09.07.2023, 04:23 - hju - Rank 4 - 179 Posts
There's no defined timeline for an rebuild, but typically, ownership gets antsy after three or four years. By that point, even the most aggre sive tanker should have hit on a couple of draft picks and at least have a coherent vision for a path forward. Even the Proce s era were only out of the playoffs for five years, and the first hardly counts as the team was still trying to win with newly acquired All-Star Andrew Bynum.Part of what makes the 2023 offseason so compelling is that an entire clump of teams is all hitting that three-to-four-year window at the same time, and all of them have the tools to take the next step if they so choose. The , and have all now been out of the playoffs for three years, and the have been in the lottery for the previous four seasons.Two of those teams (the Magic and Pistons) Ty Isaac Jersey have made No. 1 overall picks, while the Rockets have picked in the top four three times and the Pacers have added an All-Star on a rookie contract ( ). In theory, all four of those teams should now have the basis for a long-term winner, and their goal should be to add to those cores before their young cornerstones graduate from rookie-scale contracts to market-value deals.Fortunately, all four teams are well below the cap. Houston leads the entire NBA with over $60 million in space. Indiana can get to around $32 million, Detroit is just behind at around $31 million, and Orlando comes in with the least space at just under $24 million. There's a fair bit of overlap in terms of what these teams need and who they might pursue, so let's take a look at each of them and try to figure out how they might approach a free agency push toward the play-in race. In the long run, rumored return to the Philadelphia 76ers is likely a victory for the Rockets. Houston already has so many mouths to feed offensively that allowing Harden the freedom to play his preferred style would have stifled the development of their youngsters, and giving a soon-to-be 34-year-old with conditioning i sues a four-year deal is rarely a good idea. Houston doesn't need a guard that will monopolize its offense. It needs an adult that can organize the offense and scale his scoring up or down depending on how the rest of the team grows. makes much more sense in that context, and his measured, mostly outside-of-the-arc game meshes well with nuclear athleticism and interior shot-creation. Inserting VanVleet also moves Jr. to the bench, where he should likely remain (if Houston even keeps him, as his contract is not guaranteed beyond this season).The rumored addition of is a bit me sier. He'll want shots, and the Rockets will pay him as more than a pure defender, but Ime Udoka's comfort with direct confrontation should help rein in his worst impulses. Houston's defense has been a me s for three years. One of the simpler ways of fixing that is adding a stopper. As Jabari Smith Jr. develops, the Rockets should have one of the better defensive forward tandems in the NBA in a few years, a nece sity if Sengun is going to be their starting center. Those two signings have been among the most rumored of the offseason thus far. They likely won't eat up all of Houston's projected space. A defensive-minded backup center would be a nice third signing, but with the po sibility of dumping Porter next season and none of their high draft picks due extensions, the Rockets could easily plan to preserve significant cap space into next offseason as well. That would give them another year to evaluate their own players before making more long-term commitments.That is Taco Charlton Jersey probably the best approach here. The Rockets shouldn't be aiming for championship contention next season, but with Oklahoma City owning their pick, they have no incentive to tank either. The goal, for now, is development, and the Rockets have taken the "just let the young players do whatever they want" approach about as far it can go. It's time to start holding them accountable by allowing veterans to earn their minutes and shots. That seems to be the approach here, and Houston is on the right track with VanVleet and Brooks as targets.The Pacers typically prefer not to get into free-agent bidding wars, and given their typically meager budgets, they may choose to largely sit free agency out with Haliburton's max rookie extension looming. But Indiana has been aggre sive in pursuit of a veteran forward, with reportedly at the top of their list. If the find a way to keep VanVleet, Anunoby becomes a likelier trade candidate. If he stays put, there are still a variety of viable options at several different price points for Indiana to consider. With drafted to presumably serve as the power forward of the future, Indiana would likely prefer a forward who can comfortably defend wings and even guards. is probably headed back to Milwaukee, but it's worth noting that the Pacers have chased an injury-prone Buck before when they succe sfully wooed in 2019.More likely, if the Pacers shop at the absolute top of the market, the target is . The Pacers have shots to offer him, and he's proven comfortable signing in small markets in the past. But Grant's availability likely comes down to how Portland spends the next few days. They likely have an inkling of what it would take to satisfy . If sacrificing Grant helps them do that, or if they fear they can't do it and don't want to make a long-term commitment, he's gettable. For now, Portland appears desperate to keep him. That signals an overpay Indiana has little reason to match.Drop down a level financially and you get the younger group, but competition will Dominique Funchess Jersey be steep on this front. is rumored to be one of Sacramento's top targets. Cam Johnson appears earmarked for either Detroit (where his former coach, Monty Williams, has taken over the Pistons) or a return to Brooklyn. The Pacers can break into the bidding for either, but would probably have to win a bidding war. Kuzma has a chance to join a contender back in California, where he started his career. Johnson can reunite with Williams. If money is the same either way, those are likely preferable destinations. or . represents likelier Pacers targets. They'll come a bit cheaper, and either could credibly serve as a matching salary in a future deal for Anunoby or another forward. Neither has to be a long-term solution at forward for the Pacers, but both could be credible bridges to whatever comes next. The Pacers were already a playoff-caliber team before Haliburton got hurt. They don't have to rush. Internal development should make them competitive next year. That gives them the flexibility to slow-play this thing a bit and see if a better fit eventually presents itself.Detroit badly needs some more shooting to help develop its young guards and glut of big men, and fortunately, the Pistons have seemingly recognized that. They've been linked to two of the top forwards on the market, and we've covered both already: Grant and Johnson. Both would represent reunions of sorts. Grant signed with Detroit in 2020 and was traded last summer. Johnson played for Williams in Phoenix, so the Pistons know what to expect.Detroit's ownership is a bit more comfortable spending than Indiana's. The Williams contract makes that clear, and Troy Weaver has developed a bit of a habit of going overboard to get his preferred targets. Back in 2020, he used the stretch provision on multiple players to ensure the space needed to sign Grant. The Pistons are comfortable getting into bidding wars for Grant or Johnson. The question is: who do they prefer? The CBA likely dictates that they explore Grant's price first. Johnson is a restricted free agent, and in the NBA, the 48-hour matching period afforded to teams that hold restricted rights on players is an eternity. If the Pistons chase Grant and mi s, Johnson will likely still be available. If they go for Johnson first and the match? Grant and everyone else will be gone. If Johnson is the target, a sign-and-trade with Brooklyn to sidestep that risk is likelier but depends on what the Nets are prioritizing. With incoming draft picks from Phoenix, Dallas and Philadelphia, the Nets probably aren't valuing draft equity too much anymore. If they're trading Johnson away, they'd probably want players, and the Pistons don't have many that make sense for the Nets.It also wouldn't hurt the Pistons to move away from one of their younger big men in favor of a veteran. , and are all 22 or younger, and Marvin Bagley is the elder statesman of the group at 24. would be a worthwhile target for the cap room mid-level exception, and he's played in Detroit before. If you're wondering, yes, I did just advocate for the Pistons to use their cap space on Grant and Plumlee... the exact free agents they signed in 2020. The NBA really is cyclical. This time, however, the Pistons are actually in a position to get the most out of those veterans. CBS Sports HQ Newsletter Your Ultimate Guide to Every Day in Sports We bring sports news that matters to your inbox, to help you stay Jake Long Jersey informed and get a winning edge. I agree to receive the "CBS Sports HQ Newsletter" and marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers), and other information from CBS Sports and the Paramount family of companies. By pre sing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the and acknowledge Paramount's . Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe. Thanks for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox. Sorry! There was an error proce sing your subscription. The Magic have a rare problem for a lottery team. If they want to pursue a major upgrade... where are the minutes coming from? . is better than any free-agent center, and and are entrenched as the forwards of the future. That would logically make the backcourt the place to upgrade... except the Magic now have four first-round guards on rookie deals that need minutes in , , and . Oh, and had a stellar bounce-back season in 2023, so he needs to be accounted for as well. Guard is still the likeliest spot for an upgrade. Howard can play some backup forward minutes along with , but realistically, someone needs to go if the Magic plan to pursue a big-name guard. That's as true financially as it is rotationally. The Magic can't get in the hunt for VanVleet for $24 million, for example, but if they were to move Suggs (at $7.2 million) or Anthony ($5.5 million) into someone else's space? Then it becomes feasible. Suggs, a top defender that has struggled to shoot, has the most skill overlap with incoming rookie Black. Anthony is eligible for an extension, so if the Magic don't want to pay it, now is the time to move him. Either are viable trade candidates.VanVleet would be an excellent fit if the Magic could keep Desmond Howard Jersey him away from Houston. Banchero and Wagner handle the ball more than most forwards, so a guard that shoots 3s and defends would likely have an easier time working alongside them than a traditional ball-handler. If the Magic do want to go the ball-handler route, the have seemingly explored just about every point guard on the market to try to upgrade on . If the Lakers go in another direction, Ru sell on a short-term deal could give the Magic some needed offensive structure without hamstringing them for the long haul.Eventually, the Magic are going to be a very desirable market for bigger-name guards. Florida's warm weather and lack of state income tax are typically strong recruiters, and if Wagner and Banchero reach their All-Star ceiling, players are going to want to join them in Orlando. The Magic are probably aware of this, and while they'll take a swing on someone if the right player makes sense, they're likely also comfortable making only a short-term addition and letting their core grow organically. Click here Click here Click here
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