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2024 NBA Offseason Preview: Atlanta Hawks

June 1st, 2024 at 10:30am CST by Rory Maher

When I previewed the Hawks‘ 2023 offseason a year ago, I wrote that they had been trending in the wrong direction since they made a surprise appearance the Eastern Conference finals in 2021.

That remained true in 2023/24, with Atlanta going just 36-46 and failing to make the playoffs for the first time since that ’20/21 run. The team was eliminated in its first play-in game as the No. 10 seed, ending the season on a seven-game losing streak.

In general, much of what I wrote last year remains an issue for Atlanta. The team has talent on the roster, but the pieces don’t fit well together and not many of the players are well-rounded.

Last offseason, the Hawks had a messy financial situation — that’s still the case. Owner Tony Ressler has never paid the luxury tax and there’s almost no chance he will next season with this group.

During the season, not a whole lot went well from a big-picture perspective. Nearly every player on the roster either stayed about the same or their value took a hit (Trae Young, AJ Griffin, Kobe Bufkin, Saddiq Bey). That certainly isn’t what the Hawks were hoping for in the first full campaign under head coach Quin Snyder.

Even the best part of the team’s season — the emergence of third-year forward Jalen Johnson — comes with a couple of caveats. The 22-year-old was limited to 56 games due to a variety of injuries, plus he’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason. Those negotiations will be far from straightforward — the sample size of Johnson producing at a high level is pretty small, yet he seemingly has more leverage than most players in his situation.

The Hawks were never anything more than mediocre this past season. Maybe they could have been .500 — or at least closer to it — if they were a little healthier, but they didn’t have abnormally poor injury luck, and slightly better on-court results would have been a far worse outcome than what actually transpired, for a number of different reasons.

If Atlanta had made the playoffs, the team wouldn’t have been in the draft lottery. The Hawks wound up winning the lottery, moving up from No. 10 to No. 1 overall. The odds of that happening were just 3%.

If the Hawks had not only made the playoffs but had also made another surprising run by winning a round or two, that could have inspired further belief in the current roster. Perhaps the front office would have considered minor tweaks instead of a more drastic overhaul, which is sorely needed.

The Hawks’ Offseason Plan

In most years, the No. 1 pick is extremely coveted. On some occasions, it can be franchise-altering. If the consensus among talent evaluators is accurate, 2024 is not that year.

The Hawks are reportedly expected to select a French prospect – either Zaccharie Risacher or Alexandre Sarr – with the top pick. UConn center Donovan Clingan has also reportedly received some consideration. The team should draft whichever player it thinks has the best chance of developing into an All-Star, because Atlanta needs more high-end talent.

Could the Hawks trade the top pick? Sure, they could. But if the perception is accurate that there isn’t a huge difference in value between No. 1 and No. 10, I don’t think the return would be worthwhile.

Atlanta will definitely be hoping it doesn’t win the lottery again in any of the next three years — as part of the Dejounte Murray deal, the Spurs control Atlanta’s unprotected first-round picks in 2025 and 2027 and they have swap rights with the Hawks in ’26.

Last year, I wrote that the biggest offseason question facing the Hawks was “what to do with the backcourt pairing of Young and Murray.” The biggest question now is, which of the two should they trade?

Murray likely has more trade value than Young, largely due to his contract. Murray surprisingly signed a four-year, $111MM+ extension last offseason when he was expected to be seeking a max in 2024 free agency — that was one of the best things that happened to Atlanta in the last calendar year, as he would have far less trade appeal on a max deal.

In a vacuum, Young is a better player, but you have to build your team specifically around his skill set. Frankly, I’m not sure how many teams would even be interested in taking on the three-time All-Star’s maximum-salary contract.

Both players are somewhat polarizing. Murray has had moments of immaturity and is at his best with the ball in his hands, but he isn’t an efficient scorer and his defense has gone from plus to minus the past few seasons — the Hawks were much better defensively when the 27-year-old was off the court in ’23/24.

Since they don’t control their own picks for the next three years, the Hawks have no incentive to tank. It also makes the Spurs a natural source of speculation as a trade partner, as Atlanta would love to have those picks back.

I don’t see San Antonio seriously entertaining trade proposals for Young or Murray, especially if they’re centered around those picks. It would give the Hawks a free avenue to rebuild, and their current position is much more precarious and thus more advantageous for the Spurs.

For all his offensive talent, Young has always been a liability on the other end. He actually tried much harder on defense last season, but he’s relatively diminutive for an NBA player and is physically over-matched. He also doesn’t fit the archetype of what the Spurs have valued in recent years (length, defense, versatility).

Murray is probably more realistic. San Antonio drafted him and helped him develop into an All-Star. The Spurs already traded him once though, and his fit with their current roster would be awkward — they badly need shooting and that isn’t one of his main strengths.

This is admittedly a little outside the box, given they’ve traded away players each of the past two deadlines, but would the Jazz have interest in Young or Murray? A recent report said Utah is open to trading its picks this year and that rival teams think owner Ryan Smith is ready to add more high-end talent to the roster.

Utah will have enough cap room this summer to acquire Murray outright without taking any money back. And the team would only have to move one mid-sized contract to fit Young’s contract on the books.

The Lakers will continue to be linked to both guards. The Magic project to have plenty of cap room and don’t have a clear long-term answer at point guard, but maybe they don’t need one. The Pelicans have been linked to Murray and also have a hole at point.

Clint Capela is a prime trade candidate. The veteran center is on an expiring $22.3MM expiring contract and remains productive, but he has certain limitations (non-shooter, doesn’t dribble or pass well) and he’s on the wrong side of 30 now. For a player who is very reliant on athleticism, that’s a little worrying.

De’Andre Hunter is another player who will continue to pop up in trade rumors, even if Atlanta’s salary cap crunch is resolved. I’m not sure how much value he’ll have either, given his injury history and relatively stagnant production. The idea of a 3-and-D combo forward has always been intriguing, but his actual play has never consistently aligned with that notion.

Bogdan Bogdanovic is another veteran whose situation is worth monitoring. His skill set is easier to plug-and-play and he would thus hold a wider appeal, but Atlanta values him for the same reasons.

All three of those players could potentially be acquired by cap-room teams without sending any money back in return. I’m not implying the Hawks will just straight up dump them without getting any assets back — they’re all solid players — but Atlanta is financially incentivized to get below the luxury tax.

Including the cap hold for the No. 1 pick, the Hawks will have 11 players on guaranteed deals and a team salary of $170.9MM. The luxury tax line is projected to be $171.3MM. Something has to give.

I don’t expect Atlanta to re-sign Bey unless he comes at a major discount after tearing the ACL in his left knee in March. He likely would have been tendered a $8.5MM qualifying offer to become a restricted free agent if the injury hadn’t occurred, but I’d be a little surprised if it happens now.

Realistically, no one on this roster should be untouchable, even Johnson. I’m not advocating for Atlanta to trade him or anything, but if some team really wants him and is willing to overpay, the Hawks have to at least listen. They aren’t in a position to say anyone is off limits — they need to get better any way they can at this point. Even doing a reset with another team’s picks is better than continually dealing with expensive rosters that don’t produce the results needed to justify the costs.

Salary Cap Situation

Guaranteed Salary

Non-Guaranteed Salary

  • Bruno Fernando ($2,717,391)
    • Fernando’s salary will become guaranteed if he remains under contract through June 29.
  • Total: $2,717,391

Dead/Retained Salary

  • None

Player Options

  • None

Team Options

  • Garrison Mathews ($2,230,253): Bird rights
    • If his option is exercised, Mathews’ salary would remain non-guaranteed until June 29.
  • Total: $2,230,253

Restricted Free Agents

  • Saddiq Bey ($8,486,620 qualifying offer / $13,670,949 cap hold): Bird rights
  • Total (cap holds): $13,670,949

Two-Way Free Agents

Note: Because he is no longer eligible to sign a two-way contract, Windler’s qualifying offer would be worth the minimum salary for a player with five years of NBA experience (projected to be $2,432,511). It would include a small partial guarantee.

Draft Picks

  • No. 1 overall pick ($12,605,760 cap hold)
  • Total (cap holds): $12,605,760

Extension-Eligible Players

  • Clint Capela (veteran)
  • Bruno Fernando (veteran)
    • Extension-eligible as of October 2.
  • Jalen Johnson (rookie scale)
  • Garrison Mathews (veteran)
    • Extension-eligible until June 30 (or beyond, if his team option is exercised).
  • Trae Young (veteran)

Note: Unless otherwise indicated, these players are eligible for extensions beginning in July.

Unrestricted Free Agents

Cap Exceptions Available

Note: The Hawks project to operate over the cap and over the first tax apron. If they move below the first apron, they would gain access to the bi-annual exception ($4,681,000) and the full mid-level exception ($12,859,000) instead of the taxpayer mid-level exception and would regain access to their three trade exceptions (the largest of which is worth $23,019,560 and expires on July 8).

  • Taxpayer mid-level exception: $5,183,000

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

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2024 NBA Offseason Preview: Chicago Bulls

May 31st, 2024 at 2:59pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls went 39-43 during the 2023/24 season, a year after going 40-42 in ’22/23 and two years after posting a 19-23 second-half record following Lonzo Ball‘s season-ending knee injury in ’21/22.

Yes, it briefly looked like the pieces might all fit together when Ball was healthy early in his first year with the team and the Bulls went 27-13, but that was a long time ago. Kristaps Porzingis was still a Maverick back then; Tyrese Haliburton was still a King; Carmelo Anthony was still in the NBA.

Whether or not Ball is able to return to action this fall, three knee surgeries and two-and-a-half seasons later, his presence won’t turn a team that has been unable to play .500 ball without him into a legitimate contender.

Changes are badly needed in Chicago, and with no indication that the Bulls are planning to replace head coach Billy Donovan or remove decision-making power from head of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas, those changes will have to come on the court, where the team simply can’t run out this roster again with only cosmetic changes.

The Bulls haven’t completed a trade involving a player on their roster since before Ball got hurt — their only deal during that time came on draft night in 2023, when they sent a couple future second-round picks to Washington for the right to draft Julian Phillips at No. 35. I expect that period of inactivity on the trade market to end in a major way this summer, given the ample evidence that the current group isn’t built to advance beyond the first round of the playoffs.

The Bulls’ Offseason Plan

Of course, even if the Bulls’ brass accepts the premise that this roster is stuck in the middle and major changes are necessary, there are no easy answers about what exactly the next moves look like.

When a team retools its roster, the process typically involves building around a rising young star and/or trading away an impact veteran or two in exchange for a valuable package of team-friendly contracts and draft assets. But the Bulls, who haven’t had a first-round pick in two of the last three years, don’t exactly have a plethora of young talent on rookie scale contracts to build around.

Coby White enjoyed a major breakout year in 2023/24 and is on a relatively team-friendly deal, but he projects more as an above-average starter going forward than a true star. Former second-rounder Ayo Dosunmu, another player already on his second contract, also looks more like a solid rotation piece than a future All-Star. Dalen Terry, Chicago’s 2022 first-rounder, has yet to earn a regular rotation role, while 2020 lottery pick Patrick Williams is headed for restricted free agency after suffering two major injuries in the past three years and never averaging more than 10.2 points per game. The Bulls are also picking outside the top 10 in this year’s draft, reducing the odds of finding a franchise cornerstone there.

Maybe, then, cashing in on some veteran trade chips is the way to go for Chicago. But the Bulls don’t have a Donovan Mitchell or a Rudy Gobert on hand to kick-start their retooling process like the Jazz did two summers ago when they traded those two stars for a total of eight players (including former Bull Lauri Markkanen), seven unprotected or lightly protected first-round picks, and three pick swaps.

The Bulls’ top trade chips come with more red flags, starting with Zach LaVine. LaVine is a terrific scorer who has a pair of All-Star nods and a career 38.2% three-point percentage on his résumé, but he’s coming off season-ending foot surgery, has never been an asset on the defensive end, and is owed approximately $138MM across the next three seasons. That contract is harder to stomach under the new CBA, which has created additional challenges for teams carrying multiple maximum-salary players. LaVine’s trade value will be at an all-time low this summer, so there’s no guarantee a trade partner will give up even one unprotected future first-rounder for him unless the Bulls attach another asset or take back some unwanted money.

Moving 33-year-old center Nikola Vucevic won’t be much easier. Vucevic’s shooting percentages in 2023/24 (.484 FG%, .294 3PT%) were below his career rates and he’s not a feared rim protector. His contract, which runs for two more years and is worth $41.5MM, isn’t especially onerous, but it’s not team-friendly either, which will limit his appeal as a trade piece.

DeMar DeRozan would have more value on the trade market than either LaVine or Vucevic, but his contract with the Bulls will expire next month, so he’s not a legitimate trade candidate unless the team can find a sign-and-trade partner. Alex Caruso might be Chicago’s most sought-after trade chip, but the team has set a high asking price for him during recent transaction windows, and now that he’s on an expiring contract, suitors would be reluctant to give up a substantial return unless they’re pretty confident they’d be able to extend him.

Given all these challenges, what might the Bulls’ offseason look like? Well, even if LaVine won’t return a huge package of first-round picks, it’s probably the right time for the two sides to go their separate ways, and there will likely be at least one team willing to take a swing on a player who once averaged 27.4 points per game on .507/.419/.849 shooting and is still just 29 years old.

Chicago’s blueprint in a LaVine trade should be the Russell Westbrook deal the Wizards made with the Lakers in 2021 — in that swap, Washington gave up Westbrook and a pair of future second-round picks in exchange for Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell, and that year’s No. 22 pick.

The Bulls likely won’t come out as well as Washington did, since Westbrook’s value was higher then than LaVine’s is now, but the goal should be to acquire a few role players whose cap hits are more manageable than LaVine’s $43MM figure and whom the Bulls might be able to get more out of than their previous team did. Any draft assets they can acquire on top of that would be great, but even just turning LaVine into two or three players who could play lesser roles and who could be flipped more easily in future deals could be a win, especially if the club can shed some salary in the process.

All indications are that the Bulls and DeRozan are interested in continuing their relationship as he enters his age-35 season. While I’m skeptical that DeRozan will still be playing at a high level by the time Chicago becomes a legitimate contender, I don’t hate the idea of re-signing him to a relatively short-term deal, perhaps one that includes two fully guaranteed years. The return in a sign-and-trade would likely be minimal, and he’s still a valuable enough asset that you’d prefer not to lose him for nothing. If the Bulls re-sign him and decide by the 2025 trade deadline that they want to tear the roster down further, DeRozan would be movable at that time.

Re-signing Williams to avoid losing the asset is also probably the right play — he has shown flashes of real two-way upside and the Bulls will be wary of repeating what happened with Markkanen, who blossomed into an All-Star after leaving Chicago. But the team will have to tread carefully in negotiations with Williams, who reportedly turned down a four-year, $64MM extension offer last fall. Investing long-term in the former No. 4 overall pick means betting on further growth and more consistent production. It’s a bit of a risk, so if there’s another suitor pushing up the price for Williams, the Bulls will have to determine just how high they’re willing to go to match it. It’s also worth noting that since he’ll be restricted, a sign-and-trade deal involving Williams would probably be more viable than one for DeRozan.

The Bulls will have to be careful about their proximity to the luxury tax line as they discuss new contracts with DeRozan and Williams. Once they fully guarantee Caruso’s salary and take into account the cap hold for the No. 11 overall pick, the Bulls will have about $130.4MM committed to 10 roster spots. On the surface, that looks like plenty of breathing room below the projected luxury tax line of $171.3MM, but DeRozan and Williams earned $38.4MM last season and are unlikely to make less than that in 2024/25. Bringing back those two players and adding two more minimum-salary players would almost certainly push team salary into tax territory, which the franchise has made an effort to avoid over the years.

With those financial constraints in mind, there are certain scenarios in which the Bulls may be inclined to let DeRozan or Williams walk, though that would be a tough sell to fans when the only real benefit is saving team ownership some money. Ideally, the Bulls would be able to cut costs elsewhere, perhaps by sending out more salary than they take back in a LaVine deal or by trading Jevon Carter‘s $6.5MM contract into another team’s cap room or trade exception.

Of course, moving off of Vucevic’s or Ball’s $20MM+ salaries would create more significant cap savings, but the Bulls couldn’t realistically expect anything of value back if the goal is to just dump those contracts. They’d definitely have to attach an asset or two to find a taker for Ball, and that may be true of Vucevic too if they’re not taking back an equivalent salary. It’s probably more prudent to hang onto those guys for now and see if they can improve their value as the season goes on.

Waiving and stretching the final year of Ball’s contract is another option if his knee continues to be a problem — that would save the team upwards of $14MM on its ’24/25 cap, likely avoiding tax issues in the short term, but would add $7MM per year for the following two seasons, so it’s not an ideal path.

For what it’s worth, it wouldn’t be hard to find a taker for Caruso’s expiring $10MM contract on the trade market without taking salary back, especially since teams will be able to use their mid-level exceptions as trade exceptions beginning this offseason. But the Bulls would likely only go that route if they’re hitting the full reset button and don’t intend to be competitive at all next season.

There’s certainly a case to be made that that’s the route management should take, but after Karnisovas stuck with this group for so long, it’s hard to picture him totally blowing it up all at once — the changes will likely be incremental, with LaVine among the first dominoes to fall.

Finally, while the No. 11 pick might not put Chicago in position to draft a future All-Star, there’s no reason the team shouldn’t be able to secure a prospect who will develop into a high-level rotation player. With White and Dosunmu expected to return and at least one or two of LaVine, Caruso, Carter, and/or Ball in the mix, the Bulls should be relatively set in the backcourt, but they could use help on the wing and in the frontcourt.

Tidjane Salaun, Ron Holland, Cody Williams, Ja’Kobe Walter, and Tristan Da Silva are some possible fits who could be available at No. 11. Zach Edey may be an intriguing option there too, since he appears more NBA-ready than many prospects in that range and the Bulls could have a hole at backup center if Andre Drummond commands a raise in free agency. Unless they’re able to shed salary in other moves, the Bulls will likely have to let Drummond walk and sign a minimum-salary veteran to back up Vucevic.

Salary Cap Situation

Guaranteed Salary

Non-Guaranteed Salary

  • Alex Caruso ($6,890,000)
    • Partial guarantee. Rest of salary noted above. Caruso’s salary will become guaranteed if he remains under contract through June 30.
  • Onuralp Bitim ($1,891,857)
  • Andrew Funk (two-way)
  • Total: $8,781,857

Dead/Retained Salary

  • None

Player Options

Team Options

  • None

Restricted Free Agents

Two-Way Free Agents

Draft Picks

  • No. 11 overall pick ($5,210,760 cap hold)
  • Total (cap holds): $5,210,760

Extension-Eligible Players

  • Lonzo Ball (veteran)
  • Alex Caruso (veteran)
  • DeMar DeRozan (veteran)
    • Extension-eligible until June 30.

Note: Unless otherwise indicated, these players are eligible for extensions beginning in July.

Unrestricted Free Agents

Other Cap Holds

  • Matt Thomas ($2,093,637 cap hold)
  • Total (cap holds): $2,093,637

Note: Thomas’ cap hold is on the Bulls’ books from a prior season because he hasn’t been renounced. He can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.

Cap Exceptions Available

Note: The Bulls project to operate over the cap and under the first tax apron. If they approach or exceed the first apron, they would lose access to the full mid-level exception and bi-annual exception and would gain access to the taxpayer mid-level exception ($5,183,000).

  • Non-taxpayer mid-level exception: $12,859,000
  • Bi-annual exception: $4,681,000
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2024 NBA Offseason Preview: Memphis Grizzlies

May 30th, 2024 at 1:32pm CST by Rory Maher

The Grizzlies won 56 games in 2021/22 and 51 games in ’22/23, entering the playoffs as the West’s No. 2 seed on each occasion. However, they didn’t find much playoff success, winning one series over those two seasons despite compiling 107 regular season victories.

Entering ’23/24, expectations were a little lower, with a projected win total of 46.5. Memphis finished nowhere near that mark, going 27-55, the seventh-worst record in the NBA.

A big part of the reason why the Grizzlies’ projected win total was lower in October was star point guard Ja Morant had to serve a 25-game suspension following another off-court incident involving a firearm. After serving the suspension and playing nine games, Morant sustained a labral tear in his right shoulder after a training session in January. At the time of his surgery, the recovery was outlined as a six-month process; he’s reportedly making good progress.

Brandon Clarke‘s season was also essentially a wash. He returned in late March after sustaining a torn Achilles tendon in March 2023 and looked pretty good in his six games, but the team’s season was over by that point.

Starting center Steven Adams missed the entire season after undergoing knee surgery in October and was traded to Houston ahead of the February deadline. Marcus Smart, who was acquired in a three-team trade last summer (Memphis gave up Tyus Jones and two-first round picks), was limited to just 20 games due to a variety of injuries. The team’s best player in ’23/24, Desmond Bane, appeared in just just 42 games. The list goes on.

There were a couple bright spots amid the injury-ravaged season. Second-year wing Vince Williams had an unexpected breakout, earning a promotion from a two-way deal to a multiyear standard contract (he was also limited to 52 games due to injuries). And rookie GG Jackson, another former second-round pick who was converted to a standard deal, had a big second half, earning a spot on the All-Rookie Second Team in the process.

With Morant, Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. all under contract for at least the next two seasons, the Grizzlies still have a window to build around their three best players. But with Bane no longer on his rookie contract (his near-max rookie scale extension kicks in next season), their financial situation will be trickier to manage going forward.

The Grizzlies’ Offseason Plan

Memphis experimented with using Jackson more at center in ’23/24, with mixed results. Having him more involved in pick-and-rolls defensively meant he couldn’t be a weak-side roamer, which is what he’s best at. He can also be overpowered by bigger centers and is a subpar rebounder for a big man.

Offensively, Jackson can theoretically space the floor (he only made 32.0% of his threes last season; he’s at 34.5% for his career), and he’s quicker than most centers, which enables him to drive and draw fouls. It’s essentially a trade-off of offense for defense, but it isn’t a particularly fruitful one.

Jackson was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year in ’22/23. In ’23/24, he received no votes for the All-Defensive First Team and one for the Second Team. Obviously, utilizing him in a more effective way on that end is critical to the team’s success.

The Grizzlies fell two spots in the draft lottery and wound up with the No. 9 overall pick. After trading Adams and Xavier Tillman, center is a clear roster weakness, but the draft is light on big men who project to be available at that spot.

Do the Grizzlies really want to add another 19- or 20-year-old to a relatively young team that’s trying to win now? Unless they try to move up to snag a true center like Donovan Clingan, I think it’s probably more likely that they’ll trade their lottery pick for immediate help than keep it (they also control two second-rounders at No. 39 and No. 57).

If Memphis exercises its $14.8MM team option on Luke Kennard, the team would have 13 players with guaranteed deals and a team salary of approximately $172.5MM, including the dead-money cap hit of Kennedy Chandler. If the Grizzlies keep the No. 9 pick, that figure rises to about $178.2MM.

The projected luxury tax line for ’24/25 is $171.3MM. The first apron is at $178.7MM. If the Grizzlies pick up that option on Kennard, they would lose access to the non-taxpayer mid-level exception (which starts at $12.86MM) and the bi-annual exception ($4.68MM). Instead, they would have the taxpayer MLE ($5MM).

On the other hand, declining the option could mean losing a productive role player and a useful mid-sized salary for trade purposes. Kennard is one of the league’s best shooters — his 43.9% career mark on three-pointers is tops among active players, and third-best all-time. He’s also a decent tertiary play-maker and moves the ball well. The problem is he’s a below-average defender, a weakness that tends to be exploited more in the playoffs.

The Grizzlies already have Morant, Bane and Smart on the roster. Would Kennard even be part of closing lineups? On offense, sure, he could be used in place of Smart, but wasting timeouts on offense-for-defense substitutions isn’t really a great strategy at the end of games.

Is this team, as currently constructed, worth paying the tax for? Probably not. But with a small tweak or two, it could be.

Let’s say the Grizzlies decline the option and use the non-taxpayer MLE to sign a free agent center or two. Nic Claxton will be out of their price range. The Knicks could just use their Early Bird rights on Isaiah Hartenstein to outbid Memphis if the Grizzlies offer him the full MLE.

The remaining list of free agent centers doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence. Former Grizzly Jonas Valanciunas remains highly productive as a post scorer and rebounder, but he’s 32 and struggles defensively. If they split the MLE, they might be able to sign both Andre Drummond and Goga Bitadze — I don’t hate the idea as a temporary solution, but I also don’t think it would help them contend for a championship.

If he actually becomes available this summer, Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen looks like a terrific fit for this roster. I imagine he would be near the top of the Grizzlies’ list of potential trade targets.

Allen is on a relatively team-friendly contract that will pay him $20MM each of the next two seasons. He’s 26, right around the age of Memphis’ top three players. He’s a strong defender who would be an athletic lob threat to pair with Morant. The former All-Star wouldn’t come cheap in a trade, but the Grizzlies have the pieces to pursue him.

Would the No. 9 pick, Clarke or Kennard, and a young, cost-controlled player who can contribute (like Williams or Jackson) be enough to get it done? (Another contract might be needed for salary-matching purposes.) The Cavs would probably counter by asking for a second first-rounder, since the Grizzlies control all of their future first-round picks, but Cleveland would at least have to consider it. Of course, the Cavs are trying to compete for a championship too, which makes the 2024 lottery pick less appealing unless they can flip it for win-now help.

If healthy, the Grizzlies have the framework of a good team — they went 6-3 in games Morant played last season, though that’s a small sample and it isn’t a given that he’ll stay out of trouble going forward. The problem is, “good” isn’t good enough in the West — the Pelicans won 49 games and were unable to avoid the play-in tournament. Memphis can’t just run it back with its current roster and hope for better health luck. The Grizzlies will need to improve this summer if they want to be a legitimate contender.

Salary Cap Situation

Guaranteed Salary

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Dead/Retained Salary

Player Options

Team Options

Restricted Free Agents

  • None

Two-Way Free Agents

Draft Picks

  • No. 9 overall pick ($5,773,800 cap hold)
  • No. 39 overall pick (no cap hold)
  • No. 57 overall pick (no cap hold)
  • Total (cap holds): $5,773,800

Extension-Eligible Players

  • Santi Aldama (rookie scale)
  • Jaren Jackson Jr. (veteran)
    • Extension-eligible as of October 1.
  • Luke Kennard (veteran)
    • Extension-eligible until June 30 (or beyond, if his team option is exercised).
  • Marcus Smart (veteran)
  • Ziaire Williams (rookie scale)

Note: Unless otherwise indicated, these players are eligible for extensions beginning in July.

Unrestricted Free Agents

Other Cap Holds

  • Yves Pons ($1,867,722 cap hold)
  • Total (cap holds): $1,867,722

Note: Pons’ cap hold is on the Grizzlies’ books from a prior season because he hasn’t been renounced. He can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.

Cap Exceptions Available

Note: The Grizzlies project to operate over the cap and under the first tax apron. If they approach or exceed the first apron, they would lose access to the full mid-level exception and bi-annual exception and would gain access to the taxpayer mid-level exception ($5,183,000).

  • Non-taxpayer mid-level exception: $12,859,000
  • Bi-annual exception: $4,681,000
  • Trade exception: $12,600,000
  • Trade exception: $7,492,540
    • Expires on July 8.
  • Trade exception: $2,718,240
  • Trade exception: $1,930,681

Note: Unless otherwise indicated, trade exceptions don’t expire before the regular season begins.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

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2024 NBA Offseason Preview: Brooklyn Nets

May 27th, 2024 at 2:07pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nets were a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference in 2022/23, but that was largely due to the work of a pre-trade-deadline roster led by Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. After trading away Irving on February 6 (an injured Durant was moved three days later), the team went 13-17 down the stretch and was swept out of the playoffs in the first round by Philadelphia.

Those second-half and postseason results accurately reflected the level of the new-look roster, which underwent only marginal changes during the 2023 offseason. So it came as no real surprise that after hovering around .500 for much of the first half of this past season, Brooklyn eventually fell out of play-in contention, even in a weak Eastern Conference where the No. 10 seed finished with 36 wins. The team’s 32-50 record in 2023/24 wasn’t far off from its pace to finish the previous season.

While the Nets have some talented young players on their roster, none appear to be on a fast track to superstardom, so roster changes will be necessary to increase the team’s ceiling. But there’s no simple path to meaningful upgrades — Brooklyn is capped out this summer and doesn’t own a 2024 draft pick.

Going in the other direction and bottoming out in the hopes of landing a future star in the 2025 or 2026 draft isn’t really a viable path either, since the Nets don’t control their own first-round draft pick until 2028. As a result of the 2021 trade for James Harden, Brooklyn owes the Rockets its unprotected first-rounder in both 2024 (No. 3 overall) and 2026, along with swap rights in 2025 and 2027.

The situation isn’t quite as dire as it was for a few years in Brooklyn after the team’s misguided decision to mortgage several years of draft assets in a deal for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, which lined up the Celtics to draft Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum in consecutive years. But the Nets will need some patience or some luck – or both – in order to reemerge as a legitimate contender in the East.

The Nets’ Offseason Plan

Mikal Bridges is the best player – and asset – on the Nets’ roster, but he was miscast as a No. 1 option in 2023/24. His play declined in the second half, and while he’d never ask for a night off (he hasn’t missed a single game since entering the league in 2018), the veteran forward probably wouldn’t mind facing a little less defensive attention going forward. Bridges averaged just 15.7 points per game on 39.9% shooting in his final 31 games of the season.

Bridges makes perfect sense as the second or third option on a contending team, slotting into a role like the one OG Anunoby played for the Knicks — he can make three-pointers and handle challenging defensive assignments, but he’s better off as a secondary scorer, not as someone who constantly has the ball in his hands.

Whether Bridges ends up in a more appropriate role in Brooklyn or elsewhere is the question. As noted above, the Nets don’t have cap room or draft picks this summer, so the only way to turn Bridges into their No. 2 option in 2024/25 would be to trade for a star.

That scenario isn’t out of the question. Despite not controlling their own draft picks in the coming years, the Nets have an excess of future assets from other teams – namely Dallas and Phoenix – as a result of last year’s Irving and Durant trades. They also have a huge salary-matching piece in Ben Simmons, who will make $40.3MM on an expiring contract in 2024/25. Brooklyn has frequently been linked to Donovan Mitchell and could certainly be a player in the bidding for the Cavaliers guard or another star who hits the trade market this summer.

I’d question whether that’s the right approach though. Mitchell – or an equivalent star – would certainly make the Nets a better team, but he wouldn’t make them a legitimate title contender, and the cost (not only in trade assets but in the form of a long-term maximum-salary contract for the incoming star) would limit the club’s ability to pursue further upgrades.

Team owner Joe Tsai recently talked about taking a “longer-term approach” to team-building, and the hiring of a player development specialist like Jordi Fernandez as Brooklyn’s new head coach suggests the organization isn’t looking to take big swings after a 32-50 season unless a can’t-miss opportunity falls into its lap. I’d be surprised if the Nets make a blockbuster win-now deal this offseason — it makes more sense to build up the roster patiently and incrementally like they did the last time they went through a retooling process without their own draft picks.

Of course, there is another potential route available to the Nets: Bridges would have significant value on the trade market. Head of basketball operations Sean Marks and his front office have been adamantly opposed to trading Bridges despite reportedly receiving strong offers ever since they acquired him last February, and I understand that stance. His skill set is a coveted one and he’s proven he can play big minutes on a championship contender, having been a full-time starter for the Suns team that got within two wins of a title in 2021. You don’t want to trade that sort of player. Plus, as we noted earlier, making next year’s roster even worse wouldn’t benefit the Nets from a draft perspective as long as they don’t control their picks.

But what if they did control their picks? The Rockets, who have prioritized two-way players since Ime Udoka‘s arrival last spring, reportedly covet Bridges and were said to be prepared to put a strong offer on the table for him at February’s trade deadline.

Could it be in the Nets’ best interest, long-term, to consider a Bridges deal with Houston that would return their own 2026 pick and eliminate those ’25 and ’27 swap rights? Even if this year’s No. 3 pick isn’t included in the package (it could be), regaining control of those future picks would put Brooklyn in position to properly rebuild with valuable lottery picks in the next year or two. They could take the rebuild a step further by also entertaining trade offers for wings Dorian Finney-Smith and Cameron Johnson, both of whom would hold real appeal for playoff teams.

There’s no simple answer here for the Nets. While negotiating with the Rockets makes some sense on the surface, Houston would presumably recognize that Brooklyn’s own first-round picks are more valuable to the Nets than another team’s first-rounders would be, which would give the Rockets added leverage in any trade talks. And is Marks’ job security strong enough – after he was given the chance to hire his fourth head coach this spring – that he’d be willing to take another step backward by hitting the reset button again? I’m skeptical, which is why I consider Bridges more likely than not to open the 2024/25 season as a Net.

The decisions the Nets make on the trade market could have a huge impact on the franchise, but the front office has the option of simply taking a wait-and-see approach on that front. That’s not the case in free agency, where starting center Nic Claxton will become an unrestricted free agent this summer, giving him the ability to leave Brooklyn without the team getting any compensation.

The Nets will do all they can to avoid that happening, which might mean going up to $25MM per year – or even a little higher – to retain the young big man, who has emerged as a reliable rim protector and rebounder up front and still might have his best years ahead of him.

Fernandez and Marks didn’t do themselves any favors in their upcoming negotiations with the 25-year-old by declaring last month that they believe he’s a future Defensive Player of the Year, but he would’ve been in line for a major payday anyway. For what it’s worth, Jarrett Allen signed a five-year, $100MM free agent contract back in 2021 when his résumé wasn’t all that dissimilar to Claxton’s and a $20MM salary represented about 17.8% of the cap. Three years later, 17.8% of the projected 2024/25 cap would be almost exactly $25MM.

The Nets will also have contract decisions to make on Cam Thomas and Day’Ron Sharpe, though there’s less urgency in those cases — both Thomas and Sharpe are extension-eligible beginning this July, but would be on track for restricted free agency in 2025 if no deal is reached before the ’24/25 regular season begins.

As long as Brooklyn is able to re-sign Claxton, I wouldn’t count on a new deal for Sharpe this offseason. Big man Noah Clowney flashed real promise toward the end of his rookie season and if he continues to improve, he could push Sharpe for the role of Claxton’s primary backup next season. The Nets may want to see more from both players before deciding in 2025 whether to invest long-term in Sharpe.

Thomas is a trickier case. He’s a genuinely gifted scorer, having racked up 22.5 points per game in his third NBA season, but he doesn’t do much else on offense and has been a subpar defender. His ability to put the ball in the basket is valuable, but Brooklyn will likely be reluctant to break the bank on a player whose game outside of that one skill is so limited. It wouldn’t surprise me if the two sides have a hard time bridging the gap between the contract the Nets are comfortable offering and the one Thomas will seek.

It’s also worth noting that if the Nets simply keep Simmons’ expiring contract on their books for the 2024/25 season and don’t add any long-term money to their cap besides Claxton, they’ll be well-positioned to create real financial flexibility a year from now, when Simmons’ $40MM+ and Dennis Schröder‘s $13MM contract end. Locking up Thomas early would cut into that room, assuming his next deal starts above his projected 2025 cap hold of $12.1MM. That’s another argument in favor of holding off on a new deal for the 22-year-old until next year.

Salary Cap Situation

Guaranteed Salary

Non-Guaranteed Salary

  • Jalen Wilson ($1,816,857)
    • Partial guarantee. Rest of salary noted above.
  • Jaylen Martin (two-way)
  • Total: $1,816,857

Dead/Retained Salary

  • None

Player Options

Team Options

  • None

Restricted Free Agents

Two-Way Free Agents

Note: Because he’s a former first-round pick who had his third- and/or fourth-year option declined, Johnson will be an unrestricted free agent.

Draft Picks

  • None

Extension-Eligible Players

  • Mikal Bridges (veteran)
    • Extension-eligible as of October 1.
  • Day’Ron Sharpe (rookie scale)
  • Ben Simmons (veteran)
  • Cameron Thomas (rookie scale)

Note: Unless otherwise indicated, these players are eligible for extensions beginning in July.

Unrestricted Free Agents

Other Cap Holds

Note: The cap holds for these players are on the Nets’ books from prior seasons because they haven’t been renounced. They can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.

Cap Exceptions Available

Note: The Nets project to be over the cap but below the tax line.

  • Non-taxpayer mid-level exception: $12,859,000
  • Bi-annual exception: $4,681,000
  • Trade exception: $20,357,143
  • Trade exception: $11,928,571
    • Expires on July 8.
  • Trade exception: $9,500,000
  • Trade exception: $6,802,950
    • Expires on July 8.

Note: Unless otherwise indicated, trade exceptions don’t expire before the regular season begins.

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Hoops Rumors Glossary: Base Year Compensation

May 25th, 2024 at 4:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The term “base year compensation” no longer shows up in the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement and hasn’t since 2011. A relic of past agreements, the base year compensation rule was intended to prevent teams from signing free agents to new contracts that were specifically intended to facilitate salary-matching in trades.

While the base year compensation rules have, for the most part, been adjusted and/or removed from the CBA, there’s still one situation where they apply. Teams have to take them into account when completing sign-and-trade deals.

The BYC rules apply to a player who meets all of the following criteria in a sign-and-trade:

  • He is a Bird or Early Bird free agent.
  • His new salary is worth more than the minimum.
  • He receives a raise greater than 20%.
  • His team is at or above the cap immediately after the signing.

If the player meets those criteria and is included in a sign-and-trade deal, his outgoing salary for matching purposes is considered to be his previous salary or 50% of his new salary, whichever is greater. For the team he is being signed-and-traded to, his incoming figure for matching purposes is simply his new full salary.

Here are a couple specific examples to help make things a little clearer:

Let’s say the Knicks want to sign-and-trade OG Anunoby this offseason. There’s no indication they do, but the likely salary gap between his current contract and his next one make him a good example of a base year compensation player. Anunoby is a Bird free agent, his new salary will be well above the minimum, and New York projects to be an over-the-cap team. Having made $18,642,857 in 2023/24, Anunoby figures to receive a raise significantly higher than 20% — his next deal could easily start above $30MM. So he meets the BYC criteria.

In a scenario where he signs a deal with a $38MM starting salary as part of a sign-and-trade, Anunoby’s salary for matching purposes from the Knicks’ perspective would be $19MM, which is 50% of his new salary (that amount is greater than his previous salary). From his new team’s perspective, Anunoby’s incoming figure would be his actual salary, $38MM.

On the other hand, if Anunoby were to get a starting salary worth $35MM from a new team, his outgoing salary for matching purposes would be $18,642,857, the amount he made in 2023/24, because that figure would be higher than 50% of his new salary ($17.5MM).

Often, a team acquiring a player via sign-and-trade doesn’t have the cap room to sign the player outright, or else there would be little incentive to negotiate a sign-and-trade. That means salary-matching is required, which can be complicated by base year compensation rules.

In the first Anunoby scenario outlined above, the Knicks wouldn’t be able to take back more than $26.5MM in salary in exchange for the forward due to the league’s matching rules. That number would dip to $19MM if New York’s team salary is above the tax apron. However, in order to take on $38MM in incoming salary, New York’s hypothetical trade partner – assuming they’re over the cap – would have to send out at least $30.2MM in order to account for those salary-matching rules themselves.

The gap between the salary-matching figures from the two teams’ perspectives would complicate sign-and-trade talks, requiring the two clubs to include additional pieces or get a third team involved to make the numbers work.

There were a few examples last summer of teams navigating base year compensation rules to complete sign-and-trade deals. For instance, when the Celtics signed-and-traded Grant Williams to the Mavericks, he met the BYC criteria when he received a raise far above 20%, getting $12,405,000 in the first year of his new contract.

That meant Dallas had to match his incoming $12.4MM salary (and did so sending out Reggie Bullock‘s $11MM+ salary to San Antonio in the three-team deal), but for Boston’s purposes, Williams’ outgoing cap figure was just $6,202,500, half of his new salary. The Celtics didn’t take back any players in the three-team swap, but created a trade exception worth that amount.

The Heat took a similar path when they signed-and-traded Max Strus to the Cavaliers. Strus’ first-year salary on his new deal with Cleveland was $14,487,684, which was the amount the Cavs had to account for when they salary-matched, but it only counted as $7,243,842 in outgoing salary for the Heat, who created a trade exception worth that amount.

In order to legally acquire Strus, the Cavs sent out Cedi Osman ($6,718,842) and Lamar Stevens (whose deal featured a $400,000 partial guarantee). They were permitted to take back up to 200% of that outgoing salary, plus an extra $250K. It’s no coincidence that if you take those two cap figures ($7,118,842), double them ($14,237,684) and add that $250K cushion, the end result is $14,487,684, Strus’ exact salary.

The base year compensation concept doesn’t surface all that often, due to the specific criteria that must be met. However, it looms large over sign-and-trade attempts involving free agents who receive significant raises, reducing the likelihood of teams finding a deal that can be legally completed.

Note: This is a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry. Our glossary posts will explain specific rules relating to trades, free agency, or other aspects of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ was used in the creation of this post.

Previous versions of this post were published in 2019, 2022, and 2023.

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2024 NBA Offseason Preview: Utah Jazz

May 24th, 2024 at 7:29am CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz‘s past two seasons have played out in similar fashion, with the team hovering around .500 and holding onto a play-in spot through the first half. However, in both 2022/23 and ’23/24, the front office clearly had little interest in pushing for a postseason berth, instead opting to sell off key rotation players at back-to-back trade deadlines. In 2023, it was Mike Conley, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Malik Beasley. In 2024, it was Simone Fontecchio, Kelly Olynyk, and Ochai Agbaji.

None of those players are stars, but they were important enough contributors that losing them played a major part in ultimately knocking the team out of the play-in hunt. The Jazz went 10-19 down the stretch in 2023 and just 5-25 to close out their most recent season.

In each case, Utah’s solid first-half play resulted in a few too many wins at the end of the season to earn a pick in the top half of the lottery. The team claimed the No. 9 overall selection a year ago and will pick at No. 10 this summer.

That’s not an ideal outcome for an organization that could badly use another young cornerstone player with star upside to add to its core. As constructed, the Jazz aren’t bad enough to be in the mix for a top-five pick and aren’t good enough to be a legitimate playoff contender.

The front office will have to move forward on one of three paths. Continuing to build incrementally through the draft and stockpile assets by trading non-star veterans is one option. Accelerating the rebuild by trading some of their excess future draft picks for an impact player to complement Lauri Markkanen is another. The third would involve taking a more significant step back by trading Markkanen and truly bottoming out, lining the team up to potentially pick much higher than No. 9 or 10 in next year’s draft.

The Jazz’s Offseason Plan

Of those three potential paths for Utah, I consider the safe, middle-of-the-road route (building through the draft, developing their young players, and hanging onto Markkanen) to be the likeliest, even if it won’t necessarily line the team up to draft a future star in 2025. I don’t think a Markkanen trade should be ruled out, whereas I view a blockbuster trade that accelerates the rebuild as an extreme long shot.

The Jazz aren’t just one move away from being a contender, so cashing in several of their future draft assets now doesn’t really make sense, even if they have the assets to make such a move. Utah has talked about focusing on player development and needs to get a better sense of what it has in its youngsters, including 2022/23 All-Rookie first-teamer Walker Kessler and 2023 first-rounders Keyonte George, Taylor Hendricks, and Brice Sensabaugh.

It’s also important to note that the Jazz still owe a first-round pick to Oklahoma City. Presumably, one reason why management hasn’t been eager to push for a play-in spot in recent years is its desire to ensure that pick falls into its protected range and stays with Utah — that just narrowly happened this year, as it was top-10 protected. The pick will be top-10 protected again in 2025 and top-eight protected in 2026. If it’s not conveyed by then, the Jazz’s obligation to the Thunder will be extinguished.

Those protection terms loom large over the Jazz’s plans going forward. To clarify, that first-rounder will never become unprotected; it won’t even turn into two second-rounders if Utah hangs onto long enough. It will simply stay with the Jazz, leaving OKC empty-handed, if it lands in its protected range for two more years.

A desire to hang onto that first-round pick may be the best argument in favor of trading Markkanen, who has emerged as a star since arriving in Utah, averaging 24.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game with a .490/.395/.885 shooting line across two seasons.

His expiring contract limits his trade value somewhat, especially since he can’t realistically be extended prior to free agency by a team without cap room, as that team would be limited to offering a 40% raise on his $18MM salary for 2024/25. But the Jazz could still command a significant haul for Markkanen. And taking into account the draft assets they already control from the Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert deals, along with a bump in value for their own 2025 and 2026 first-rounders without Markkanen on the roster, no NBA team would be better positioned to draft top-level talent in the coming years.

But there are plenty of arguments for keeping Markkanen too. For one, even with him leading the way, the Jazz have been a bottom-10 team in each of the past two years — they could potentially hang onto the first-rounder they owe the Thunder even if he sticks around.

Utah is also far better situated than most teams to extend Markkanen before he becomes a free agent in 2025. Because the Jazz will have cap room this offseason, they could renegotiate Markkanen’s contract before extending him, giving him a substantial bump on his $18MM salary and then extending him off the new figure, which would no longer make the limit of a 40% raise unpalatable. It’s not as if the Jazz will be going big-name shopping in free agency, so that’s a logical use of their cap room — they took the same route a year ago with Jordan Clarkson, renegotiating a raise for 2023/24 while tacking two new years onto his contract.

Markkanen won’t be eligible for a renegotiation until early August, but we should know by early July whether or not the Jazz plan to take that route — if they leave a significant chunk of cap room open through the first week of free agency, it’ll be a pretty strong signal that they’re preserving it for a Markkanen renegotiation.

For what it’s worth, this is the approach I expect the Jazz to take. It would allow the team to preserve a key asset without necessarily taking a future trade off the table — if Markkanen renegotiates as soon as he’s permitted to, he’d become trade-eligible again just in time for February’s deadline.

So if renegotiating and extending Markkanen is the plan, what would the rest of Utah’s offseason look like? It starts with their draft picks at No. 10, No. 29, and No. 32. Controlling those three selections gives the Jazz a ton of options in the trade market — they could move up or down from any of those spots, or could trade one or more of their picks for future assets if they’re not inclined to add three more rookies to their roster.

No. 10 is the pick most likely to be kept, and I’d expect to see the Jazz use that selection to zero in on a prospect who could help out on both ends of the floor. A guard like Stephon Castle is one possibility — ESPN has Castle going to Utah in its most recent mock draft, observing that his potential as a play-maker and versatile perimeter defender would make him a good fit next to smaller, offensive-minded guards like some on the Jazz’s roster. I also view three-and-D wings like Cody Williams and Ja’Kobe Walter as players who would make sense for Utah.

Depending on whether the Jazz want to retain Omer Yurtseven, Darius Bazley, and/or Kenneth Lofton – all of whom have non-guaranteed salaries – or any of their own free agents, they could potentially renegotiate Markkanen’s deal and still have a some cap room left over. However, that room would be limited, especially if they go up to the max for Markkanen (they might not have to, but that could allow them to construct an extension with a descending structure that gives them more cap flexibility in future seasons).

As noted above, the Jazz are very unlikely to be players in free agency except on minimum or near-minimum deals, so if they do have cap room available, I’d expect them to explore the trade market. There could be an opportunity to add a role player like they did a year ago when they used cap space to absorb John Collins‘ contract. Or they could take on another team’s unwanted contract with a draft pick attached.

Talen Horton-Tucker, Kris Dunn, Luka Samanic, and Kira Lewis are the Jazz players headed to free agency. Of those four, Dunn may be the best bet to return — he earned praise during the season from head coach Will Hardy for his locker room presence. Horton-Tucker has played a regular role in Utah for the past two seasons, but he isn’t a true point guard and isn’t a good enough shooter to attract much defensive attention off the ball. I’d be a little surprised if he’s back. Samanic and Lewis didn’t see regular rotation minutes last season.

As for the Jazz’s potential trade candidates, Clarkson is an obvious name to watch. His new extension dips down to just over $14MM per year for the next two seasons, making him an easier fit for contenders than he would’ve been on this year’s $23.5MM cap hit. And as he enters his age-32 season, he likely wouldn’t be opposed to ending up on a roster a little closer to contending.

Collins and Collin Sexton boosted their value as trade chips by turning in solid performances in 2023/24, but while their contracts are hardly albatrosses, they’re not bargains either. Collins is owed $26.58MM next season, with a $26.58MM player option for 2025/26, while Sexton will earn a total of $37MM+ over the next two seasons. That will make it hard to net a significant return for either player on the trade market, so I’d expect them stay put for now.

Salary Cap Situation

Guaranteed Salary

Non-Guaranteed Salary

  • Lauri Markkanen ($12,044,544)
    • Partial guarantee. Rest of salary noted above. Markkanen’s salary will become guaranteed if he remains under contract through June 28.
  • Omer Yurtseven ($2,660,000)
  • Darius Bazley ($2,463,946)
    • Bazley’s salary will become partially guaranteed for $400,000 if he remains under contract through July 25.
  • Kenneth Lofton ($2,120,693)
    • Lofton’s salary will become partially guaranteed for $400,000 if he remains under contract through July 25.
  • Jason Preston (two-way)
  • Total: $19,289,183

Dead/Retained Salary

  • None

Player Options

  • None

Team Options

  • None

Restricted Free Agents

  • Kira Lewis ($7,744,600 qualifying offer / $17,166,348 cap hold): Bird rights
  • Total (cap holds): $17,166,348

Two-Way Free Agents

Note: Because they have finished each of the past two seasons on two-way contracts with the Jazz, Juzang’s and Potter’s qualifying offers would be worth their respective minimum salaries (projected to be $2,093,637 for Juzang and $2,168,944 for Potter). Those offers would include a small partial guarantee.

Draft Picks

  • No. 10 overall pick ($5,485,080 cap hold)
  • No. 29 overall pick ($2,520,120 cap hold)
  • No. 32 overall pick (no cap hold)
  • Total (cap holds): $8,005,200

Extension-Eligible Players

  • John Collins (veteran)
  • Talen Horton-Tucker (veteran)
    • Extension-eligible until June 30.
  • Lauri Markkanen (veteran)
  • Collin Sexton (veteran)
    • Extension-eligible as of September 3.

Note: Unless otherwise indicated, these players are eligible for extensions beginning in July.

Unrestricted Free Agents

Cap Exceptions Available

Note: The Jazz project to operate under the cap. They would have to renounce two trade exceptions – worth $6,473,006 and $3,044,872 – in order to use cap room.

  • Room exception: $8,006,000
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2024 NBA Offseason Preview: San Antonio Spurs

May 22nd, 2024 at 2:45pm CST by Rory Maher

In terms of NBA roster construction, the most difficult thing to acquire is a foundational star to build around. When the Spurs won the draft lottery in 2023 and landed the No. 1 overall pick, they found such a player in Victor Wembanyama.

The unanimous choice for Rookie of the Year, Wembanyama finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting and on Tuesday became the first rookie in league history to be named to the All-Defensive First Team.

There has never been a player as tall and long as Wembanyama (he’s 7’4″ with a 8’0″ wingspan) who comes close to his unique blend of physical attributes and skills. While many seven-footers look stiff and awkward on the court due to their immense size, Wembanyama is agile, fluid and graceful, with excellent body control. He has a rare ability to precisely understand how his body can navigate a given space.

The French phenom handles the ball better than some guards, with advanced and elaborate dribble moves that mimic some of the game’s all-time scorers. He can spin both ways while finishing emphatically with either hand. Wembanyama is a skilled passer who certainly could have — and probably should have — averaged more than 3.9 assists per game. He has very deep shooting range and attempted 5.5 threes per game, one of the highest marks among all big men.

For all of Wembanyama’s offensive talent, he’s much more polished on the defensive end at this point in his career. Even if he gets beat one-on-one, he can recover quickly enough to still block a shot. He has a high basketball IQ, excellent hand-eye coordination and situational awareness. He doesn’t back down from physicality despite having a thin frame, and he fully utilizes his massive wingspan and glove-like hands.

Just how good was the 20-year-old’s rookie campaign? Despite playing just 29.7 minutes per game, Wembanyama averaged more steals (1.2) plus blocks (3.6) than every player in the 21st century except for one: four-time Defensive Player of the Year Ben Wallace. The scariest thing is that he only got better as the season wore on, averaging 23.7 points, 11.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.5 steals and 4.6 blocks (!) over his last 24 games (32.1 MPG).

Despite Wembanyama’s individual success, the Spurs went just 22-60 in 2023/24, the exact same record they posted in ’22/23. The team’s underlying stats were marginally better (-6.4 net rating vs. a league worst -9.9 a year ago), but San Antonio was still dreadful.

Yes, the club was much better when Wembanyama played, with a defensive rating (111.2) that would have ranked fifth in the league. When Wembanyama was off the court, San Antonio’s had the equivalent of the NBA’s 24th-ranked defense (117.3).

However, the team actually fared slightly worse on offense when he was on the court than off. His .565 true shooting percentage was below league average (.580) and well below average for a big man. He also averaged 3.7 turnovers per game, and turnovers were a significant issue for the Spurs throughout the season. Being the No. 1 option on an inexperienced team with poor floor spacing has its downsides, and Wembanyama’s shot selection wasn’t always ideal either.

Part of that was due to the failed lineup experiments at the beginning of the season, when the Spurs ran Wembanyama at power forward, Zach Collins at center, and Jeremy Sochan at point guard. It definitely is not a coincidence that Wembanyama’s numbers rose across the board when Tre Jones, the team’s only true point guard, became a full-time starter on January 4. The Spurs were 5-28 at that point and were slightly more respectable (17-32) the rest of the way.

The Spurs’ Offseason Plan

While Jones is a solid all-around player, he profiles as more of a top-tier backup than a starter. That’s why the Spurs have been linked to All-Star names like Trae Young and Darius Garland. For what it’s worth, multiple reports have downplayed the team’s potential interest in Young.

Generally speaking, San Antonio needs more players who can create for themselves and others, shoot, and throw entry passes and lobs. If those players can also be at least average defensively, that would be a huge plus.

Aside from Wembanyama and Devin Vassell, who signed a five-year, $135MM rookie scale extension last offseason, I wouldn’t be shocked to see anyone else on the roster moved. I don’t expect that to happen with 2022 lottery pick Sochan, as the team likes his competitiveness and defensive versatility. Same for 2023 second-rounder Sidy Cissoko, who just turned 20 in April. Both players really need to develop their jump shots, however.

I would also be mildly surprised if Jones gets traded. In a vacuum, he isn’t irreplaceable by any means, but the team clearly needs the 24-year-old’s skill set. Jones is another player who isn’t known for his outside shooting ability though — his 33.5% three-point conversion rate last season was a career high, and he averaged just 2.5 attempts per game. Teams dare him and several others on the roster to shoot, which is another reason why Wembanyama attempted so many threes while only converting 32.5% of them.

2022 first-rounders Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley haven’t shown much in their first two seasons to think they’ll be part of the team’s long-term future, but they’re both just 21 years old and on relatively cheap contracts. The Spurs don’t have a roster crunch, so they can be patient and see if the two guards develop further in the offseason.

Cedi Osman is the only true unrestricted free agent on the roster. Assuming the price is right, the Spurs could re-sign him, but it probably won’t be a high priority. Devonte’ Graham seems highly likely to hit the open market as well — his $12.65MM salary is only partially guaranteed for $2.85MM, and I expect the Spurs to waive him, considering he only played 313 total minutes in ’24/25. There’s certainly an argument to be made Graham should have played more this past season, but San Antonio was more focused on experimenting and player development than giving veterans minutes.

If the Spurs accelerate their timeline by trading away some of their future first-rounders for upgrades, Keldon Johnson ($54MM over the next three seasons) and Zach Collins ($34.8MM over the next two) are the team’s most likely trade candidates. They are the only players on the roster who will make between $13-28MM in ’24/25, so their contracts are obvious salary-matching pieces.

A former late first-rounder, Johnson has been a productive scorer and slasher over the past handful of seasons. However, he was moved to the bench last season. The 24-year-old gets left in the dust too often defensively, particularly struggling with quicker players and lateral movement. If the Spurs view him more as a sixth man than a starter, he could certainly be expendable in the right deal.

Collins underwent surgery last month after tearing the labrum in his right shoulder (he’s expected to be ready for next season). The oft-injured former Gonzaga product didn’t mesh well alongside Wembanyama, with his three-point percentage dropping from 37.4% in ’22/23 to 32.0% in ’23/24. He’s a solid enough backup, but the two-year, $35MM extension he signed last October doesn’t exactly look team-friendly.

While the Spurs have plenty of options if they want to make deals, they could also simply keep all of their future first-round picks and take a wait-and-see approach to the offseason. Listening to offers while not proactively shopping for help might make the most sense, given that Collins could be the oldest player on the roster next season and he’s only 26.

San Antonio got lucky in the draft lottery once again, moving up to No. 4 overall after finishing with the NBA’s fifth-worst record. The Spurs also control the No. 8 overall pick after the Raptors slid down two spots — Toronto would have kept the selection if it had landed in the top six (San Antonio acquired the rights to the pick in last year’s Jakob Poeltl trade).

Controlling a pair of early-to-mid lottery picks would be a massive windfall in most years. It remains to be seen if it will have the same effect in 2024, as this year’s draft class is largely viewed as lacking in top-end talent.

That said, the Spurs also don’t need the players they select to be home runs. Having cost-controlled role players would be very helpful too, and there are players who fit that mold in this draft.

Having a pair of lottery picks will surely have rumors swirling about the Spurs potentially trying to move up or down in the draft. That’s just the nature of controlling multiple picks in that range. San Antonio also owns one second-rounder, No. 42 overall.

If they move up or he’s still available at No. 4, French 3-and-D forward Zaccharie Risacher seems like a natural target for the Spurs. If they focus on shooting, Kentucky guards Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard, Tennesee swingman Dalton Knecht, and French forward Tidjane Salaun are candidates to monitor. If they gravitate more toward best players available, Nikola Topic (Serbia), Stephon Castle (UConn), Ron Holland and Matas Buzelis (G League Ignite) could be options.

Getting lucky in the lottery also means the Spurs will have less projected cap room in free agency, which really isn’t a big deal for them — it’s a weak class and not many players fit what they’re looking for. If they keep both picks, waive Graham and Charles Bassey (non-guaranteed), and extend qualifying offers to Sandro Mamukelashvili and Dominick Barlow, they’d have have about $14-15MM in cap room, plus the $8MM room exception. Using that financial flexibility to take on an unwanted contract or two in order to add more draft assets is probably a likelier outcome than signing veterans.

Salary Cap Situation

Guaranteed Salary

Non-Guaranteed Salary

  • Devonte’ Graham ($9,800,000)
    • Partial guarantee. Rest of salary noted above. Graham’s salary will become guaranteed if he remains under contract through July 1.
  • Julian Champagnie ($3,000,000)
    • Champagnie’s salary will become guaranteed if he remains under contract through August 1.
  • Charles Bassey ($2,500,000)
    • Bassey’s salary will become guaranteed if he remains under contract through August 1.
  • Jamaree Bouyea (two-way)
  • RaiQuan Gray (two-way)
  • Total: $15,300,000

Dead/Retained Salary

  • None

Player Options

  • None

Team Options

  • None

Restricted Free Agents

Two-Way Free Agents

Draft Picks

  • No. 4 overall pick ($9,131,760)
  • No. 8 overall pick ($6,281,280)
  • No. 35 overall pick (no cap hold)
  • No. 48 overall pick (no cap hold)
  • Total (cap holds): $15,413,040

Extension-Eligible Players

  • Devonte’ Graham (veteran)
  • Cedi Osman (veteran)
    • Extension-eligible until June 30.

Note: Unless otherwise indicated, these players are eligible for extensions beginning in July.

Unrestricted Free Agents

  • Cedi Osman ($12,765,800 cap hold): Bird rights
  • Total (cap holds): $12,765,800

Cap Exceptions Available

Note: The Spurs project to operate under the cap. If they were to operate over the cap, they’d lose the room exception and would have access to the mid-level exception ($12,859,000) and bi-annual exception ($4,681,000).

  • Room exception: $8,006,000

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

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Community Shootaround: Timberwolves/Mavericks Series

May 21st, 2024 at 10:34am CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves and Mavericks were considered two of the Western Conference’s most disappointing teams at this time last spring. The Wolves, who had mortgaged their future in order to acquire Rudy Gobert during the 2022 offseason, barely finished above .500 (42-40) and were quickly dispatched in the first round of the 2023 playoffs. Dallas didn’t even make the play-in tournament after going into a tailspin following the midseason acquisition of Kyrie Irving and posting an unimpressive 38-44 record

What a difference a year makes.

All the pieces came together in Minnesota during the Wolves’ second year with Gobert, as the team got off to a 17-4 start and held a top-three seed in the West for nearly the entire season, led by rising superstar Anthony Edwards, All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns, and the NBA’s No. 1 defense.

In Dallas, Luka Doncic and Irving thrived after getting an offseason and training camp together, and the Mavericks really hit their stride during the final two months of the season after acquiring P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford in a pair of trade deadline deals.

The two teams, who each had a projected over/under of 44.5 wins entering the fall, comfortably exceeded expectations in the regular season and have dispatched a pair of tough opponents in the playoffs. The Wolves made quick work of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and the Suns in round one before knocking off the defending-champion Nuggets in round two. The Mavs, meanwhile, beat the Clippers in the No. 4 vs. No. 5 series and then got past the No. 1 Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals.

It sets up a fascinating Western Conference finals between two teams whose histories of deep postseason runs are pretty limited. The Mavericks have made the NBA Finals just twice since their inception in 1980, winning one title in 2011. The Timberwolves’ playoff history is even less inspiring — this is just the second time in their 35-year existence they’ve made the Western finals, and they’ve never advanced further than that.

This year’s Timberwolves might be the best team in franchise history though, with Mike Conley organizing an offense led by a pair of talented scorers in Edwards and Towns, while four-time Defensive Player of the Year Gobert anchors a defense that features perimeter stoppers such as Jaden McDaniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Throw in Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid and jack-of-all-trades veteran wing Kyle Anderson and the Wolves have one of the NBA’s deepest, most versatile postseason rotations.

Minnesota had the NBA’s third-best net rating (+6.3) during the regular season and has improved that mark to +8.5 (No. 2 in the league) during the playoffs, ranking first in the West in both offensive rating (116.1) and defensive rating (107.6) in the postseason. As the higher seed in the Western finals, the Wolves will also have home court advantage in the series.

Given all those factors, it’s no surprise that Minnesota is viewed as the solid favorite entering the Western finals. BetOnline.ag has the Wolves listed at -182 to advance to the NBA Finals, with Dallas at +162.

The Mavericks are a tough opponent to beat when they’re firing on all cylinders though. In Doncic and Irving, they have two elite shot-makers who can wear down even the best of defenses and who don’t mind having the ball in their hands with the game on the line. Dallas’ two star guards are complemented by versatile forwards Washington and Derrick Jones, who have both been reliable threats from beyond the three-point line during the playoffs, as well as Gafford and Dereck Lively, a pair of rim-running centers who are capable of protecting the paint on defense.

Not having Maxi Kleber (shoulder) will hurt, but the Mavs have decent frontcourt depth without him, and there’s a chance he could be back later in the series. If role players like Josh Green and Tim Hardaway Jr. are playing well, it could help make up for Kleber’s absence.

Josh Robbins, Sam Amick, and Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic spoke to a scout, a coach, and an executive about the Western Conference showdown and all three picked the Timberwolves. But they all expect the series to last six games, and that was a common theme in ESPN’s expert predictions as well — nine of ESPN’s 15 respondents chose the Wolves, but not one of the 15 expects the series to be over in fewer than six games.

We want to know what you think. After knocking off the champs, is Minnesota headed to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history? Or will the Mavs pull off the upset? Will the winner of this series win the 2024 championship?

Head to the comment section below to share your thoughts and predictions for the series!

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Early NBA Salary Guarantee Dates For 2024/25

May 20th, 2024 at 11:57am CST by Luke Adams

An NBA player who has a non-guaranteed salary for a given season will, by default, receive his full guarantee if he remains under contract through January 7 of that league year. Because the league-wide salary guarantee date is January 10, a player must clear waivers before that date if a team wants to avoid being on the hook for his full salary.

However, a number of players who have non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed contracts for 2024/25 have earlier trigger dates. Those players will receive either their full guarantee or a partial guarantee on certain dates before January 7, assuming they’re not waived.

These dates are fairly malleable — if a player and team reach an agreement, a salary guarantee deadline can be pushed back.

For example, if a player’s contract calls for him to receive his full guarantee on June 27, his team could ask him to move that date to the first or second week of July to get a better sense of what will happen in free agency before making a final decision. The player doesn’t have to agree, but it might be in his best interest to push back his guarantee date rather than simply being waived.

Those agreements between a player and team aren’t always reported right away, so our list of early salary guarantee dates is a tentative one. When a player’s salary guarantee date passes, our assumption is that he received his guarantee, but it’s possible he and his team negotiated a new guarantee date that simply hasn’t been made public yet. We’ll update the info below as necessary in the coming weeks and months.

Here are the early salary guarantee dates for 2024/25:

June 24

  • Kevon Looney (Warriors): Partial guarantee ($3,000,000) increases to full guarantee ($8,000,000). (✅)

June 28

  • Bojan Bogdanovic (Knicks): Partial guarantee ($2,000,000) increases to full guaranteed ($19,032,850). (✅)
    • Note: Bogdanovic’s salary was guaranteed as part of a trade to the Nets.
  • Seth Curry (Hornets): Non-guaranteed salary ($4,000,000) becomes fully guaranteed. (❌)
  • Lauri Markkanen (Jazz): Partial guarantee ($6,000,000) increases to full guarantee ($18,044,544). (✅)
  • T.J. McConnell (Pacers): Partial guarantee ($5,000,000) increases to full guarantee ($9,300,000). (✅)
  • Josh Minott (Timberwolves): Non-guaranteed salary ($2,019,699) becomes fully guaranteed. (✅)

June 29

  • Dante Exum (Mavericks): Non-guaranteed salary ($3,150,000) becomes fully guaranteed. (✅)
  • Jock Landale (Rockets): Non-guaranteed salary ($8,000,000) becomes fully guaranteed. (✅)
  • Garrison Mathews (Hawks): Non-guaranteed salary ($2,230,253) becomes fully guaranteed. (✅)

June 30

  • Troy Brown (Pistons): Non-guaranteed salary ($4,000,000) becomes fully guaranteed. (❌)
  • Alex Caruso (Thunder): Partial guarantee ($3,000,000) increases to full guarantee ($9,890,000). (✅)
  • Jaden Hardy (Mavericks): Partial guarantee ($400,000) increases to full guaranteed ($2,019,699). (✅)
  • Caleb Houstan (Magic): Non-guaranteed salary ($2,019,699) becomes fully guaranteed. (✅)
  • Chris Paul (Warriors): Non-guaranteed salary ($30,000,000) becomes fully guaranteed. (❌)

July 8

  • Devonte’ Graham (Hornets): Partial guarantee ($2,850,000) increases to full guarantee ($12,650,000). (❌)
  • A.J. Green (Bucks): Non-guaranteed salary ($2,120,693) becomes fully guaranteed. (✅)
  • Aleksej Pokusevski (Hornets): Non-guaranteed salary ($2,273,252) becomes fully guaranteed. (❌)

July 11

  • Jeff Green (Rockets): Non-guaranteed salary ($8,000,000) becomes fully guaranteed. (✅)

July 13

  • Landry Shamet (Wizards): Non-guaranteed salary ($11,000,000) becomes fully guaranteed. (❌)

July 15

July 16

  • Jericho Sims (Knicks): Partial guarantee ($651,180) increases to $1,302,359. (✅)

July 18

  • Bryce McGowens (Hornets): Non-guaranteed salary ($2,019,699) becomes fully guaranteed. (❌)

July 20

  • Toumani Camara (Trail Blazers): Non-guaranteed salary ($1,891,857) becomes fully guaranteed. (✅)
  • Jabari Walker (Trail Blazers): Non-guaranteed salary ($2,019,699) becomes fully guaranteed. (✅)

July 23

July 25

  • Darius Bazley (Jazz): Non-guaranteed salary ($2,463,946) becomes partially guaranteed ($400,000). (❌)
  • Kenneth Lofton (Jazz): Non-guaranteed salary ($2,120,693) becomes partially guaranteed ($400,000). (❌)

August 1

  • Charles Bassey (Spurs): Non-guaranteed salary ($2,500,000) becomes fully guaranteed. (❌)
  • Julian Champagnie (Spurs): Non-guaranteed salary ($3,000,000) becomes fully guaranteed. (✅)
  • Bruno Fernando (Hawks): Non-guaranteed salary ($2,717,391) becomes fully guaranteed. (❌)

August 16

  • Jericho Sims (Knicks): Partial guarantee ($1,302,359) increases to full guarantee ($2,092,344). (✅)

October 22

  • Dalano Banton (Trail Blazers): Partial guarantee ($217,533) increases to $1,098,485.
  • Onuralp Bitim (Bulls): Non-guaranteed salary ($1,891,857) becomes partially guaranteed ($350,000).
  • Kendall Brown (Pacers): Non-guaranteed salary ($2,120,693) becomes partially guaranteed ($250,000).
  • Bruno Fernando (Raptors): Non-guaranteed salary ($2,087,519) becomes fully guaranteed.
  • Keon Johnson (Nets): Partial guarantee ($250,000) increases to $700,000.
  • Eugene Omoruyi (Wizards): Non-guaranteed salary ($2,196,970) becomes partially guaranteed ($1,000,000). (❌)
  • Matt Ryan (Pelicans): Non-guaranteed salary ($2,196,970) becomes fully guaranteed. (❌)
  • Jalen Wilson (Nets): Partial guarantee ($75,000) increases to $325,000.
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Community Shootaround: Celtics/Pacers Series

May 20th, 2024 at 10:46am CST by Luke Adams

The two teams that will square off in the Eastern Conference finals this spring have benefited from some injury luck in recent weeks.

After dominating the Eastern Conference during the regular season, the Celtics were rewarded with a first-round matchup against a Heat team missing Jimmy Butler and a second-round series against a Cavaliers squad playing without its starting center (Jarrett Allen) for all five games, as well as its leading scorer (Donovan Mitchell) for the last two.

The Pacers have also defeated a pair of foes missing key players during this postseason. Indiana’s first-round victory came against a Milwaukee team that was playing without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, and its second-round win came against the Knicks, who didn’t have Julius Randle, Bojan Bogdanovic, OG Anunoby, and Mitchell Robinson available for most or all of the series.

Teams can only beat the opponents in front of them, so I’m not here to run down either of the East’s two clubs left standing. But if the two teams avoid injuries going forward, this series will represent a new challenge for the Celtics and Pacers.

Of course, the challenge is a more daunting one for the Pacers, who weren’t supposed to be here. Indiana’s over/under for 2023/24 last fall was 38.5 wins. And while the Pacers got off to a strong start, added Pascal Siakam via trade, and comfortably surpassed that win total, they weren’t exactly dominant during the regular season. If not for a victory in their 82nd game, they would’ve been a play-in team. They ranked a modest 10th in the NBA in net rating (+2.9) and just 24th in defensive rating (117.6). They’ll enter this series as major underdogs (+600, per BetOnline.ag).

The Celtics, meanwhile, posted the third-best regular season net rating in NBA history (+11.7), finishing with the league’s No. 1 offensive rating (122.2) and No. 2 defensive rating (110.6). They wobbled slightly in both playoff series, losing Game 2 at home to both the Heat and Cavaliers, and perhaps weren’t quite as dominant against opponents ravaged by injuries as Boston fans would’ve liked to see. But it’s not like they were in any real danger in either round — the Celtics’ +12.8 postseason net rating is even better than their regular season mark.

Still, there are reasons to believe this series could be a competitive one. For one, Boston is still missing Kristaps Porzingis, who was out for the second round due to a calf strain. The latest updates on Porzingis suggest he could return at some point in the Eastern Conference finals, but likely not for either of the first two games at home. As long as he remains on the shelf, the Celtics will miss Porzingis’ rim protection against a Pacers offense that was the NBA’s second-best during the regular season and has been the league’s top unit during the playoffs.

As Jay King and Jared Weiss detail for The Athletic, the Pacers’ bench has been a real strength in the team’s first two postseason series. T.J. McConnell has been impressive leading a second unit that also features sharpshooter Ben Sheppard (.474 3PT% in 13 playoff games) and Obi Toppin (11.0 PPG, 4.5 RPG in just 19.0 MPG). The Celtics have good depth too, but their second unit isn’t quite as strong with Al Horford moved into the starting lineup in place of Porzingis.

King and Weiss also point out that the Pacers would benefit from being able to control the pace in the series. Only the Wizards played at a faster pace than Indiana during the regular season, while Boston ranked in the bottom half of the league in that category — and ranks dead last during the playoffs.

We want to know what you think. Do you see the Pacers pulling off another upset, or is this where their Cinderella run ends? Will Porzingis’ availability – or lack thereof – be a deciding factor, or can the Celtics win this series without him? Do you expect the winner of this series to be the NBA’s 2024 champion?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts and predictions on the Eastern Conference finals!

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