Utah could just match any offer sheet he landed this summer.
That's all still true, but what if Kessler is still bothered by last summer's lack of an extension and the possibility that the Jazz will force him to go out and get an offer before committing to him? With Jackson around, Kessler isn't quite as necessary as he once seemed—even if everyone acknowledges JJJ makes more sense next to a true center than as a starting 5 himself.
Restricted free agency can get uncomfortable, and the Jazz shouldn't want to begin their new competitive era with hurt feelings and bad vibes.
Washington Wizards: The Anthony Davis Extension Situation
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If worse comes to worst, and the Washington Wizards (wisely) realize they can't justify a long-term commitment to Anthony Davis, they can shop the fragile, 33-year-old big man at the trade deadline.
Considering how little the Wizards gave up to acquire Davis in the first place, it wouldn't count as a disaster if they found no takers and had to watch him walk away via a declined player option next summer.
All that said, Washington probably dealt for Davis last year with the intention of him actually playing for the franchise beyond the upcoming season. Based on that assumption, the Wizards need to at least consider working out an extension with AD this summer.
Under no circumstances should Davis' max of four years and $275 million be in play. He's missed more than half the season with injuries in three of his last six years.
Trae Young is also in line for a new deal, but those details may have been settled prior to the trade that brought him to Washington. Davis is the greater unknown, and there's potential for negotiations to get uncomfortable this offseason.
Stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference and Cleaning the Glass. Salary info via Spotrac.
Grant Hughes covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Bluesky and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, where he appears with Bleacher Report's Dan Favale.
