Month: June 2024

Team Needs: A Point Guard Of The Future, Center Help, Wing Depth,

The New Orleans Pelicans are one of the more interesting teams entering the NBA offseason, one that comes on the heels of a postseason berth and a quick exit from the first round. It seems like they are prepared to build around Zion Williamson, so now, the question becomes how does the rest of the offense fit around him?

Are Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum long-term running mates? Will Jonas Valanciunas come back? Who makes up the core of this team, outside of Williamson and, presumably, the 1-2 punch of Trey Murphy III and Herbert Jones? The good news for New Orleans is that Williamson is a star when he’s able to stay healthy, there are avenues they can go down if they decide to move Ingram and/or McCollum, and of course, the team is able to address holes in the 2024 NBA Draft with the No. 21 overall pick, which is one of the leftover selections they have from the Jrue Holiday trade with the Milwaukee Bucks.

When that pick arrived, the Pelicans unsurprisingly went with one of the best bigs still available in Baylor’s Yves Missi.

Yves Missi (No. 21 Overall), B+: The Pelicans are clearly in the market for a long-term center, and Missi might be the guy. He is very athletic, doesn’t need the ball, and should be able to protect the rim and rebound. It’s a pretty straight-ahead archetype, and you wouldn’t pick Missi’s offensive skill set in a vacuum to pair with Zion Williamson, but he can be a quality two-way option.

Team Needs: Shooting, Wing Defense, Frontcourt Depth

The Cleveland Cavaliers took their first step forward with their Donovan Mitchell-led core last season, as the team won their first round playoff series against the Orlando Magic in seven games. But then, the team ran into a juggernaut in the conference semifinals and got eliminated by the Boston Celtics.

Cleveland now enters an offseason where they had to hire a new head coach (JB Bickerstaff got fired, Kenny Atkinson is his replacement), then figure out how they are going to build their roster out. If you go by reports and public comments, the team plans to fully run it back with the Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen core — assuming they can get Mitchell to agree to a lucrative, long-term contract extension. From there, the Cavs need to look at the strengths and weaknesses of that core (along with Max Strus, who is signed through 2027) and try to figure out what needs to happen so they can make the next step in the Eastern Conference. This meant using the No. 20 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft to get some young, cost controlled reinforcements.

When the 20th pick arrived, the Cavs settled on going after more wing help in the form of Jaylon Tyson out of Cal.

Jaylon Tyson (No. 20 Overall), B-: The Cavs take a bet on a potential two-way wing, and that makes complete sense. This might be a touch high for Tyson, even in a flat draft, but he is a good athlete that can handle the ball with quality feel and the potential to defend.

Team Needs: 3-and-D Wing, Guys Who Can Play Immediately, Backup Big

After winning the 2023 NBA title, there were folks who thought the Denver Nuggets could be on the verge of a dynasty behind Nikola Jokic and the best starting five in the NBA. Fast-forward to the 2024 postseason and as we saw, Denver isn’t invincible, as they blew a 20-point lead in a home Game 7 against the Minnesota Timberwolves and went home in the Western Conference Semifinals.

There were some problems that popped up in the series, namely when it came to depth behind that starting five and the various young dudes they hoped could step into big roles but just couldn’t. As such, they were an interesting team to watch heading into the 2024 NBA Draft, even before you consider Kentavious Caldwell-Pope potentially leaving in free agency. How would Denver be able to respond to coming up short in their title defense, and how would they be able to add some reinforcements to a roster that could really use them?

Ultimately, the Nuggets decided they couldn’t wait until the 28th pick to make their selection, trading up with the Phoenix Suns (who are desperate to add future picks) at No. 22 to take big man DaRon Holmes out of Dayton.

DaRon Holmes (No. 22 Overall), A: This just makes too much sense. Holmes is a personal favorite of mine as a dribble-pass-shoot big man who can also defend. He took great strides as a defender during his career at Dayton and, while it was a three-year run at the college level, Holmes has some ceiling to explore. In Denver, it isn’t as if he’s needed to start anytime soon, but Holmes projects to be a quality backup sooner rather than later, with the benefit of long-term two-way upside.

Team Needs: Shooting, Guard Depth, Wing Depth, Size

The Toronto Raptors did not have the 2023-24 campaign they hoped for, but by the deadline they made clear what their future would be about. After trading Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby, who have both reached massive extension agreements with the Pacers and Knicks respectively this month, the Raptors focused their efforts on building around Scottie Barnes as their centerpiece — and will sign him to a max extension (with supermax escalators) on June 6.

With Barnes locked in long-term, everything in Toronto has to be focused on how to best construct a team around him. There are some big decisions to make this week before they get to free agency, as Bruce Brown has a team option worth $23 million and they hold just the 18th pick in the Draft (via the Pacers), a consequence of their pick they sent to San Antonio for Jakob Poeltl landing at No. 8. With that pick, they figured to look for best player available as they simply need talent.

When the 19th pick rolled around, they landed on Baylor’s Ja’Kobe Walter as the selection.

Ja’Kobe Walter (No. 19 Overall), B-: The Raptors always seem to need shooting and Walter projects to provide it. While he isn’t a tremendous defender by any means, Walter has a 6’10 wingspan, and he also has the ability to create his own shot in spurts. There is a bit of concern about his athleticism, but if it holds up, Walter can succeed.

Team Needs: Shooting, Backcourt Playmaking, More Shooting

The Orlando Magic were one of the young teams in the NBA that took a big leap last year, earning the 5-seed in the East before losing in seven games to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

That series offered a clear illustration of where the Magic need to get better, but also showed that they have a legitimate young star in Paolo Banchero. The core in Orlando, as of now, seems to be Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Jalen Suggs, who finally got a healthy season to show what he can be and impressed. Now the task is building out the talent around them, and filling in the gaps, which is most notably the need for more shooting. The Magic were woefully bad from three in their playoff series, and the lack of backcourt playmaking was glaring as well. With the 18th pick in the Draft, they had a chance to try and address that need some, while the expectation is to be a big player in free agency when it comes to the top shooters on the market.

Ultimately, they landed on one of the Draft’s more veteran players in Colorado’s Tristan da Silva, to help fill some of that shooting void.

Tristan da Silva (No. 18 Overall), B: da Silva is an older player, having turned 23 earlier this year. That might speak to a perceived lack of upside, but da Silva is a player that takes very little off the table. Orlando can benefit from his shooting, at the very least, and he’s a quality ball-mover who projects as a solid supporting defender.

The Memphis Grizzlies entered the 2024 NBA Draft in need of some help at center, particularly after the team moved Steven Adams back in February. While they were linked to a move up for Donovan Clingan of UConn, they were not able to pull that off, and instead, the hole at the 5 ended up getting filled in a big way with the No. 9 overall pick.

Memphis decided to sit there and select Zach Edey, the back-to-back national player of the year at Purdue who stands 7’4 and averaged a ridiculous 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game during his final year in college, where he led Purdue to an appearance int he national championship game. He should be able to provide interior scoring, rebounding, shot blocking, and one hell of a pick-and-roll partner for Ja Morant. And speaking of the Grizzlies’ superstar guard, he sure seems excited about Edey making his way to Memphis, as he posted the following clip from Rush Hour 3 to his Instagram Story.

Edey hasn’t responded to this yet, but if you would like to feel ancient, he was only five years old when Rush Hour 3 came out. Fortunately, he’ll be a bit older if/when we get Rush Hour 4, and if he’d wanna go see it with Morant, I assume he’d be down to join.

Team Needs: Shooting, Center Depth, Playmaking

The Lakers enter the 2024 offseason with a new head coach in JJ Redick but a lot of the same questions about the roster that have existed for a couple of years. How willing they are to be aggressive in filling in those gaps is the question on everyone’s mind regarding the Lakers, including those in the building.

LeBron James can be a free agent this summer, potentially putting some pressure on the Lakers to push some chips in for next season, but Rob Pelinka and company have made it clear there are limits to what they’re willing to do — they seem unwilling to go into the second apron, and were non-committal about moving multiple future draft picks. As such, how they handled the 17th overall pick in Wednesday’s Draft figured to be telling, as they need to add shooting, especially to play the kind of ball Redick wants them to, and also have some depth concerns behind Anthony Davis.

As it turned out, the Lakers were able to land one of the most veteran players in this draft, as Dalton Knecht out of Tennessee slid from being a projected top-10 pick to 17, where L.A. happily scooped him up to address their need for more offensive firepower.

Dalton Knecht (No. 17 Overall), A: Knecht is 23 years old and isn’t the highest upside bet. At the same time, he simply fell too far, and the Lakers present a strong opportunity for him. He’s one of the best shooters in the class but, more than that, Knecht is a potential three-level scorer who plays an NBA-style game on offense. The defense is a lot less exciting to be sure, but this is a very solid landing spot for him and a great value for LA.

Team Needs: Players, Wings, Shooting

NBA teams rarely enter an offseason with as clean a slate as the Philadelphia 76ers, who have two (2) players under contract right now in Joel Embiid and Paul Reed. Tyrese Maxey is a restricted free agent and will be signing a max contract with the Sixers as soon as they take care of building out the rest of their roster, but they are a serious player for any of the top free agents, headlined by Paul George.

With the 16th pick in Wednesday night’s Draft, the Sixers had the ability to add a cost controlled young player to their roster if they felt someone was available that could help them soon. They also could use it to chase a veteran on the trade market, perhaps from a certain team not far away that’s having a fire sale. In any case, the Sixers need, well, everything that’s not a starting center.

Once the 16th pick rolled around, they couldn’t resist adding some shooting to their relatively non-existent roster, taking Duke’s Jared McCain.

Jared McCain (No. 16 Overall), B: McCain is a big-time shooter. That’s the primary appeal, but he also checks a ton of boxes as a quality support player. You’d love it if he was a bit bigger next to Tyrese Maxey, but McCain’s defense is solid and he has a ton of gravity.

Team Needs: Frontcourt Depth, Point Guard Depth, Offensive Creation

The Miami Heat could not follow up their stunning run to the Finals from the Play-In a year ago with a similar effort, falling in five games to the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. Now they enter an offseason where Jimmy Butler extension talks loom over everything, although chatter has cooled about him pushing his way out in a trade if an extension doesn’t materialize.

The Heat are always hellbent on acquiring star talent, but they don’t have a ton in the way of great assets to make big moves — as evidenced by last year’s failed run at Damian Lillard. They have locked up Bam Adebayo long-term on what looks to be a team-friendly extension (even at $55 million per year on average), but it’s not clear if there’s a big swing available to the Heat. If not, the 15th pick in Wednesday night’s Draft figured to be an important spot to land a potential contributor, similarly to what they did last year with Jaime Jaquez Jr.

There were some intriguing names on the board when the Heat ended up on the clock, but they took a surprising path with Indiana big man Kel’el Ware a bit earlier than most projected.

Kel’el Ware (No. 15 Overall), C+: Candidly, I was surprised by this pick. Ware has tremendous measurables and skills, which aligns with a pick in this range. If the whole package comes together, Ware can become a starting center or better. But his concerns with motor and attentiveness don’t scream “Miami Heat,” so it was a bit of an off-the-radar choice, especially on a team with Bam already entrenched at center. Still, there is clear upside with Ware.

Team Needs: Power Forward Upgrade, Perimeter/Wing Defense, Center Depth

The Sacramento Kings didn’t take a huge step back last year, but it was just enough to get leap-frogged by a number of teams in the West and kept them out of the playoffs. After choosing to run it back a year ago and seeing the team stagnate a bit, it’s expected that the Kings look to make some upgrades on their roster this summer. They don’t seem to want to change everything, as evidenced by a savvy re-signing of Malik Monk before he could even hit the free agent market, but they are on the hunt for a player or two that could get them back in the playoff chase.

They came into the 2024 NBA Draft with the 13th pick, which presented a choice for the Kings front office of either adding another young player to the roster or seeking out a trade that could bring in veteran help. A package of Harrison Barnes, Kevin Huerter, and a pick has been rumored to be out there for an upgrade at the 4-spot, as they look to bring in a two-way forward to raise their ceiling a bit, hoping to find a player that can fit between De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, and Keegan Murray.

After searching for a trade with the 13th pick, apparently discussing deals with Washington and Brooklyn for Kyle Kuzma and Cam Johnson, the Kings opted to take Providence’s Devin Carter, landing a player ready to contribute early.

Devin Carter (No. 13 Overall), B+: The Kings were reportedly shopping this pick all week but, in the end, they take one of the late risers in the class. Carter is arguably the best guard defender in the draft, and he took a large step forward as a shooter in his final college season. The Kings missed on this type of pick with Davion Mitchell, but Carter has a better overall package.