A Financial Offseason lookout for each NBA team
I wanted to do a short article today, but I just can’t. With the official start to the moratorium period in NBA free agency set to arrive at 12:00 AM ET tomorrow, I just have to write an article on free agency, and since I already highlighted the big names and their prospects I figure we go vanilla and simply outline each team’s situation (projected cap space, needs, wants, whatever). Since this information is, for some reason, rather hard to find, I will simply be giving each team’s cap space as it stands right now (meaning I will subtract their current 2018-2019 payroll from the projected cap, which is believed to be about $101 million). For example: if the Lakers only have $34 million on their books for 2018-2019, then I would write that they have $67 million in cap space. I hope that clears things up. Again I’m going to try to keep it relatively short by poo-pooing the teams with no money to spend but...just look at my past posts.
Oh and I’ll be going in alphabetical order so as to bring a sense of order to this otherwise crazy platform (though my idea of alphabetical most likely deviates from yours). Also all numbers will be rounded to the closest million. ALSO when I say “targets,” I am strictly speaking of players the team has been linked to, not players I think they should pursue. Thank you.
Milwaukee Bucks (alphabetical by team NAME, not city)
Cap space: -$6 million
Needs: Doesn’t matter because you have no money
Chicago Bulls
Cap space: $41 million
Needs: SG (could just resign Zach Lavine...), Bench
Targets: I’ve heard Aaron Gordon and Jabari Parker…
Cleveland Cavaliers
Cap space: -$5 million (how is that possible even without LeBron?)
Needs: no money
Boston Celtics
Cap space: -$6 million
Needs: tough luck
Los Angeles Clippers
Cap space: $14 million
Needs: SF (in-house option of Tobias Harris), PF
Targets: kinda LeBron, resigning Harris
Memphis Grizzlies
Cap space: -$2 million
Needs: more money (or less?....)
Atlanta Hawks
Cap space: $28 million
Needs: any sort of playmakers really, some sort of non-G League bench
Targets: reports are Atlanta is content with themselves right now. That’s bravery folks.
Miami Heat
Cap space: -$43 million (for a team that can barely make the Playoffs?)
Needs: better allocation of funds (I’m looking at you, Hassan Whiteside)
Charlotte Hornets
Cap space: -$10 million
Needs: Better everything (trading Dwight Howard was a good start)
Utah Jazz
Cap space: $16 million
Needs: forwards (Derrick Favors?), backup PG
Targets: let’s be realistic here. No one is ever gonna sign with Utah.
Sacramento Kings
Cap space: $28 million
Needs: C, SF, Bench
Targets: Boogie?! (NO)...I mean Vlade Divac did declare them a superteam so….
New York Knicks
Cap space: surprisingly $6 million
Needs: get rid of Emmanuel Mudiay, Bench, SG
Targets: LEBRON
Los Angeles Lakers
Cap space: $67 million
Needs: Wings, another Ball brother
Targets: LeBron James, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard...I’d still like to see them re-sign Julius Randle but I guess he’s moving on to bigger and better things…
Orlando Magic
Cap space: $20 million
Needs: DON’T LET AARON GORDON LEAVE, backcourt
Targets: AARON GORDON
Dallas Mavericks
Cap space: $41 million
Needs: C, wings, same type of bench at Atlanta
Targets: DeAndre Jordan, maybe Kent Bazemore??, DeMarcus Cousins
Brooklyn Nets
Cap space: surprisingly $9 million
Needs: draft picks honestly (oh and wings)
Targets: Jabari Parker
Denver Nuggets
Cap space: -$5 million
Needs: a mascot with a pickaxe (if that’s legal)
Indiana Pacers
Cap space: $26 million
Needs: wing help, more experienced bench
Targets: Jabari Parker, Paul George (just kidding), Marcus Smart
New Orleans Pelicans
Cap space: $4 million
Needs: wings, talent on the bench, C
Targets: Boogie, Tyreke Evans
Detroit Pistons
Cap space: -$11 million
Needs: nothing. They finally fired Van Gundy so I fully expect them to hoist the Eastern Conference crown in 2019. I am actually overjoyed. Van Gundys ruin basketball.
Toronto Raptors
Cap space:-$25 million
Needs: A less-lame replacement at head coach
Houston Rockets
Cap space: $22 million
Needs: a healthy Chris Paul, resigning Clint Capela and Trevor Ariza (I am well aware Paul is also a free agent)
Targets: LeBron James
San Antonio Spurs
Cap space: $13 million
Needs: a huge return for Kawhi Leonard, backcourt help and wings, maybe a new logo? (not saying the current one is bad, but it’s been the same for quite some time now)
Targets: Jabari Parker, Jeff Green
Phoenix Suns
Cap space: $23 million
Needs: same type of bench at Atlanta and Dallas
Targets: Aaron Gordon, Jabari Parker
Oklahoma City Thunder
Cap space: $20 million
Needs: find a way to resign Paul George and get Carmelo Anthony to leave, PF
Targets: Paul George, Tyreke Evans (as a backup plan), Aaron Gordon
Minnesota Timberwolves
Cap space: $13 million
Needs: bench help
Targets: ¿?
Golden State Warriors
Cap space: -$3 million
Needs: none
Targets: for some reason they’re going to dip their toes in the DeAndre Jordan pool
Washington Wizards
Cap space: -$21 million
Needs: wing, C
Targets: Boogie, Nerlens Noel, DeAndre Jordan, Jabari Parker
Philadelphia 76ers
Cap space: $55 million
Needs: veteran bench, SG
Targets: LeBron James, resigning JJ Reddick (though they most likely won’t have the funds)
#NBA #NBAteams #basketball #freeagency #Importantplayers #wantsandneeds #capspace #signing
