Utah Jazz: Off Season Preview

          The Utah Jazz are sitting at a pretty good place right now. They have a young roster filled with talent, including Gordon Heyward, Derrick Favors, Trey Burke and Alec Burks. This offseason they will have even more of a chance to improve their roster.

          The biggest priority this offseason for the Jazz is resigning Gordon Heyward. They don’t need to go out and get someone in free agency; they just need to focus on picking the right player in the draft. Utah isn’t going to attract any major players, so the draft is where the Jazz have to build.

        Utah has the 5^th and 23^rd players in the draft. With the latest news on Joel Embiid, it is hard to tell who they will pick, considering they were projected to get Noah Vonleh who now is projected go to Orlando. Regardless of who is available, they need to pick the best player available. If they pick a big man, Enes Kanter is an attractive trade asset that plenty of teams would be interested in. It wouldn’t make sense to keep three high level big men on the team, so trading Kanter for another position of need would be smart. At pick number 23, some mock drafts have Utah picking Kyle Anderson out of UCLA. Anderson is a long wing player who can score at will. He lacks elite athleticism, but his scoring will have him contributing big minutes for Utah.

          Utah could very well be on the brink of being a playoff team. They have the young talent and once you add who they get in this draft, they will have the pieces to develop into a very good team.

Sacramento Kings: Off Season Preview

          The Sacramento Kings have been in the process of building a young, talented roster around Demarcus Cousins. Cousins is the centerpiece of the Kings franchise, and they have done a very good job of putting a young cast around him. This offseason Sacramento will look to complete the building of their roster.

          The main priority for the Kings this offseason will be retaining Rudy Gay. Gay, along with Isaiah Thomas and Demarcus Cousins, scored 63 percent of the team’s points per game. Keeping those three together will ensure success for the franchise. The problem with Sacramento is that they might have too much youth. The Kings only have two players over 30 years old, and those two players put together only averaged roughly 16 minutes per game. Their top seven scorers this past season were all under 27 years old. This would be considered good for most teams, but it is possible that the Kings have too much youth.

          The goal for this offseason needs to be adding some good, veteran players. The Kings hold the eighth pick in the draft, which could be dealt along with a younger player to add an experienced star to the team. If they decide not to trade that pick, their options are far and wide on whom to use the eighth pick on. Most mock drafts have the Kings drafting a power forward, which would mean they will either pick Julius Randle out of Kentucky or Aaron Gordon out of Arizona. The difference between the two is that Gordon might be a little more athletic, but Randle is more developed on the offensive end. Both have fantastic upside, so the Kings really can’t go wrong with either.

          The future is very bright for the Kings. They have a young roster and a star center in Demarcus Cousins to go along with it. If they resign Rudy Gay and get a good player in the draft, the Kings will be competitive in the west for years to come.

Phoenix Suns: Off Season Preview

          Phoenix was the surprise of the league this past year, barely missing the playoffs. They have a young roster full of talent that fits well together. This offseason their front office will be busy trying to build the Suns momentum heading into next season.

          The first thing Phoenix has to do this offseason is retain Eric Bledsoe. He was the key to their success this past season and is the key to their future success. The Suns also need a rim protector. Alex Len is too young and he just isn’t ready to be able to provide the Suns with that.

          These needs could very well be addressed in the draft. Phoenix has the 14^th, 18^th and 27^th picks in the draft. This could mean they draft three solid role players, or they could package those picks along with a guy like Archie Goodwin for a higher draft pick or a star player. Phoenix has tons of flexibility with having these three picks and it will be interesting to see what they do with them.

          If Phoenix decides to keep these picks, they will have a huge opportunity to put some good players around Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic. Most mock drafts have them getting T.J. Warren at 14, Gary Harris at 18, and Jarnell Stokes at 27. Harris and Warren would provide them with instant offense off the bench. Young has the potential to be a good NBA starter down the road, while Harris will mostly serve as a scorer off the bench. Stokes would give them a solid big man off the bench who can score and rebound. He has the potential to be an NBA starter at some point, but it is likely he will serve as a role player early in his career for the Suns.

          The Suns have managed to set themselves up for a good run. They have some really good young talent and with the amount of picks they have they can add even more depth and talent to their roster. Expect the Suns to be a playoff team for years to come.

Philadelphia 76ers: Off Season Preview

The 76ers knew going into last season that they would not be very good. The reward for not being any good; a high draft pick. With that high draft pick, the 76ers know exactly who they want; Andrew Wiggins.

The 76ers hold the 3^rd and 10^th picks in the draft. With that 3^rd overall pick, they hope that Andrew Wiggins will fall to them. That hope might not be good enough for the 76ers, who are trying to trade their 3^rd overall pick and Thaddeus Young to the Cleveland Cavaliers for the number one overall pick.

Wiggins would be a major upgrade at small forward. With the pick of Wiggins, the Sixers are looking to complete their “Big 3”, albeit a young one. The core of Carter-Williams, Wiggins and Noel is one that would be very competitive down the road.

That option seems to have gone up in smoke with the latest development around Joel Embiid. Embiid has a stress fracture in his foot and he has fallen in most mock drafts. This means Cleveland will more than likely take Andrew Wiggins with the first pick in the draft. With that said, most mock drafts have Philadelphia picking Dante Exum at number three. He provides another big guard who can score from anywhere on the floor. A combo of him and Michael Carter-Williams would be a force in the NBA for years to come.

The Sixers also hold the 10^th overall pick. Some of the latest mock drafts have Philadelphia taking Dario Saric out of Croatia at ten. Saric can score at will in the post and has pretty good upside. He has the potential to be a good starter at the power forward position. His downside is his athleticism. He is considered a ‘point forward’, but does not have the foot speed to guard other point forwards.

On top of the potential huge win for the 76ers on draft day, they also have loads of salary cap space to fall back on. Their biggest contract at the moment is Thaddeus Young, who is making roughly 8 million a year. With all that cap room, the 76ers could certainly make a big signing this offseason to go along with their draft picks.

The future is bright for the 76ers barring injury. It may take a few years for all of these young players to develop chemistry, but give them two or three years and they will be serious contenders in the east.

Minnesota Timberwolves: Off Season Preview

          The Timberwolves have been ridden with injuries over the past year. Due to this, they weren’t very good. They have a tough offseason ahead of them, even though some good may come out of it.

          The main objective for the Timberwolves this offseason is getting the best deal they can for Kevin Love. As of right now it seems as if the Warriors are going to land Love and Minnesota will get Klay Thompson and David Lee in return. This trade would break even for both teams. Minnesota will get something for Love rather than nothing, but the Warriors lose their second best scorer and one of their best rebounders. If this deal doesn’t get done with Golden State, the Celtics have been another team widely talked about in conversations about Love’s landing place.

          Aside from Love, Minnesota holds the 13^th pick in the draft. This will give them the opportunity to grab a player who will be a big contributor to the team down the road. The general consensus amongst mock draft is that they will land Rodney Hood. He would provide instant offense for the Timberwolves and is a pretty good outside shooter.

          Minnesota looks to be a team that is stuck in the middle. They aren’t good enough to make a championship run but aren’t bad enough to get a franchise player in the draft. They will need to either try to make a blockbuster deal and get a superstar or trade away some assets to get draft picks. Until they do one of the two, they will continue to be a mid-tier team.

Milwaukee Bucks: Off Season Preview

          The Milwaukee Bucks are a team that needs to improve at every position on the floor. They had the worst record in the league last season and that’s not because they tanked. Luckily for the Bucks, they have the number two pick in the draft in a year where they will more than likely get a franchise player who they can build around.

          First off, with the number two overall pick in the draft it looks like the Bucks will be picking Jabari Parker. He will give them instant scoring and provide them with a centerpiece guy who they can put other players around. They already have Josh Henson, Brandon Knight, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, so add Parker to those four and you have a good young core of players to build around.

          The main thing the Bucks front office needs to do this offseason is shed salary and don’t spend money in free agency. The mistake they have made in the past is over paying in free agency for a player who will slightly improve the team or not improve the team at all. They can accomplish this by getting rid of three people: O.J. Mayo, Zaza Pachulia and Ersan Ilyasova. If they move these three, they will have freed 21.6 million dollars in cap space.

         Now, that will be easier said than done. Mayo will be the hardest to move out of the three, just because he doesn’t have much room to get better and his contract is worth 16 million over two years. Not many teams will want to take on that contract. Pachulia on the other hand will be easier to deal. He could be a solid backup center for someone and his contract is only worth 10.4 million over two years. The easiest of the three will be moving Ilyasova. He is a solid stretch four who can knock down the three. Even better, a team could get that value for 7.9 million a year.

          Aside from moving players, there is one guy who they do not need to move; Larry Sanders. Sanders value is at an all time low right now. The catch to this is that his value will more than likely improve over the next year or so. He has the potential to be a good starting center in the league. They aren’t going to get anything for him right now, so wait until his value rises, which it will, and deal him.

          The Bucks have the potential to be a playoff team in the coming years. Now, whether or not they will remains to be seen. With the right moves they could be a 50 win team. With the wrong moves, they will stay in the low-mid tier range.

Miami Heat: Off Season Preview

          This offseason for the Heat will be all about keeping LeBron James. As of right now, I would say he is 50/50 on whether or not he will stay. It will all revolve around what Pat Riley does with the roster. If LeBron thinks he can win a championship with what Pat Riley puts around him; if he doesn’t, he will leave.

          Regardless of LeBron James, Miami needs to do a lot to improve the roster. Bosh and Wade will more than likely stay in Miami, but they need to opt out and take less money if they want anything to be done with the roster. Wade is not worth the 20 million or so that he is due to be paid. Miami has acted like they want to bring in Carmelo Anthony, but there is no chance that happens. They don’t have the money to do that even if the big three all took a pay cut. Pat Riley needs to solidify the bench rather than try to get Carmelo Anthony.

          Aside from James, Wade and Bosh, Pat Riley needs to find a way to field a 12 man team. All of these players have expiring contracts: Ray Allen, Mario Chalmers, Shane Battier (will likely retire), Toney Douglas, James Jones, Rashard Lewis, Greg Oden and Michael Beasley. Therefore, Riley has a lot of work to do. In my opinion, they should only try to retain Jones, Chalmers and Allen. Chalmers might be a little challenging to keep, considering he might want a pay raise from what he’s getting in Miami.

          The one move Miami might be able to make is acquiring Kyle Lowry from Toronto. They could make the money work in getting him in if the big three took a pay cut. If they got him they would not resign Mario Chalmers. As of right now, it looks like Lowry will stay in Toronto.

          The one thing Miami is not used to is being able to draft a player who could actually contribute right away. This year they have the 26^th pick and in a deep draft, that means they might be able to score a solid bench player. Some of the most current mock drafts have Miami taking Shabazz Napier out of Connecticut at 26^th. This would be a phenomenal pick. He would provide some immediate scoring off the bench, something the Heat desperately need.

          The fate of Miami literally rests in LeBron James hands. If he opts out and heads to Cleveland, the Heat will still be a good team, but they won’t be a championship contender. If he stays, they still won’t have much of a bench and Dwayne Wade will keep getting older; but they will still be a contender. The key to the Heat’s continued success is Dwayne Wade opting out and taking less money, giving the Heat more flexibility to solidify their bench.

Memphis Grizzlies: Off Season Preview

          The Grizzlies have all but reached their full potential as a team. As usual, there isn’t much going on in the Grizzlies camp as far as adding any players is concerned. They do however have some in house things to take care of.

          This offseason will be about getting a contract extension done with Zach Randolph. His partner in crime, Marc Gasol, has already said he is in for the long term, so all that is left is Randolph signing an extension. These two are the key for Memphis, and it looks like Randolph will in fact agree to an extension.

          The one way Memphis could improve their roster this offseason is through the draft. They hold the 22^nd pick in the draft. Most mock drafts have differing opinions on who they will take, but it seems the majority of drafts have them taking Zach LaVine. He would provide some instant scoring off the bench and at 6’6 could become an above average perimeter defender.

          Even though Memphis has been a good team lately, it almost seems as if they are stuck in that no mans land of not good enough to win a championship and not bad enough to get a high draft pick. The Grizzlies will continue to be pretty good, but if they want a chance at a championship, they need to try and make a blockbuster trade or trade away assets for picks in hopes of landing a star or two.

Los Angeles Lakers: Off Season Preview

          In a word, the Los Angeles Lakers are a mess. Last season was one of their worst in a long time, and Kobe Bryant’s poor health doesn’t give them much hope for a championship run before he retires. What the Lakers need to do if build for the future instead of trying to win another championship with Kobe, cause that isn’t going to happen. The Lakers will have a good opportunity this summer to begin that rebuilding process.

          The first thing The Lakers front office needs to do is orchestrate a sign and trade with Pau Gasol. Gasol isn’t getting any younger and he still has a little value on the trade market. The next thing they need to do is go all out for Kevin Love. Them landing Love is a long shot, but it is something they need to at least try to get done. If there is one thing going into the offseason that the Lakers feel good about, it’s resigning Nick Young. Young has stated over and over again that he will resign for a ‘hometown discount’. Young, along with Jodie Meeks, are two young players that will be solid for years to come.

          Where the rebuilding process starts is in the draft. The Lakers hold the 7^th pick in the draft, a spot they haven’t been in for a while. With that pick, the Lakers are looking at getting either Marcus Smart of Julius Randle. If there is only one left available, the Lakers will take him. If they are both available, they can’t go wrong with either. Randle provides a low post presence with tons of upside, while Smart provides a big athletic guard who can score. If I had to pick, I would say the Lakers would pick Smart in this situation. Smart probably has a little more upside than Randle and is more versatile on the offensive end.

          The Lakers future is bleak at this point, but this offseason will be huge in pushing the team in the right direction. They can get something for Pau Gasol and with a good draft; they could get themselves a player to build around.

Los Angeles Clippers: Off Season Preview

            In the midst of the Donald Sterling fiasco, the Clippers made a solid run into the playoffs. They have the star power to make a championship run, but the front office will still be busy this offseason.

            Injuries affected what was supposed to be their shooters this past season in J.J. Reddick and Jared Dudley. Given that, they have to add some shooting this offseason. They only shot 35 percent from three this past season, which will simply not cut it. Paul Pierce will be an option if Kevin Garnett retires, that would be a long shot though. They would have the cap room to do so, considering Danny Granger won’t be resigned. Aside from the need of shooting, the Clippers need to solidify their backcourt altogether. With the injuries that their guards have suffered, they need as much depth as they can get. The first step in solidifying their backcourt is resigning Darren Collison at all costs. When Chris Paul was out last season, Collison averaged 14.8 points and 5.3 assists. Chris Paul gets hurt all the time, so it is important that his backup is capable of starting. As of right now, it looks like Collison will not resign with the Clippers.

            The draft could be used in many ways for the Clippers. They pick 28^th, and right now most projections have them taking Michigan power forward Mitch McGary. McGary would go a long way in solidifying the Los Angeles front court. Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan need a rest every once in a while, and McGary would be able to give them that.

            The Clippers are just step away from being a serious contender for the NBA championship. If they can stay healthy and retain who they have, they will be a top four team in the west next season.