5 NBA teams that are under pressure to have a successful 2021 offseason
The NBA offseason is in full swing and teams are already beginning to make improvements to their roster. With the upcoming draft and free agency window, those looking to make a big splash in the market are posturing around the biggest stars that could be made available. These include Kyle Lowry, Damian Lillard and Bradley Beal.
Whether they have the capabilities to make significant adjustments or not, there are several teams who have to do better next year and will have to find a way to do so. This article will run down five NBA franchises who can be expected to be heavily involved in transfer news in the offseason in the hope of keeping their biggest stars happy.
5 NBA teams set to have a huge offseason
#5 Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls took their first step toward keeping Zach LaVine in the long-run when they acquired center Nikola Vucevic at the March trade deadline. However, combining the two NBA All-Stars didn't have the desired effect the Bulls were looking for and they ended the season 11th in the East.
Therefore, improving the roster is essential in the offseason, particularly with the injury to promising young point guard Coby White. What's more, the Bulls are set to have a ton of roster spots available. Despite this, bringing in the kind of talent to help them return to the playoffs is going to be a difficult task for VP Arturas Karnisovas. The team doesn't have a first-round pick in this year's NBA Draft, nor does it have the kind of necessary cap space to bring in a suitable replacement for White.
They will more than likely have to lose the likes of Lauri Markkanen, possibly in a sign-and-trade, and veterans Tomas Satoransky and Thaddeus Young. If they choose to stay over the cap, they will only have their midlevel exception to work with ($9.5m) which could be enough to lure Derrick Rose back.
#4 Miami Heat
Going from the NBA Finals to being swept in the first round of the playoffs this year was a dramatic fall from grace for the Miami Heat. Form, injuries and confidence all played a factor in their disappointing campaign. Realistically, though, their roster simply wasn't good enough.
Luckily for the Heat fanbase, they are set to have a reasonable amount of cap space (>$20m) and have assets to use in a trade for a third star. Ideally, they would like to pursue either Kyle Lowry or Bradley Beal in a blockbuster trade that would likely involve Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson and some draft picks going the other way.
The Heat scored less than 100 points per game in the playoffs and ranked 25th in the NBA for points scored in the regular season. They need scoring depth, but most importantly they need a star who can help them win now and who can consistently score close to 20 points a night.