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Post by The Athletic on May 25, 2018 14:53:42 GMT -5
  1. Sacramento Kings
GM: Sacramento Kings (Dave)
2017 Record: 4-9
2017 Points: 7032 (11th in the West)
Didn't make the playoffs
Cap Room: $20.4M
Projected Roster:
Analysis: David and his Sacramento Kings had just a pitiful 2017/2018 season. It wasn't all his fault, his team was riddled with injuries, but it never seemed like David was determined to make something happen when the injuries hit. I don't think anybody really doubts David's basketball knowledge and his ability to put together a winner, it really is going to come down to the effort he puts in, and obviously the health of his team. Looking at this team there is a lot to like. The 20 or so million is more than a lot of teams have to work with, and with no major free agents it will be plenty to make a couple acquisitions in free agency. The team is led by two "stars" in Blake Griffin and Marc Gasol, but neither come without some question marks. Marc is now 33. While he is still a very good player in the league he is definitely on the downward slope of his career. Blake, 29 still has plenty of good years left, but are these two as a duo going to be good enough to carry this Kings team to fantasy relevance. Sure, when both these guys are healthy and playing well this is a playoff team, but as we witnessed last year, if either get hurt this team doesn't quite have the depth to deal with it. I know David is the last person to rebuild, but it's something to think about. The huge and shining bright spot of this team is obviously Kyle Kuzma. Taken towards the end of the first Kuzma was an absolute gem for the Kings. He looks unbelievably comfortable getting buckets out there for someone of his age, he has no fear. The next step for the Kings should be hoping he can expand on that that on year two and become a more all around player. Bev is going to be an x-factor too. If he comes back and is who he was pre-injury that will be huge in terms of where the Kings finish. Goran showed a lot this year, but with his role I don't think it's realistic to ever project him at more than 30 which is a pretty good number. Anyways, this team does have a lot to work with. They have 3 very solid veteran players, an X-factor in Bev, and up and coming player in Kuz and then some decent depth behind them. With some money to play with I think it's safe to say the Kings will be back as a title contender this next year, but only time will tell. |
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Post by The Athletic on May 25, 2018 15:11:21 GMT -5
  2. Phoenix Suns
GM: @terence
2017 Record: 2-12
2017 Points: 6230 (13th in the West)
Missed the Playoffs
Cap Room: $40M
Projected Roster:
Analysis:
GM Terrence did a really solid job in his first full year on the job. The lotto was a tough break for the Suns and their fans as they fell from the 2nd projected overall pick to 4, but that still ensures them a young stud, and a very valuable trade asset if they want to use it in that way. The team is still a ways away from competing but progress is being made. Klay is obviously this teams best player but in here Klay probably has to be your 3rd or 4th option to win a title. It'll be interesting to see with him heading into his last year whether the Suns view him as a long term part of what they are trying to do or if they will look to deal him to a contender as the season starts. I'm still not sure what to think about Schroeder. He's shown some flashes of being a very good player but I don't know if his ceiling is high enough. I think his very very best case is someone with an impact like Conley, a very good point guard, but not someone you'd deem a star. The Suns had 3 impact rookies and of 3 the least impactful was picked first. I think it's safe to say Malik struggled his first full year in the league. You saw flashes, but he's got a lot to work on. He's going to have to become much more efficient and add lot more to his overall game if the Suns are ever going to view him as an integral part of what they are doing. For where Brooks was drafted he played well and may carve out a decent role in this league, we'll see. Lastly, I really like Jarrett Allen obviously he has a lot of growing to do, but if everything comes together I can see him being a big piece for this Suns team. This is a big off-season for the Suns, it will really help set the pace of this rebuild, is this team aiming to be in the thick of things in the next 2 years or is this a longer term project. With the young pieces, assets, and #4 pick this team has a lot of things to work with, let's see what they do. |
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Post by The Athletic on May 25, 2018 15:31:23 GMT -5
  3. Los Angeles Lakers
GM:LA Lakers GM (Griff)
2017 Record:3-10-1
2017 Points: 5982 (14th in the West)
Missed the Playoffs
Cap Room: $69M
Projected Roster:
Analysis:
This Laker's team is a sneaky team that I don't think gets enough attention around here. Griffin has only been a GM for a couple months but made a couple shrewd moves and has a lot of work with going into his first full season. The obvious move of the off-season will be coming within a few days. As soon as June hits the Lakers should be agreeing to a multi year deal with franchise center Joel Embiid for upwards of 20 million annually. Joel is obviously the Lakers franchise players and their success over the next couple years will be directly tied to his play. That will eat a little into the Lakers cap, but Griffin will still have around 46 ish mill to work with. The Lakers will then have to decide if they want to match whatever offer sheet Josh Richardson gets. I don't wanna speculate but I wouldn't be surprised if a team with some money offers him something around 15 million. Do the Lakers feel he's worth that? Time will tell. Outside of Joel and J-Rich the Lakers have a couple really talented young players to keep eyes on. Taurean Prince was about as inconsistent as you can get, at times looking like a potential star playing both ends of the ball and at other times not even resembling a normal competent player. This next year is massive for him in terms of his development and will be really important to the Lakers and what they want to do. Kris Dunn was another huge bright spot for this Lakers team, he is easily apart of this Lakers team future plans and still has two more years of cheap production. Chriss is another player who's development will be really key to monitor. He had a very up and mostly down year in Phoenix, but again showed that when locked in he can be a difference maker in this league. Ibaka doesn't really fit this team, but the Lakers never found a suitable trade partner down the stretch of last year and will continue to hold onto him until they do. Similar to the Suns this is a big off-season for the Lakers and the strides they make this off-season will determine how fast the rebuild will be. They have the money to make some moves even after theoretically re-signing J-Rich and Joel. Let's see what Griff can do.
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Post by The Athletic on May 25, 2018 15:56:28 GMT -5
  4. Los Angeles Clippers
GM:Atlanta Hawks (Trey)
2017 Record: 4-10
2017 Points: 7057 (12th in the West)
Missed the Playoffs
Cap Room: $27.99M
Projected Roster:
Analysis:
Ah good ol Trey, the season started out so promising for Trey but ended out in the most Trey way possible. He finished 4-10 and is without his pick heading into this off-season. He's taken strides for sure, but just can't ever seem to put together a full season of just being smart. The Clippers are now in that weird stage that the Thunder are in of being pretty mediocre to the point where they are very far off from being a contender, but not bad enough to really fully rebuild. With the way the team is constructed I think Trey may have to consider a full rebuild. That may mean dealing James Harden who had another unreal year. He has 1 year left on his deal and if I were Trey I would definitely look at entertaining offers for the MVP. The other core piece is Hassan Whiteside. I think it is safe to say he did not live up to his huge contract this year, he battled injuries and just couldn't get on the same page as coach Spo. It'll be interesting to see if the Clippers have moved on from Hassan or if they'll look to hold onto him until his value comes back up again. Outside of those two the roster is pretty bare, Josh Hart was a great pick for the Clippers and will be somewhat valuable moving forward, but outside of that there really is nothing much to see. Trey has to decide what he is going to do and then fully commit. He has some wiggle room right now so he could look to add players to try and make a playoff appearance, or he could break it all down. Regardless Trey has to get things moving along in Los Angeles.
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Post by The Athletic on May 25, 2018 16:23:24 GMT -5
  5. Golden State Warriors
GM: Golden State Warriors (Caleb)
2017 Record: 11-3
2017 Points:8922 (3rd in the West)
Lost in the Western Conference Finals
Cap Room: $24.48M
Projected Roster:
Analysis:
I think it is safe to say the Warriors are disappointed with how their season ended. They were confident in their team's ability to win it all, and had been rolling up until Steph Curry got hurt. The rest of the team fought but it just wasn't quite enough against a good Nuggets squad. The Warriors now sit here after putting all their eggs into the proverbial basketball last year with 4 free agents. Rudy Gobert, Will Barton, Demarre Carroll, and Marco Bellinelli all played key roles and will be free agents. It's clear the Warriors are going to go with Gobert, they'd be foolish not too, but losing the 3 others will absolutely be a blow to this team. The core of Steph, Simmons, and Gobert is no doubt a lethal one, but outside of them it's pretty tough. The Warriors are going to have to figure out a way to re-tool and be creative financially. After Gobet re-sign the Warriors will be looking at less than 5 mill in breathing room with multiple roster spots open. Don't be surprised if Rudy ends up on the move shortly after signing a long term deal. Regardless I don't expect this Warriors team to have trouble competing for another title next year. Caleb expects greatness and will do everything in his power to roll out another powerhouse next fall, he's just going to have to get creative this year. |
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