Chicago Bulls
Needs: Point guard, Center
Picks: 12, 45
The Bulls, coming off a 39-43 season, are stuck in a bit of limbo. They lack high level young players to build around, as Matas Buzelis is the best young player they have on their roster, and he was underwhelming much of last season. Josh Giddey was really good last season after coming over from OKC (primarily the second half of the season) as one of their youngest players, but he is also a free agent this offseason and will be looking for a hefty pay raise. Luckily for Chicago, he is a restricted free agent, so it remains to be seen how big of a contract he will actually command, but it will be really important for the Bulls to retain him because of their gaping hole at point guard. Letting a young piece of that caliber get away would set them back even further. There aren’t many true point guards expected to be available around the 12th pick in the upcoming draft, so look for Chicago to try and keep Giddey in house. However, there is a very real chance that they can fill their other major need through the draft: center. Nikola Vucevic is getting up there in age and will be a free agent at the end of next year, landing a young big like Derik Queen out of Maryland, Thomas Sorber out of Georgetown,or Khaman Maluach out of Duke could give them another young piece to build around in the long term. The Bulls could also look to move Vucevic and his soon-to-be expiring contract on draft night to get another piece or two since they don’t anticipate having cap space available to make a big splash in free agency. Chicago hasn’t won a playoff series since 2014-2015, so the city and the franchise are running out of patience, so I expect the team to be aggressive in trying to add pieces this offseason. If a Vucevic trade materializes on draft night and they get strategic with their cap holds, they could find themselves looking at adding a significant player in free agency.
Indiana Pacers
Needs: Retain Myles Turner
Picks: 23, 54
The Pacers are currently in the NBA Finals and they have the ability to keep their team more or less intact if they can convince Myles Turner to re-up with the team. He will be in command, but there also aren’t many teams that will be looking at having a lot of cap space, and those that do, won’t be able to offer contending status the way the Pacers can. If they can retain Turner, the Pacers have to feel like they have the opportunity to remain contenders in the East, especially with Boston’s injury to Tatum and the Knicks changing head coaches. The flip side to that is, assuming they lock in Turner, they are committing to this core or Haliburton, Siakam, Nembhard, and Turner, as they will lose flexibility to add to the roster much to their roster due to the updated CBA. With that said, it seems foolish to not do everything to lean into this opportunity and capitalize on an Eastern Conference that has opened up for them. They also have the 23rd pick in this year’s draft, which could net them a rotation player such as Michigan State’s Jase Richardson, Illinois forward Will Riley, Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr., or Michigan’s Danny Wolf. I think it is safe to expect next year’s Pacers team to look very similar to this year’s team, and the Pacers will be hoping to get similar results.
Detroit Pistons
Needs: Three point shooting
Picks: 37
Detroit finally put things together last season, finishing with the 6th seed in the East. Cade Cunningham showed how good he can be when healthy for (almost) the entire season, as he played 70 games in the regular season. The Pistons have leaned into defense, athleticism, and physicality while building this team, targeting players like Ausar Thompson, Ron Holland, Jalen Duren, and Isaiah Stewart in recent years. In order to take the next step, Detroit will need to add more skill and shooting to the roster to give themselves a more well-rounded roster. Jaden Ivey being healthy will help on that front, but they shouldn’t be comfortable counting on bringing back Malik Beasley to replicate the last two seasons, as he’s been up and down over the course of his career. While the Tobias Harris contract is a drag on their financials, they could still be a player in free agency if they are willing to let some of their free agents (and their associated cap holds) walk. While I think Detroit is more likely to dabble in free agency than land a big fish, that is an option that might be out there if they choose to go that route. Making the playoffs this year will make it a bit easier to sell potential free agents on joining the Pistons this offseason. I would not be shocked if they are content to bring back Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley and hope that bringing Ivey back into the fold is enough to help them take the next step, but they will have options to bolster their team this offseason.
Milwaukee Bucks
Needs: Quality youth
Picks: 47
Just a few years ago, Milwaukee was in the NBA Finals beating the Phoenix Suns and thinking that the team could be the next dynasty behind the play of Giannis Antetokounmpo. Flash forward to now, and after a coaching change, shipping off Jrue Holiday and his two way play for offensive-centric Damian Lillard, moving Khris Middleton in exchange for Kyle Kuzma and his empty stats, the Bucks find themselves a shell of their former selves. Lillard’s Achilles injury at the end of the season basically ends next season for the Bucks before it starts, and at his age, his career is very much in question. Brook Lopez, their veteran center whose ability to block shots and make open threes was integral to what allowed the Bucks to play their preferred style, is now a free agent, and it may not make sense for the Bucks to bring him back for a season in which they likely won’t compete. The issue is that they also can’t afford to bottom out, because Giannis is known for his desire to win, and they don’t want to risk him attempting to force his way to a contender. There’s little chance that Milwaukee would be able to move the contracts of Kuzma or Lillard, so with their current salary constraints and lack of draft picks, it will be incredibly difficult to set the team up for the future without alienating their star.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Needs: Patience
Picks: 49, 58
Cleveland went 64-18 last season while looking like the best team in the league for long stretches. Their team blends together exceptionally well and they can play multiple styles well. They are excellent both offensively and defensively and all of their top players are either in their prime or on the cusp of entering theirs. The problem is that in the playoffs, they suffered several injuries to their top players and ended up getting bounced in the second round by the Pacers. It will be imperative for them to avoid making a rash decision because of a playoff flameout. They have the pieces in place for next season to be the best team in the conference, and with Boston and Milwaukee dealing with injuries to stars and New York moving on from Tom Thibodeau, Cleveland could find themselves the favorites to come out of the conference next season. Ty Jerome was fantastic last season, and is in line for a big pay day. Cleveland would presumably love to keep him, but he will have options and the Cavs are hard capped. They are locked in on this roster pretty much as-is, and assuming they don’t overreact to their playoff loss, expect their roster to look pretty similar next season as well. This is a championship contending team going into next season.
