Washington Wizards: Off Season Preview

          The Wizards are looking at a quiet offseason. After finishing one of their best seasons in a while, the Wizards have no draft picks in the first round, and it is not likely they will sing anyone in free agency. The action for the Wizards offseason will come internally.

          Both Trevor Ariza and Marcin Gortat have expiring contracts. The Wizards will try to retain both, unless the duo becomes too expensive. The Wizards are afraid that this might be the case, and if it came down to it, they would resign Gortat over Ariza. Another guy that has an expired contract is guard Andre Miller. It is reported that Miller will more than likely be resigned by the Wizards.

          The Wizards have as bright a future as anyone in the east. They have two spectacular guards in John Wall and Bradley Beal. The guard duo averaged 36 points and 12 assist a game last season. These two will be the key to their success down the road. Nene and Gortat will always be reliable big men, averaging 27 points and 15 rebounds a game together last season. One thing that could send Washington to the next level is the development of Otto Porter. Porter came in with high expectations this past year, but only played in 37 games this past season. If he reaches his potential, the Wizards will have a young trio that will keep Washington a playoff team for years to come.

Toronto Raptors: Off Season Preview

          The Toronto Raptors had a very successful 2013-2014 campaign, and they are looking to build off that momentum. They have a solid young core of Demar DeRozan, Terrance Ross, Patrick Patterson and Kyle Lowry. Those four averaged 60 of the teams average of 96 points a game this past season.        

         The Raptors biggest priority this offseason will be keeping Kyle Lowry. It looks like Lowry is leaning towards staying in Toronto at this point. The team that is talked about the most in taking Lowry from Toronto is the Miami Heat. Miami needs a good point guard and they can afford Lowry.

         The Raptors do not have much cap room to work with, at least not enough to sign a big time player. One player that has been mentioned in free agent talk is Vince Carter. Carter is one the best players in Raptors history, so bringing him in would be sort of a homecoming for Carter.

          Toronto will look to further improve their team in the draft. The Raptors hold the number 20 pick in the draft, and some current mock drafts have Syracuse point guard Tyler Ennis falling to the Raptors at 20. He would serve as a very good back up to Lowry. In the unlikely case that Lowry leaves, he would be an average starting point guard with the potential to be a good one.

          The Raptors future is as bright as any. They have a young core that will only get better and a bench to go along with it. The Raptors front office has done a good job in building this team and will continue to make them a contender through the draft.

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.

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.