The Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Philadelphia 76ers all had championship hopes going into the 2023–24 NBA season. Not even the first round of the playoffs was reached by any of the four. That might have significant off-season consequences for a number of reasons.
Even though Kawhi Leonard has missed the most of the series due to a knee injury, the Los Angeles Clippers still stand to lose if they fall to the Dallas Mavericks in the opening round. The stage could soon be set for an exciting summer when you add in some of the clubs that were eliminated from the playoffs, such as the Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls, and Atlanta Hawks.
The Lakers and the Hawks have already been mentioned as possible trade partners for standout point guard Trae Young. In January, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin revealed that the Lakers had “internal conversations” before the February trade deadline over the potential of acquiring either Young or Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell. However, at that time, they decided to remain unmoved.
Additionally, McMenamin stated that “a bigger pivot if there is a playoff letdown” might be necessary this offseason. Even though it was against the reigning champion Denver Nuggets, losing in the first round would probably qualify as such.
“Would [LeBron] James opt out of his contract for 2024-25 and look elsewhere?” McMenamin conjectured. “If so, would the Lakers need to preserve that extra draft pick to help reinvent everything in a post-James L.A.?”
Bronny James, who registered for the NBA draft and the NCAA transfer portal in early April, could be the surprise candidate in this case. Although he has somewhat retracted that statement recently, the elder James has long stated that he wants to play with his son in the NBA. However, it is uncertain if Bronny will even be selected in the draft. Would a team choose him if he does in order to get LeBron to sign a free agent contract?
The Lakers are only one of many elements in this perhaps complex equation for the offseason. The Suns seem to be fully committed to Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal going forward, but losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round raises doubts about that strategy.
With Grayson Allen starting a new four-year, $70 million contract next season and Jusuf Nurkic signed until 2025–2026, the Suns figure to be far above the NBA’s $189.5 million second apron, which will expose them to some tough roster-building constraints. They can only offer minimum contracts to outside free players this offseason because, like last summer, they won’t have access to a mid-level exemption.
After acquiring players like Eric Gordon, Josh Okogie, and Drew Eubanks to complete their rotation behind Durant, Booker, and Beal, the Suns did rather well with their last summer. But starting this summer, the Suns will also be prohibited from taking back more salary in a deal than they send out, as well as from aggregating contracts in swaps. If such limitations had applied to them the previous season, they would not have been able to manoeuvre into the Damian Lillard blockbuster between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Milwaukee Bucks in order to acquire Nurkic and Allen.
After obtaining Lillard, the Bucks are faced with the same second-apron conundrum, but they can use injury as a justification for their premature collapse. Due to a calf injury he sustained late in the season, Giannis Antetokounmpo missed the whole first-round series against the Indiana Pacers, while Damian Lillard missed two games due to an Achilles ailment.
In addition to switching to Doc Rivers as their interim coach from Adrian Gryphon, the Bucks may be able to persuade themselves to start the same core of players in the upcoming season and hope for better health. But the injury-ravaged Bucks were exposed by the upstart Pacers as being a little old and plodding, a concern that won’t go away if they remain largely unchanged.
After losing to the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the opening round, even the New Orleans Pelicans seem prepared to think about making changes in the offseason.
Due to a hamstring injury he sustained in the first play-in tournament game, Zion Williamson was sidelined for the entirety of the series. Neither Brandon Ingram (14.3 points per game on 34.5% shooting) nor CJ McCollum (17.8 points per game on 41.9% shooting) could make up the difference. The Pelicans may have to choose between Trey Murphy III’s summertime eligibility for an extension and Ingram’s approaching expiration.
The Sixers, however, have an empty canvas at their disposal. The Sixers may create up to $65 million in budget space this summer while keeping the cap hold on star point guard Tyrese Maxey since Joel Embiid is the only player with a guaranteed deal past this season. One of the NBA’s worst-kept secrets is their alleged interest in Clippers forward Paul George, but they’ll have lots of options to consider this offseason.
There might be more turmoil on the horizon. Mitchell may reevaluate his future if the Cavaliers lose to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals or are unable to close off their first-round series against the Orlando Magic. His deal is guaranteed until the following season, but in 2025–2026, he will have a $37.1 million player option, which he is likely to refuse.
NBA fans should prepare for a busy offseason full of player movement as the new second apron looms large over teams. We might be in for some seismic shifts around the Association, given how many pricey rosters were eliminated from the playoffs significantly sooner than anticipated.
