Phoenix Suns
Needs: Point Guard
Picks: 29, 52
Only a few short years ago the Suns were in the NBA Finals with a roster built around Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, and Chris Paul. Ultimately, they came up short of hoisting the trophy, and a couple seasons later they decided to drastically change course and remake their roster by mortgaging the future to build what they believed would be an unstoppable trio of Booker, Bradley Beal, and Kevin Durant, a move driven in part by new ownership coming in and pushing to make a splash. In building that trifecta and then attempting to fill in the holes around them, the Suns sacrificed their future draft capital and locked themselves into second apron status. Booker, Beal, and Durant are all slated to make upwards of $53 million this season, and that becomes a major problem when the team is consistently losing. Bradley Beal is essentially unmovable, and not just because of his no-trade clause. His play has fallen off significantly since leaving Washington, particularly on the defensive end. He has struggled to stay healthy and has not consistently provided the scoring punch or efficiency the Suns hoped for when acquiring him. Kevin Durant remains an elite player, but he is entering his twilight years and will be 37 next season. Reports have surfaced that the Suns are likely to trade Durant before the draft, and one rumored possibility is a deal with Houston involving the 10th pick and Jabari Smith and/or Reed Sheppard. Durant is one of the few pieces Phoenix has that could potentially bring back enough draft capital and young talent to help get the roster back on track. Booker remains firmly in his prime and is widely regarded as one of the most complete offensive guards in the league. He is the one cornerstone Phoenix is likely to keep through a transition, but the surrounding roster needs significant work. While Booker continues to play at an All-NBA level, the lack of draft picks and financial flexibility severely limits the team’s ability to improve around him in any meaningful way. As it stands now, they do hold a late first-round pick, and someone like Jase Richardson (pictured) at 29 would be a nice get if he slips to them. If they do pull off the rumored trade with Houston involving Durant, one of the two French prospects, Noa Essengue or Nolan Traore, would be very solid options at 10, giving them a young piece with real long-term upside to start building around.
Los Angeles Clippers
Needs: Long-term direction
Picks: 30, 51
The Clippers were the fifth seed in the Western Conference, but they are an aging team and it will be interesting to see what the long-term vision is. Kawhi Leonard will be 34 next season and has only averaged around 44 games played per season since joining the Clippers for the 2019–2020 campaign. James Harden, who was excellent for LAC last season, looks headed for free agency and will be 36 next year, so even if they manage to retain him, the team will soon need to replace their aging stars with younger talent. Norman Powell took a big step forward, but he is also due to become a free agent after this upcoming season. Like every team in the division, the Clippers are short on draft picks to help build out their roster with cost-efficient players. Unlike Phoenix, however, the Clippers do not have a get-out-of-jail-free card. They lack an obvious trade chip who could refresh their draft capital or bring in a young core. They made the right decision letting Paul George walk in free agency last offseason, with the veteran forward signing with Philadelphia. Holding firm and avoiding a long-term overpay helps preserve future flexibility. The focus now shifts to whether they can make one last push for a title with their remaining LA-based nucleus. If they manage to bring back Harden, even with a fully healthy Kawhi, would they be better than OKC, Houston, or Denver? Probably not. Do they go into rebuild mode and initiate a fire sale? One option could be trading off a couple of bigger contracts to create enough salary cap flexibility to bring in another contributor to play beside Kawhi. Another possibility is flipping some of their contracts to a team like Utah to land a bigger name, such as Lauri Markkanen or John Collins. Adding Collins would be interesting, as it could allow them to stay competitive in the short term while setting the stage for a full rebuild once Kawhi’s deal comes off the books. The Clippers will be a wild card this offseason, but what is certain is that they currently own the final pick of the first round and will need to find someone who can contribute right away if they hope to stay in the playoff hunt next season. A player like Tennessee’s Chaz Lanier would work well with their timeline if available at 30, offering a mature, polished scorer who could immediately fill a rotation role and bring perimeter shooting to a roster in need of youth and energy.
Golden State Warriors
Needs: Interior defense, Secondary scorer
Picks: 41
The Warriors made the move to push all in with their aging core last season when they acquired Jimmy Butler, giving him a massive contract in the process, after Kevin Durant rebuffed their interest when a trade for him was in place at midseason. Now, with Stephen Curry, Butler, and Draymond Green anchoring the franchise, they must round out the roster with reliable contributors who can maximize their stars’ impact and help them mount a playoff run. Depth is critical because Curry, Butler, and Green cannot shoulder heavy regular-season workloads and still be fresh for the postseason, particularly since Butler typically shines when the games matter most. A glaring need is a true interior defensive presence who can spare Green from battling bigger bodies for 82 games and provide shot-blocking insurance behind perimeter mistakes. Brook Lopez would be an intriguing option because he still protects the rim, offers elite size, and fits the Warriors’ spacing with his three-point range. Golden State could also use an efficient secondary scorer to ease the scoring burden; Buddy Hield, Brandon Podziemski, or Moses Moody might fill that role, but each must become more consistent. Their lone draft asset is the 41st pick, and players like Hansen Yang, Johni Broome, and Bogoljub Markovic could be possibilities there as big men who offer size, toughness, and some upside as rotation pieces. Quentin Post, drafted 52nd last year, has been a real find with his perimeter shooting and could factor more into the rotation next season. The most intriguing offseason storyline, however, may be the future of restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga, who has been vocal about wanting a change but is too talented to lose for nothing. A trade seems best for all parties, and the Warriors could leverage Kuminga in a larger deal using a sign and trade framework to gain flexibility in matching salaries and potentially secure a premium return. The Warriors are one of several teams eyeing a possible Giannis Antetokounmpo trade and could opt to re-sign Kuminga with the intent of pushing for the Greek Freak around midseason when it is projected the Bucks may make him available.
Sacramento Kings
Needs: Point guard, a surrounding cast for Sabonis
Picks: 42
Sacramento has a massive hole at point guard, which is ironic for a team that very recently had De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, and Davion Mitchell. Now, they have no true first point guard on the roster outside of Devin Carter, and he’s not ready to be a starter at this stage in his career. In addition, they do not appear destined to be a contender, and maybe not even a playoff lock. It would not surprise me to see them look to move DeMar DeRozan to a contender that misses on Kevin Durant or Giannis. I could also see them look to move Jonas Valanciunas to a center-needy team. I expect Sacramento to be aggressive this offseason in making moves. As an NBA team, you can be an aging team or you can be a non-competitive team, but you can’t afford to be both, and that’s exactly where Sacramento is at currently. The Kings only have one pick in this year’s draft, but they could rack up some additional picks with trades leading up to or during the draft. If they elect to sell off some of their older talent, we could see them bottom out and hope to hit gold in the lottery. However, if they can’t swing deals that make sense for them, they could opt to address the point guard issue and hope that they can sneak into playoff position. Tyus Jones, Tre Jones, Malcolm Brogdon, and Dennis Schroeder could all be affordable options that might be willing to sign a short-term deal in order to start for a year before re-entering free agency next year. At 42, they could look to add an athlete and defensive-minded player like Micah Peavy or Sion James who can help fill depth and bring energy off the bench.
Los Angeles Lakers
Needs: Center
Picks: 55
The Lakers look much different than they did this time last year. After acquiring Luka Doncic, they will be looking to surround him with the type of players that fit his play style. And with a new ownership group that will be trying to put their mark on their new team, they will be looking to make a splash. The biggest need is a need the Lakers tried to fill last year by trading (and then rescinding) for Mark Williams. Luka wants to play with an athletic big, and the Lakers will move heaven and earth to try and fill that need this offseason. There have been rumors about them targeting Utah’s John Collins, and after the Desmond Bane trade, they might have no choice but to examine the market around the league for Austin Reaves. It’s highly unlikely they would be able to get the same type of deal that Memphis got, but it’s always possible that LA moves him this offseason with Luka taking on primary ball handler responsibilities. The Lakers will also be looking to be aggressive as they want to capitalize on the tail end of LeBron’s career. Some centers that the Lakers could target would include Brooklyn’s Nic Claxton, or Portland’s Robert Williams or DeAndre Ayton. It’s always difficult to anticipate what a new ownership group is going to do, and it’s especially hard to know with the Lakers, because they have a history of sweet heart deals like they got for Luka and Pau Gasol. They will almost assuredly be extremely active in major trade talks this offseason looking to improve the team and the more talks a team has, the more likely they are to find a move that works for them. They don’t have many desirable trade assets outside of Reaves, Dalton Knecht, and Rui Hachimura, but they have contracts that they can throw in to deals to match salaries, and Gabe Vincent and Maxi Kleber’s deals expire after next year, so despite the lack of draft picks, they have some ammo to complete a deal. Expect them to be one of the most aggressive teams this offseason as they look to capitalize on their window with both Doncic and LeBron on the roster.
