What every NBA team needs this off-season
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NBA, like almost every other sports league around the globe, was forced to postpone their ongoing season. The postponement meant that everything that followed the completion of the 2019-20 season would suffer the same fate as a result of a domino effect.
That, obviously, also includes the NBA off-season heading into the 2020-21 season which is set to start in December this year. The 12th of October is as long as the current season could take to wrap up, and the NBA Draft is just four days later, on the 16th.
Free agency is likely to start just a couple of days later, on the 18th. As a result, there is every possibility that a player lifts the NBA Championship title with one team and then dons the colours of another less than a week later.
What it means is that teams have a shorter deadline than ever before to shape up their rosters in time for the opening night of the 2020-21 NBA season. The GMs would have to be at their very best to fill some holes and acquire their targets in under two months time.
Every NBA team has different aspirations heading into the next season and will have to shape up their squad accordingly. Some will hope to pick up exciting talent from the Draft or Free Agency, whereas others will give priority to get their players to sign long-term deals.
Let's have a look at that one move each NBA team needs to pull off in order to improve their chances at winning. This is the first of six parts that will be covering all 30 teams in the NBA, beginning with the first five in alphabetical order.
What each NBA team needs this off-season - Part 1
#1 Atlanta Hawks - Back-up Guard
There is no denying that the Atlanta Hawks are an exciting offensive team in the NBA when Trae Young is on the court. The 21-year-old sophomore not only averages an impressive 29.6 ppg, but is also second in the NBA in assists per game. He works in tandem with John Collins to establish a formidable 1-4 combination. This ability of Young to make others around him better is one of his many great qualities that Atlanta miss when he's taking a breather.
Without Trae Young on the court, Atlanta's offensive rating in the NBA drops massively from 111.2 to a paltry 95.7, which is concerning, to say the least. They did not have anyone to share the burden of offence creation in Young's absence since they traded Jeremy Lin away to the Toronto Raptors last season.
This season, although they did bring a veteran guard like Jeff Teague to run the second unit, he wasn't as good as he was expected to be. He played much fewer minutes than he did with Minnesota and shot the ball worse while also lodging way fewer assists per NBA game.
So, it is vital that the Hawks pick someone up to take on that bench play-making duty. If they decide to re-sign Teague, who is a free agent in the summer, it will cost them much less than the $19 million he is earning this season. They might even think of picking up someone like LaMelo Ball or Killian Hayes from the 2020 NBA Draft, although they'd be much wiser to strengthen their starting-five first.
#2: Boston Celtics - Starting calibre centre
The Celtics are well prepared to fight for a chip as it is. They have a bunch of extremely talented young players who are already some of the best in their positions. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are 22 and 23 years old respectively and form a very strong forward pair for the NBA team. Combine that with the back court of Kemba Walker and the defensive monster in Marcus Smart, and you have a force to reckon with. If there's any position that needs attention, it's the centre spot.
Daniel Theis and Enes Kanter are both very decent NBA fives and would be solid options off the bench, but one cannot help but think that a big-time centre is the only one standing between the Cs and another NBA championship.
They actively pursued Andre Drummond from Detroit before he was eventually shipped to Cleveland. It would be no surprise to see them target another centre with such vigour before the next NBA season begins.
Gordon Hayward will almost certainly opt into the final season of a four-year long contract that'll see the 30-year-old earn a massive $34 million. Any ideas of a trade would likely involve Hayward, and although it does seem like a difficult task to pull-off, it's far from impossible. Rudy Gobert, Myles Turner and Steven Adams are all top quality centres whose inclusion would automatically make the Celtics the best starting-five in the NBA.
The Celtics do also have two picks in the 2020 NBA Draft - one their own and the other coming from Memphis. The Grizzlies player could prove to be a lottery pick if they get lucky, but unfortunately, the draft class doesn't have any big-time centre prospects other than James Wiseman who'll likely be the very first pick. So, if at all Celtics manage to bring in a centre, it'll likely be the result of a trade.
#3: Brooklyn Nets - A third star
Rumours have been circulating regarding the Brooklyn Nets' desire to acquire another star to their roster to create a potential 'big three' alongside Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. If those rumours are to be believed, it seems like a sensible decision on their part.
As amazing as Irving and Durant are, they might not be enough to take the Nets all the way to their first ever NBA championship. Alongside their two superstars, the Nets have a solid roster consisting of a few very capable players like Spencer Dinwiddie, Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen and DeAndre Jordan.
However, they are about to lose the sharpshooter in Joe Harris who is expected to leave in free agency, while the signing of Taurean Prince hasn't paid dividends as much as they would've expected.
The one most prominent name linked with a move to Brooklyn is Washington's scoring machine - Bradley Beal. A trade for a player of his quality would certainly be difficult to make. though.
It is likely that the Nets would need to ship away both of their shooting guards in Dinwiddie and LeVert. Even then, they would probably need to include Allen in the trade as he is the one with the most upside in the team as he's an excellent rim protector already. To sweeten the deal, a couple of first round picks might just do the trick.
Of course, such an iconic trade would leave the Nets with no depth whatsoever, but they will have three of the top 15-20 players in the NBA. They will have to re-sign Harris using his Bird rights in such a scenario to avoid clearing their roster out completely.
Even then, they will need to enter the free agency market with their eyes on moderately priced players, like the Lakers did in the beginning of the 2019-20 NBA season. A lot of work needs to be done to make it happen, but if they do manage to do so, they will have a very, very good chance at a first NBA title.
#4: Charlotte Hornets - High-potential players
Michael Jordan's Hornets looked destined to finish rock bottom of the NBA before the season started. After all, their roster was not exactly promising, and they decided to pay $20 million to Terry Rozier.
Surprisingly, they were nowhere near the bottom, sitting comfortably in 10th position in the Eastern conference, when the NBA was paused due to the COVID-19 outbreak. They were never going to make the NBA playoffs, but being better than as many as 7 teams in the league was a win for the Hornets regardless of their post-season ambitions.
A big reason behind that has been the fairly reliable scoring of their back-court duo of Rozier and Graham. The latter, particularly, has been the shining light of Charlotte's season. He leads the team in scoring, play-making and steals too. Alongside their guards, they have a few more interesting young pieces in PJ Washington and Miles Bridges.
Unsurprisingly, developing their pieces is the way forward for the Hornets. There is no move they can pull off that will make them NBA contenders overnight, but they can dream of being one in the near future. As a result, it is in their best interest to acquire more pieces that will likely give them big returns in the future.
It is difficult to lure players to a dumpster fire like Charlotte, of course, but given the promise their young pieces are showing, they might just convince a talented prospect to join their ranks. Christian Wood showed all-star potential after the trade deadline this season, putting up big-time numbers while also providing floor spacing. A sign-and-trade isn't impossible by any means, and if they manage to bag the 24-year-old, it'll be a major win for the organisation.
Of course, to start with, they need to pick well in the coming 2020 NBA Draft.
#5: Chicago Bulls - Find Otto Porter a new home
When the Bulls managed to snag Otto Porter Jr. away from the Washington Wizards for Jabari Parker, Bobby Portis and a second-round pick, it was seen as a pretty decent pick-up for a team desperately in need of pieces that'll instantly make the team better.
After all, Otto Porter was a solid 3-and-D guy who many contending NBA teams in need of a wing player had targeted. To be fair to Chicago, Porter started with a bang in Illinois. He suited up for 15 games in the 2018-19 NBA season for the Bulls and played some of the best ball of his career.
He scored nearly 18 points per game with 5.5 rebounds and 3 assists. Most importantly, he played good perimeter defence and made nearly 50% of his 3s on over five attempts per game. On the other hand, the trade worked out miserably for Washington who now don't have any of the two players they got for Porter.
However, the 2019-20 NBA season has been disastrous for the small-forward, whose numbers took a drastic hit. He wasn't even scoring 12 points anymore and not even shooting 40% from 3.
Injuries were mainly to be blamed for his diminishing returns, but Porter didn't look the same even when he was fit. He will likely exercise his player option to sign a massive $28.5 million contract for the 2020-21 NBA season before he becomes a free agent.
Despite his recent struggles, Porter is a career 48% shooter with 40% efficiency from deep. Come 2021, he'll be 28 and at his physical peak. There will certainly be a number of suitors better poised to sign him than the Bulls, and the risk of losing a highly rated player for nothing is real. In such a situation, it is best to ship him out before the deadline.
It is unlikely that the Bulls will get a genuine star like Demar DeRozan as reports have suggested, but they can certainly plug a few holes here and there with a few usable pieces. They have been in need of a starting calibre playmaker for a very long time, and Porter might be able to find them one. Of course, the Bulls have other issues like the regression of Lauri Markkanen and the dismal coaching of Jim Boylen, but Porter's issue is the one that needs immediate attention.