I am once again putting on my general manager hat and attempting to evaluate all 30 teams in the NBA once their seasons have concluded and giving my opinion on what they should do next. This will include any potential coaching changes, trades, free agency, and draft prospects. I have covered the bottom five teams in both conferences. Now I will cover the middle five teams in the Eastern Conference.
Miami Heat
Head Coach: Erik Spoelstra
Spoelstra will probably coach at Miami as long as he sees fit. Five finals appearances and only two losing seasons. His team was probably affected the most from injuries and COVID, yet still got them to the 6-seed. There were parts of Miami that were bubble frauds, but Spoelstra isn’t that.
Building Blocks: Jimmy Butler
I am sure I would get push back for not considering Adebayo as a building block, but I think he’s just a strong complimentary starter. He’s the guy you want to build around a legitimate building block like Jimmy Butler. Which is definitely a compliment. As for Jimmy, people are looking at him very funny after getting swept by the Bucks. However, the Heat did not have anywhere close to the same continuity as the season before, the Bucks were better built for the Heat, and the supporting cast let him down. Did Jimmy shoot poorly from the field? Sure. With that being said, he did other things to contribute positively. Meanwhile, everyone else who shot poorly wasn’t playmaking or defending as well as Jimmy had. So, Jimmy is still your guy.
What They Need To Do
They need to get Jimmy Butler a co-star. They missed their chance because they foolishly thought Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, and Kendrick Nunn collectively would have a bigger impact than James Harden. Now with Duncan Robinson projected to get $20 million in free agency, Nunn projected to $15 million in free agency, and Herro costing $4 million, they either pay those three roughly $40 million when they could’ve had James Harden for roughly the same price, or risk losing them in free agency and the players you thought were more valuable than James Harden leaves in free agency seven months later.
They also need to decline the player options of Goran Dragic and Andre Iguodala. They brought almost everyone back from their Finals as an opportunity to let them run it back, but they failed so it’s time to retool. As far as free agency I would look at either Mike Conley or Kyle Lowry. If by some miracle they are available I will also look at Chris Paul or Kawhi Leonard. I will also look to resign Victor Oladipo. He spent quite a while trying to get to Miami. Injuries are a problem, but I assume he won’t be very expensive to bring back. Trade Herro to the first time who inquires about him
After all that fill out the bench and resign Haslem because why not. This will bring back some of the juice and could lead to another surprise run.
Boston Celtics
Head Coach: N/A
In a shocking turn of events, Brad Stevens has been promoted to the front office. While he might catch a lot of flack for that, I don’t think it’s a bad idea. However, that does mean they need a new coach. At this moment it’s Chauncey Billups and some other candidates I am not familiar with. We will see how this goes.
Building Blocks: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown
This is obviously not a bad starting point when you are looking to retool the roster. Both have shown they are strong offensive weapons. Brown and Tatum being near the top of their respective positions. Obviously, with injuries and COVID, the Celtics weren’t able to get off the ground. However, seeing that they have been to the Conference Finals twice in the last four years with this duo, they have shown that they work. It’s just a matter of finding the right pieces to put around them.
What They Need To Do
I began this section before the trade with Oklahoma City, but they completed my first step, which was to trade Kemba Walker. We will see if they actually want to have Horford on the roster or not, as there has been some speculation they might buy him out. With that being said, they still need to find a replacement at Point Guard. My suggestion would be to target Kyle Lowry as the big fish in this year’s free agency. They could use Horford as a piece of a sign-and-trade as the Raptors are more than likely looking to retool the roster–specifically find a Center that can replace Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka.
Aside from that, there isn’t much I wouldn’t do. I know going 36-36 may lead some to the conclusion they need to do more, but with a fully healthy Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, mixed with a third star who is healthier, they could make a run to the Finals, in my opinion.
Washington Wizards
Head Coach: N/A
The rumors that Brooks was more than likely going to return weren’t so true after all
Building Blocks: Russell Westbrook, Bradley Beal
The window is certainly closing with Westbrook, but he’s still good enough to build around him. Beal is not too far behind, but still has good years left before he eventually declines. Both have All-NBA potential as a backcourt and proved that down the stretch this season. If Brooks is going to remain the coach, they have to do something about the rest of the team.
What They Need To Do
If the Wizards want to make legitimate strides towards being a legit contender, they will have to get very creative with the team’s cap space. Right now, they don’t have any room. They have some trade assets including the 15th overall pick.
Tradable assets that can clear up cap space include Thomas Bryant (making $8.67 million), Davis Bertans (making $16 million), and Chandler Hutchison (making $4.02 million) in addition to the 15th pick.
The best realistic targets they can go after are Myles Turner from the Pacers and Jerami Grant from the Pistons. It would probably take less to get Grant, but Turner probably moves the needle more for the team. If they wanted to sell the farm they could attempt to get both, but that will be highly unlikely.
After that, they need to improve the backcourt depth. Ish Smith and Raul Neto were serviceable at times, but their shortness caught up with them in the playoffs playing a much bigger team.
If they push the chips to the middle of the table and really go all in while they Westbrook, the Wizards could make some noise.
Indiana Pacers
Head Coach: N/A
The Pacers fired Nate Bjorkgren after one season with the team. I wasn’t sure how to feel about the hiring to begin with. Nevertheless, they’re back on the market, and this time they are looking for a coach with experience to lead a veteran roster with playoff expectations.
Building Blocks: Malcolm Brogdon, Caris LeVert
It is weird because I don’t want to consider any of these players a building block. In my opinion. this is just a collection of good players, but guys you wouldn’t see as a franchise player or co-star. With that being said, Brogdon and LeVert are the best players on the team and I can imagine the teams construction will be around them.
What They Need To Do
They need to move either Sabonis or Turner. Both are good players but have negated one another when on the court. I would personally move Sabonis because Turner is a better defender across the board and can stretch the floor. However, my gut tells me if they were to move one of them it would Turner. In any case, they need to make room for another wing player. TJ Warren is an ok scoring-wing, but that’s where the quality ends. The Holiday brothers are nice depth wings.
I made the suggestion that Washington trade for Turner, in that instance I would think Davis Bertans would be an enticing piece if the Pacers were really trying to go all-in on offense. If they were looking at defense they could look at Robert Covington from the Blazers. Either way getting another wing player will help balance out the lineup.
Charlotte Hornets
Head Coach: James Borrego
I am not sure how to feel about James Borrego. Sure, he’s exceeded expectations this season. However, all that lead to was losing the play-in. Did injuries derail their season? Sure, but injuries and COVID affected most teams in the league. At some point, he’s going to need to make the playoffs to prove his worth, but for now, I will stay on the fence.
Building Blocks: LaMelo Ball, Gordon Hayward
The timeline for these building blocks is certainly odd. Roughly an 11-year difference between these two. You want to win now because why else did you sign Hayward? But at the same time, you need to expedite Ball and the rest of the young corps. So, there will be some juggling in order to make this happen. Can they actually do that? I am not sure, but it certainly won’t be easy, and not many teams can do it.
What They Need To Do
The main thing they need to do is get a third option in free agency that can fit both Hayward’s and Ball’s timelines. Someone who’s good enough to win now for Hayward, but can be around long-term for Ball.
There really aren’t many names that can do that, but one name that comes to mind is Kelly Ourbe Jr. It is very unlikely he will be back with the Warriors as they need a pretty large trade exception to even roster him. And with the Warriors trying to get out of the luxury I find it very hard to believe they will want to resign him.
The Hornets only have about $75 million on the current payroll so they will have space to bring him in. After that, they need to make some decisions on who they want to bring back. Malik Monk and Devonte’ Graham are both restricted free agents. They also have Bismack Biyambo and Cody Zeller that are unrestricted free agents. So, do they bring them back? Because this group hasn’t been able to get it done. And their ceiling at best is like a 6-seed. Personally, I would match Graham’s offer sheet and let everyone else walk. Monk has seemed to reach his ceiling as a strong bench player, but I think he’s going to get an offer too rich for my blood. While Zeller and Biyambo are long-tenured veterans I still think they need to switch it up at Center.
