Philadelphia 76ers
Needs: Forward help
Picks: 3, 35
Philadelphia went all in last year trying to compete. With an MVP-caliber player in Joel Embiid on the roster, a former MVP candidate in Paul George, and two exciting young guards in Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain, you would expect the Sixers to have at least been a decent team. Alas, the team floundered amidst injuries and disappointing seasons from players they expected to carry them, finishing 24-58. Paul George missed several games early in the season, preventing him from finding his groove on his new team, before shutting it down completely for the final two months of the season. Meanwhile, Joel Embiid’s ongoing injury issues continue to cast a shadow over the franchise, as he only suited up for 19 games this season. It’s difficult to build around a player, no matter how talented, if he isn’t consistently available to anchor the lineup. Since joining the league, Embiid has only played an average of 41 games per season. If you take out his first two seasons in the league, that jumps up to 50, but it remains a major issue that has only worsened the last two seasons. Philadelphia may have to start having conversations similar to what New Orleans has regarding Zion Williamson. What do you do with a high-level difference maker that is just as likely to be in street clothes as in double figures in scoring and rebounding on a given night? Luckily, Philly has two dynamic young guards on their roster in Maxey and McCain to build around, but it has to make them nervous that both also ended the season injured, with Maxey playing only 52 games and McCain showing out in a small sample size of only 23 games.
The Sixers are unlikely to trade Embiid this offseason, because you simply don’t sell low on a player of his caliber unless the player forces his way out. However, the team could absolutely explore the possibility during next season if they can’t turn it around in a big way. This is a team that will not have salary cap space to use to improve the team, and few trade assets with any value outside of players they clearly will not want to give up. Nobody is touching that Paul George contract, so the team will have to add pieces through the draft to bolster this lineup. Fortunately, they landed the third overall pick in the lottery. With that pick, Ace Bailey of Rutgers is likely to be available and would be an intriguing addition. He’s a high-upside scorer capable of making tough shots, but his shot selection can be erratic, and he’ll likely experience the typical rookie growing pains. The question is how the team’s veterans will respond when those struggles impact tight games. That said, despite him not being the most natural fit with this current group, the Sixers are arguably not a true contender at the moment—and when picking this high in the draft, the team has an obligation to take the player with the most long-term upside rather than focusing solely on fit. Other options could be Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe, who would overlap with their other young guards but arguably has as much upside as Bailey and comes with a little more structure, or Jeremiah Fears, who they could consider for his ability to play point guard with toughness. Ultimately, Philly is probably stuck trying to make the best out of a flawed roster next season either way, but the question will be how hard do they try to cling to what they believe is a contending status versus tearing it down and building toward the future?
Brooklyn Nets
Needs: More talent overall
Picks: 8, 19, 26, 27, 36
Brooklyn finished with a 26-56 record last year, but unlike Philly, they fully expected to be a bad team. The Nets have been waiting to clear cap space so they can look to utilize a combination of salary space and the allure of their major market to bring in difference makers. The Nets will have De’Angelo Russell’s and De’Anthony Melton’s big contracts come off the books this offseason, paving the way for them to have up to around 90 million, although it will likely be much less than that based off of who they end up looking to retain from last season’s roster. Still, between having cap space and four first round picks, they should see an influx of talent for next season. In the draft, they could look to package some of their picks to move up in the draft or defer to future drafts, but they likely will not utilize all five total picks they own in this year’s draft.
Assuming they stay at pick 8, they will likely take a long look at players such as Texas Longhorn Tre Johnson, BYU Cougar Egor Demin, French point guard Nolan Traore, or fellow French prospect Noa Essengue, who has been heating up of late in the French league and offers high long-term upside. With their second first-round pick at 19, a player like Illinois wing Will Riley could be a potential building block—an upside swing who adds size and scoring potential on the perimeter. If they can acquire a primary ball handler, it would free up Cam Thomas to focus on being the scorer he’s capable of being. In free agency, Brooklyn will look to make a splash, and could look to add a major piece such as Fred VanVleet, Julius Randle, or Ty Jerome. This offseason will be the first step in their rebuild as they are finally free of the financial constraints that have limited them for years. With picks 26, 27, and 36 also in hand, they could look to package some combination of those to move up in the draft or target players hovering around the late first/early second range—names like Cedric Coward, Walter Clayton, or Drake Powell could all be in play as high-upside rotation pieces.
Toronto Raptors
Needs: Talent, Rebounding, shot creation
Picks: 9, 39
The Raptors made an aggressive move last season to acquire Brandon Ingram from New Orleans. With Ingram joining Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett, Toronto now has an intriguing but potentially overlapping core of ball-dominant wings and forwards. The fit will need to be sorted out, particularly on offense, where spacing and decision-making could become challenging without strong secondary playmakers and floor-spacers around them. Team president Masai Ujiri has often favored international prospects and players with long-term staying power in Toronto, which makes the team’s international leanings a likely factor again in 2025. Two strong options who fit that mold — and are worthy of selection at No. 9 — are Nolan Traore, a dynamic French lead guard with high-level creation skills and speed, and Noa Essengue, a powerful, athletic forward who defends multiple positions and brings energy and toughness. Essengue’s game does slightly overlap with Ingram and Barnes in terms of size and role, but if the Raptors view him as the best talent available, they can always make roster adjustments or future trades to sort out the fit.
If Traore and Essengue are off the board, Kon Knueppel would be a dream scenario if he falls — though that’s increasingly unlikely. Other names to watch include Nique Clifford of Colorado State, an athletic wing with defensive versatility, and Kasparas Jakucionis, the skilled Lithuanian guard now at Illinois, who offers sharp decision-making and playmaking upside. The Raptors may also look to address their frontcourt, where Derik Queen stands out as a polished low-post scorer who could thrive in pick-and-roll sets with their perimeter stars. Toronto’s roster likely won’t change dramatically beyond the draft and a minor free agent addition or two, but the presence of Ingram — who didn’t suit up post-trade last season — will make next year’s team feel distinctly different from what fans saw in 2024–25.
Boston Celtics
Needs: A new Achilles for Tatum
Picks: 28, 32
Boston is in maybe the worst position a front office could ever find themselves in. This is a roster that just won a championship and was designed to contend for the next few years. Now, their best player is out for the entire upcoming season and they are a second apron team, meaning there is no viable way to add the type of talent they would need to remain a contender. With an aging roster, they also would be taking a huge risk by simply trying to absorb a down year and hope that Jayson Tatum can bounce back to full strength. The team needs to decide whether to extend the championship window or close it now in hopes of speeding up the rebuild. Tatum is injured and will not be himself for a long time. Jrue Holiday is 35, Kristaps Porzingis has a long history of injuries, and Al Horford (assuming he doesn’t retire) will be 39. Is Jaylen Brown enough to keep the team a contender? Can Derrick White step his game up any further than he already has?
Boston has a Sophie’s choice situation on their hands. If they keep the team together, it’s unlikely they’ll still be in position to contend by the time Tatum returns. If they begin a rebuild, the front office will have blown up a championship-winning team—an almost unthinkable move just weeks after raising a banner. There is simply no good answer, and with the NBA’s more restrictive CBA and the Celtics’ status as a second apron team, the franchise is essentially trying to address these issues with their hands tied behind their backs. They’ll need to get creative and possibly turn to the draft to add affordable contributors. Collin Murray-Boyles could bring the type of versatility, toughness, and glue-guy mentality to be their next Grant Williams. If available, a player like Carter Bryant could offer a longer-term upside swing, giving the team a cost-controlled asset to develop while navigating a difficult cap landscape.
New York Knicks
Needs: Backup point guard
Picks: 50
The Knicks are coming off the best season they have had in quite some time, including a deep playoff run. In putting together this team, they have found themselves on the cusp of second apron status, which will essentially lock them into keeping the roster as-is for the most part. They will need to find a way to add a backup point guard, whether that means finding a way to retain Cam Payne or bringing somebody else in, but I would largely expect the team to look extremely similar next season.
In the draft, they hold only one pick, and it’s at pick 50. They have to forfeit their other second-round pick as a punishment for tampering with Jalen Brunson. Literally any team ever would trade a second-round pick for Brunson, so I would say it was more than worth it. However, moving forward, it will be very important for New York to capitalize on their picks as they lose flexibility elsewhere. It’s unlikely they land an impact player at 50, but with the team already in place, they should still be a contender next season. At that spot, they could target a local player like RJ Luis, as long as they don’t listen to Rick Pitino about him.
