Cavs
Out
Aleksander Vazenkov (rights), Brandon Goodwin, Moses Brown, Ed Davis, Rajon Rondo, Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, (3 1st rd picks and 2 pick swaps), Mamadi Diakite
Sexton might turn into a monster and I still kinda like Markkanen but getting Donovan Mitchell feels like the right move at the right time. And, honestly, those guys didn't really fit this lineup anyway, so no big loss.
They had Rondo? I didn't even know that. And Ed Davis?
Brown wasn't gonna get minutes on this team.
Don't know Goodwin, Diakite or Vazenkov.
In
Donovan Mitchell, Isaiah Mobley (#49 pick) (2-way), Raul Neto (1yr/$2.2m), Ricky Rubio (3yr/$18.4m), Robin Lopez (1yr/$2.9m), Jamorko Pickett (Ex 10), Sharife Cooper (Ex 10)
All about how Mitchell gels with the young core the Cavs overacheived with last year. I think it's gonna work just fine and should work right away. I think the Cavs are gonna be really good this year.
Glad to see they were able to bring Rubio back, always liked that guy and he was balling before he got hurt last year. Won't play til Xmas or so, should be a nice lift to the second string in the last half of the season.
Lopez is a reliable vet. Not sure what Neto gives them (maybe just a bridge to Rubio's return).
I really liked Cooper going into last year's draft, the fact that Atlanta was too crowded for him should not be taken as an indicator that he can't play.
Picking up Mobley is a nice move. (He was a hot prospect, too, not that long ago, did they just double up on awesome or is he another Antetokounpo brother?)
Pickett has bounced around the league a bit, can he be a 3-and-D guy?
Re-signed
RJ Nembhard (2-way), Darius Garland (5yr/$193m), Nate Hinton (Ex 10), Dean Wade (3yr/$18.5m)
Garland got paid, now its time for him to make the next step and pairing him with Mitchell should be good for both of them.
Everyone loves Wade, I look forward to seeing more of him.
Nembhard and Hinton are worth keeping around, I guess, that's a good sign considering how guys like this bounce around.
Rest of roster
PF Kevin Love, C Jarrett Allen, SF Caris LeVert, F Evan Mobley, SF Cedi Osman, PF Isaac Okoro, F Dylan Windler, G Lamar Stevens
Mobley is a legit star, a great team player that hasn't even approached his peak.
Allen is a great defender and a better offensive option than, say, Gobert. Their two young bigs are gonna anchor this team for a decade.
And Okoro, too, is ready to take a step forward, this back court could be something really special.
I always liked Osman, this might be his last best chance to make an impact and being the third option behind Mitchell and Garland is possibly the ideal spot for him. He's more capable of having a big year than most people probably notice.
I'd move on from Love and LeVert as quick as possible: I'm not a fan of Love's game (or his on-court antics or anything about him really) and LeVert is a ball hog on a team of scorers--they both need to go for this team to take off. I say trade them for Westbrook and all the draft picks you can carry and leave room for buyout guys, wily vets that actually wanna win (which would not include Westbrook).
Next summer's free agents
Love, Windler, Lopez, Neto
I don't expect any of these guys to be on this team past next summer.
Over/Under
51
I think they finish high in the East, I think the starting five could be magical, a handful of players ready to be better and they've got moves to make to get better. I wouldn't be surprised to see them jump out to a big start and be a top East team all season long. We'll see.
Pacers
Out
Hugo Besson (rights), Gabe York, Nate Hinton, Lance Stephenson, Ricky Rubio, TJ Warren, Malcolm Brogdon, Duane Washington Jr
Feels like all the Pacers are losing are dudes that were mostly hurt all the time: Rubio never played a single game, Warren missed two straight years, Brogdon was in and out of the lineup throughout his entire time with the Pacers and Stephenson never should've been brought back to begin with. I don't know Besson, York, Hinton or Washington, so doesn't seem like the Pacers will miss them either.
In
Fanbo Zeng, Bennedict Mathurin (#6 pick), Aaron Nesmith, Daniel Theis, Andrew Nembhard (#31 pick), Devidas Sirvydis, James Johnson, Kendall Brown (2-way)
Mathurin is a sly pick for ROY and its not a bad bet: the Pacers aren't trying to in this year anyway so they can probably afford to let him go nuts and still lose every night. He does look good and he'll have plenty of time and space to do his thing. Nembhard, too, will probably play.
Don't know Zeng but he sounds intriguing. Ditto, with Srvydis, a guy that seems ready for an NBA roster.
The Celtics never really tried to get much out of Nesmith, not really sure what he can do, but I reckon he'll get time in this lineup.
I always dug Theis, probably kinda useless, though, on this team. He's a weird lightning rod kinda player: he gets beat up all the time and the refs just don't care. Sounds weird but there are teams that can use a guy like that (Heat, Lakers, Suns, maybe even the Pelicans). I fully expect him to be in the playoffs somewhere else this year.
James Johnson...why? Why does he want to play for Indy and why do they want him on the roster? This is a lose-lose deal and I don't see how Johnson sticks around for long.
Re-signed
Jalen Smith (3yr/$15.1m)
The Suns gave up on him almost instantly (sometimes teams just resent their top 10 picks rather than try to develop them), the Pacers are getting him at bargain basement rate. And since Myles Turner will almost surely be traded, I guess Smith should see the floor this season.
Rest of roster
SF Buddy Hield, C Myles Turner, PG TJ McConnell, F Goga Bitadze, PG Tyrese Haliburton, PG Chris Duarte, C Isaiah Jackson, G Oshae Brissett, Terry Taylor, G Langston Galloway
I think Haliburton will blossom into a great player this year--which is why it will be imperative for the Pacers to unload all the other mildly talented players. So while I expect him to make a huge leap forward, I don't expect anyone to take much notice of it. (Probably will be Most Improved, while barely finishing in the top ten because his team sucks so bad)
Turner will be traded. Book it.
Hield will probably be traded and doesn't really do much for this particular team.
I've long admired McConnell and he'll look great for the Raptors or Pelicans or Clippers or wherever he ends up (doubt it will be Indiana).
Duarte and Jackson are two worth developing for now. I expect them to have fine seasons while contributing zero W's.
Galloway, like James Johnson, makes no sense to me on this roster: the team needs minutes but they can get younger, cheaper players, so why not do that? And Galloway can still be a nice off the bench piece for a good team, so why is he here?
Bitadze threw his weight around in Europe this summer, we'll see if that translates stateside.
Next summer's free agents
Turner, Bitadze, Brissett, Sirvydis
I figure all four get traded/waived by year's end.
Over/Under
12
Yeah, this team is not good, not trying to be good, no need for good, not interested in good. Even though I think Halliburton could be edge of all-pro this year, I still don't see how they even accidentally wins games. I expect a lot of trades--by April the starting five will just be Halliburton, Duarte, Mathurin, Smith and a folding chair with a picture of Reggie Miller, with the rest of the roster just being future draft picks. They're starting from scratch and they're not quite down to scratch, so completing the teardown is the task.
Bucks
Out
Luca Vildoza, Rayjon Tucker
I don't know those dudes, if the Bucks fail to win the championship, I just can't imagine we'll be looking to the departure of either Vildoza or Tucker as the reason.
In
AJ Green (2-way), Joe Ingles (2yr/$4.2m), MarJon Beauchamp (#24 pick), Marques Bolden (Ex 10)
I love Joe Ingles as much as the next guy, the way he controls the ball is kinda masterful. But his game is slow and unorthodox and at his age, I can't expect him to bounce right back from a major knee injury and step right into championship level performance on a new team....so....I just can't see Ingles having any kind of impact on this team. Seems like a nice guy and if he can come back, I'll root for him, but I won't expect much out of him.
I don't know anything about Beauchamp. 1st rd grade, I'm sure he's a good athlete with some kinda skills but this team isn't about developing rookies.
I don't know Green or Bolden, not sure if either of them will stick.
Re-signed
Bobby Portis (4yr/$49m), Jevon Carter (2yr/$4.2m), Wes Matthews (4yr/$12.6m), Lindell Wigginton (Ex 10), Pat Connaughton (3yr/$28.3m), Serge Ibaka (1yr/$2.9m), Jordan Nwora (2yr/?$)
I like Portis, not a bad deal. I like Connaughton, not a bad deal. I like Carter, I'd say that's a good deal because I think he'll actually play. I was kinda blown away by Matthews in the playoffs last year, way better defender still than I figured he could be, so 4 years seems a little much but the money's not bad.
I like Nwora, too, but not sure what he provides at this point. Likewise, with Ibaka: not really a defender any more, never quite became the 3-point threat he wanted to be.
Rest of roster
F Giannis Antetokounpo, SF Khris Middleton, PG Jrue Holiday, C Brook Lopez, SF Grayson Allen, G George Hill, F Thanasis Antekounpo
This team goes as far as Giannis carries them and as much as Middleton and Holiday can help him do it. Lopez and Hill are fine, Allen will do, Thanassis has to at least be good at defense (right?).
I don't think Giannis wins MVP, but I think maybe we'll all think he should have. Giannis is awesome and this is a pretty good group around him, they've won before, they can win again.
Next summer's free agents
Lopez, Ingles, Hill, Thanasis, Ibaka (and a player option for Middleton)
Yeah, I expect all those dudes to bolt next summer, as the Bucks re-tool with an eye on getting younger (and/or cheaper). (Okay: Lopez to Magic, Hill to Pacers, Ingles to Jazz, Ibaka to Real Madrid (he more of a Barcelona guy?), Thanassis to whichever team just wants to have Giannis's brother on their roster for a while (including possibly the Bucks))
Middleton will be back, of course.
Over/Under
54
The Bucks are not my pick to be #1 in the East, but I do like them to come out of the East in the playoffs. The Bucks will win most of their games but they'll win on talent, I don't think they'll stress themselves, and I think they'll be happy to be top 4 going into the playoffs. Once in the playoffs, though, I expect them to tool the East. I think they would've tooled the East last year if not for Middleton's injury. I don't expect them to make any major moves, but there will be trades this year and lots of buy-out guys just waiting to chase a ring in Milwaukee and some of the lesser cast may be upgraded (or at least switched out) by year's end. This team will be good all year long and be better going into the post-season, where I expect them to be better than everyone else in the East.
Pistons
Out
Carsen Edwards, Frank Jackson, Jamorko Pickett, Luka Garza, Jerami Grant, Ishmaey Kamagate (rights), Nikola Radicevic (rights), Kelly Olynyk, Seben Lee, (and a 2025 1st rd pick)
Grant scored a lot of the points for Detroit (until Cade Cuningham got there), but somehow he still wasn't so cemented in that lineup that missing him will be a problem. Snatching Grant from the Nuggets was an interesting experiment, it netted them some draft picks.
Olynyk was the other wily veteran on this team last year. But once Nerlens and Burks and Bogdanovic showed up, he seems rather superfluous. I like Olynyk, don't be surprised if he's on a playoff team (10th man for the Warriors? Popping up in the deep Raptor rotation?).
Edwards, Jackson, Pickett and Lee were all at one time interesting prospects but I have yet to be overwhelmed by any of them at this point. I think the talent the Pistons brought in this summer is an upgrade.
Garza was more of a feel-good experiment that made more sense last year, when they expected to lose 65 games and needed all the fan favorite feel-good-ery they could muster. I think the team is much better this year, should actually be exciting on the court and while I can still see Garza finding a spot in this league, Detroit has their eyes on bigger better things at the moment.
I don't know Kamagate or Radicevic, feels like the Pistons weren't terribly committed to either.
In
Jaden Ivey (#5 pick), Buddy Boeheim (2-way), Gabriele Procida (rights), Kemba Walker, Jalen Duran (#12 pick), Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel, Kevin Knox, Bojan Bogdanovic
I am not a super nerd highlight watcher, I pay attention to the mocks, see who the buzz is about and then try to watch the college kids in the Tournament, if I can. I saw Ivey play twice last year at Purdue and I may well have watched the two worst games he ever played (that is possible, actually), but I saw nothing in Ivey that made me think he was a top 4 NBA pick. He had some nice Summer League highlights, and that's great, I love spring training baseball as much as the next guy. But I didn't think Ivey was the right fit to go with Cade but they got the #4 guy with the #5 pick and we're all supposed to think that's the no-brainer move and maybe it is. I'm kinda excited about the rest of the Pistons roster, I think there's a good mix of youth and vets, I think this could be a team that is way better than everyone thinks they're going to be...and I don't see how Ivey fits in. Lotta people say he's the ROY, okay, I'm looking forward to it because I like youth movement teams and I'll be checking out the Pistons.
Duran, on the other hand, makes perfect sense: a frisky dynamic down low defensive playmakers that can quickly get Cade into fast break mode. I like it (now his summer league impressed me!....yeah, I hear how that sounds....).
I liked acquiring Bogdanovic, good move. He's still a wily veteran, knocks down shots, plays tough D, bet he's a bad ass in the locker room, expiring contract (this was one of my favorite moves of the off-season). Or...he could be wasted on a young team going nowhere and he gets shipped off to (Celtics? Heat? Sixers?) for a pick or something. Either way, great pick up for the Pistons.
I always wondered about Knox. I thought at Kentucky he showed a good ability to be a bucket-getter, but with NYK he clearly fell in Thiboadeau's doghouse, which is supposed to reflect poorly on him (but I don't agree (*)). So for the last 3 years he's basically just been sitting off to the side, I have no idea if he's any good or not. Maybe Detroit will bring it out of him.
And Knox will be joined by three of his NYK mates: Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel and Kemba Walker. I'd be surprised if Kemba is on the team on opening day, but I expect Nerlens and Burks (former teammate of Bogdanovic, as well) to play a lot of meaningful minutes.
Hell, man, even Boeheim and Procida are interesting candidates for corner 3 guys.
Re-signed
Rodney McGruder (1yr/$?), Marvin Bagley (3yr/$37m)
Not sure McGruder has much left in him at this point. I can see him being gone by the deadline.
I still actually believe Bagley can be kinda good, but it seems like they overpaid for him (why?). I think he pairs well with Cade and Stewart and Nerlens and Duran behind him should shore up the defense. Bagley has done not very much in his time in the league but I'm not out on him just yet, I think he can be good in this lineup.
Rest of roster
PG Cade Cunnigham, SG Killian Hayes, SG Hamidou Diallo, PG Cory Joseph, F Isaiah Stewart, SF Saddiq Bey, F Isaiah Livers
I'm all in on Cunningham, think he's got big upside. What he lacks in offensive dynamism he makes up for with cool control and strength on the ball. Cade is still young enough that he doesn't quite have his game yet, but he reminds me of a playmaking Luka, a big guy that controls the ball to get shots for others. I think he has a lot of room to get better as a scorer and a playmaker but I think he's well on his way and worth building around.
Joseph is a nice vet off the bench, he'll play minimal minutes, I can see him being moved by the deadline (expiring contract), as the youth movement should be eating up his minutes.
I like Stewart, I'm still in on Hayes and Bey, I think Diallo is wildly underrated and I even think Livers can be a much better player this season. They've got a lot of upside on the bench, we'll see if Coach Casey brings them up.
Next summer's free agents
Bogdanovic, Walker, Diallo, Joseph, McGruder
I love Diallo but unless he blows up this year, I wouldn't expect the Pistons to re-sign him.
If Bogdanovic fits like a glove with Cade, Ivey and Bagley, they may well give him an old guy contract next summer, but I bet he'll get more value out of ring-chasing on short terms deals.
I expect Walker to be gone by opening night. I don't expect Joseph or McGruder to still be in Detroit next summer. In short, I don't think these guys get re-signed next summer, meaning they're all available trade bait.
Over/Under
32
I like this team. I think Cade's gonna be real good this year and if the youngsters all take a step up (and Ivey and Duran fit in nicely), I think the Pistons can be a play-in team--maybe even a dangerous one. I don't think the Pistons are tanking. Indeed, I think they want these young guys to play and get better and if they end up with the 11th pick instead of top 2, I think they'll take that. They're young, they're gonna be sloppy but they'll play hard and I like Coach Casey to squeeze some W's out them. I think they'll play to win and that's not true of all the teams this season; as the League separates out the teams that want to win from the teams that want to lose, the Pistons will just keep chugging along and by March I think there will be a bunch of W's just waiting to be had. I think they can be a real pain in the ass post-season squad.
Bulls
Out
Tony Brown Jr, Matt Thomas, Tyler Cook, Tristan Thompson
No worries. Brown played a little but his minutes should not be hard to replace. Thompson retired, right? (Well, anyway, he probably should) I don't know Thomas or Cook.
In
Dalen Terry (#18 pick), Andre Drummond (2yr/$6.6m), Justin Lewis (2-way), Goran Dragic (1yr/$2.9m), Carlik Jones (Ex 10), Kostas Antetokounpo
Terry is a nice looking PG prospect; with Ball out for who knows how long, Terry should probably see some floor.
I've got a soft spot for old fashioned big men that hang around too long, but, man, I think Drummond is still a perfectly useful player (the oldhead Gobert, if you will). People act like rebounds don't matter but when you get them and the other team doesn't--that matters! And Drummond can still do that at a furious rate. I don't know if the Bulls are the ideal fit but there should be a lot of player movement this year and we may well see him in a better fit (Dallas? Denver? Milwaukee?).
Ditto, Dragic. In his peak years (mostly with the Suns I'd say), Dragic was a mtherfucker. Great with the ball, could make plays, get his own shot or attack the basket and he always chose wisely. He's slow as shit now, can't play D at all, but at this price point, he'll work these kids in practice, if nothing else.
Antetokounpo must be a pretty good defender, right? I mean, he's mini-Freak, he should be an above average defender even if he otherwise sucks at the game of basketball, right? I don't get why the Antetokounpo brothers don't get more play--they're sick athletes, too, there must be something you can coach up in'them.
I don't know Lewis or Jones (sounds like a comedy team from the radio days), but they'll probably get playing time at some point.
Re-signed
Derrick Jones Jr (2yr/$6.6m), Zach LaVine (5yr/$215m), Malcolm Hill (2-way)
Personally I always dug LaVine, think he's been rather underappreciated throughout his career. So when you look at that $200m contract and think, 'whoa', I think he's worth it. LaVine has just never been on the right team and while I don't think this Bulls configuration is ideal for him (especially without Lonzo), I still think he can get buckets and put up for real stats. The Bulls roster--like all NBA rosters--will be going through flux this year, perhaps they can put the right team together around Zach,
Jones is a fine role player, he'll give reliable (if minimal) minutes off the bench.
I don't know how the Bulls are about their G-League shuttling, but Hill is still on the roster heading into opening day, still in the deep rotation, might get some minutes (might be good, you never know).
Rest of roster
SG DeMar DeRozan, F Nikola Vucevic, PG Lonzo Ball, PF Patrick Williams, G Alex Caruso, PG Coby White, C Tony Bradley, G Ayo Dosunmu, Javonte Green, Marko Simonovic
I like DeRozan and Vucevic--hell, I'd says they're among the most underrated players of the last decade or so (maybe LaVine, too, for that matter). But that doesn't mean they're a natural fit with each other and as they are both mid-range ball hogs, last year Vucevic really backed off, let DeDerozan be the Alpha and never got going with this team. They've now had a year together, can they work together? We'll see. (Gonna be a lot of trades this year--I can see Vucevic and/or DeRozan being available)
Ball has been hurt and is taking a disturbingly long time in recovery, not sure he'll even play this season and that sucks. He should be hitting his prime right now and he's got serious scorers around him, he should be feasting. I hope he gets well soon, I'd love to see him connect with this squad.
Williams is coming off an injury-plagued season; like to see him get a full season in (most improved candidate, right?).
Caruso and White and Dosunmu making a nice core off the bench. If the season goes sideways, all three will be in great trade demand, I think.
Next summer's free agents
Vucevic, White, Bradley, Green, Dosunmu (and a player option for Jones)
Vucevic, too, will get a lot trade buzz (everybody's going to get trade buzz this year!). They're looking to win, so they'll need to trade up in a season when a lot of teams will be trading down. This roster could look very different come playoff time and they might be way better than we think (or they may flounder around all season and half-ass their way through a play-in game). Worth remembering: even if this team sucks, there's still several East teams that will suck worse; that alone may inspire them to trade up rather than being more aggressive in shedding salary.
Over/Under
44
I like the team but I think as they cement themselves in the middle of the pack, this team will make trades with an eye to the future. They have no reason to tank and they don't suck, but they're not real deep, so if they're looking to win (they've got nothing to lose for, their pick went to Orlando and its only top-4 protected--and the Bulls won't be that bad), they'll need to find undervalued talent on the trade market--and this year could be an all-time great year for that. I like all these guys but I don't much see how they fit together, so I think the Bulls will be shopping (selling and buying) all year long. They could pull of something amazing and be something super crazy going into next year. They're a veteran squad (and that alone is worth a few W's in the NBA) and at least one of the "favorites" in the East will bust out, so the Bulls could swing into the top 6 if they make the right moves (and if Lonzo gets healthy). They're gonna hang around because they won't suck bad enough to pack it in.
(*) Oh, yeah: I think Thibs sucks and I'm way past the bizarre adulation sports nerds have been giving him for almost two decades now. He's done nothing for the Knicks, he ran the Wolves into the ground, the only success was when he ran a series of Bulls young talent into the ground and even then he never made a conference finals. So....wtf was he ever any good at? And why does the sport media think so highly of him?
