J.T. Poston wins the Shriners Children's Open. Poston earns $1.26 million bringing his 2024 on-course earnings to $4.7 million and his career on-course earnings to $20.1 million. 

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As the 2024 WNBA season comes to a close, Spotrac is flipping the switch to the 2025 offseason, highlighting current roster details and pending free agents for each team heading toward the winter months.

RELATED: 2025 WNBA Cap Tracker

Roster & Financials Notables

• The league salary cap for the upcoming 2025 season is $1,507,100, a $44,000 increase from last year. Teams must also spend to a minimum $1,261,400 floor for next season.
• Rosters must be constructed of at least 11, but no more than 12 players during the season.
• “Training Camp” contracts & first year rookie contract salaries do not count against the salary cap until the first day of the regular season.
• Per the CBA these are the minimum salaries for the upcoming season:
  0-2 Years of Service: $66,079
  3+ Years of Service: $78,831
  Maximum Salary: $214,466
  Super-Maximum Salary: $249,244
  
  RELATED: WNBA CBA Notables

Free Agents Notables

• Reserved/Exclusive Rights free agents have been tendered a qualifying offer and can only negotiate with their current team.
• Restricted free agents may negotiate an offer sheet with other WNBA teams, but the current team has the right to match.
• Unrestricted free agents may negotiate with any WNBA team.
• Teams may re-sign their free agents to a maximum of 4 years, while the maximum contract for a player joining a new team is 3 years in length.
  
  RELATED: 2025 WNBA Free Agents

The Golden State Valkyries

The newest member of the WNBA family joins in 2025, with an expansion draft set for December 6th. Each WNBA team can protect a maximum of 6 players who were on their roster on the final day of the regular season. Golden State may select a player under contract, or a pending free agent from each of the 12 teams, and may also flip selected players to other franchises to acquire other assets.

Still TBD: When are protection lists due? Which spot will Golden State draft next April?

New York Liberty

2025 Draft Picks: 1st, 3rd
Option Players: None.
Notable Free Agents: Breanna Stewart (F, 30), Courtney Vandersloot (G, 35), Kennedy Burke (G, 27), Ivana Dojkic (G, 26, Exclusive Rights), Jaylyn Sherrod (G, 22, Exclusive Rights)
Players Under Contract: 7/12
Protected Veterans: 3/6
Offseason Cap Space: $586,923

The 2025 offseason conversation begins and ends with Breanna Stewart, who heads back to the open market this winter. Stewart took a slightly less than maximum $205,000 salary last season to help the team remain competitive. Will she be willing to do it again? A super-max-salary for Stewart in 2025 ($249,244) would nearly cut the LIberty’s available cap space in half, making it difficult to fill out the remaining 4-5 roster spots with any kind of substance. Regardless, it’s tough to imagine the most balanced, well-coached teams in the league doing too much to damage this roster going forward - especially with a few other contending teams potentially sliding backwards.

Minnesota Lynx

2025 Draft Picks: 1st, 2nd, 2nd (from CHI), 3rd
Option Players: None.
Notable Free Agents: Myisha Hines-Allen (F, 28), Natisha Hiedeman (G, 27), Cecilia Zandalasini (F, 28, Exclusive Rights), Olivia Epoupa (G, 30, Exclusive Rights)
Players Under Contract: 8/12
Protected Veterans: 3/6
Offseason Cap Space: $401,278

Arguably the best overall roster in the league on paper, the Lynx have a large majority of their team under contract for the 2025 season. With 1st & two 2nd Rd Picks under their belt, don’t be surprised if Minnesota makes one, aggressive, splashy move this offseason to try to separate themselves from the likes of NY, CON, LV next season.

Connecticut Sun

2025 Draft Picks: 2nd (from NYL)
Option Players: None
Notable Free Agents: Alyssa Thomas (F, 32), Brionna Jones (C, 28), DeWanna Bonner (F, 37), Tiffany Mitchell (G, 30), Astou Ndour (C, 30), DiJonai Carrington (G, 26, Restricted), Veronica Burton (G, 24, Exclusive Rights), Caitlin Bickle (F, 24, Exclusive Rights)
Players Under Contract: 3/12
Protected Veterans: 1/6
Offseason Cap Space: $1,116,264

The Sun mortgaged quite a bit of capital to acquire Marina Mabrey this July, and had moments where they were the most complete team in the league this past season. A nosedive down the stretch led to a semifinal exit in the postseason, but now the fun begins. This is a roster with 3 contracts on it at the time of this piece (only Mabrey protected), setting up a flourish of offseason decisions. It’s rational to assume that a “mini-rebuild” is in order here, especially as it pertains to getting younger, but that won’t be coming via the draft this April. The Sun only possess NY’s 2nd round pick, putting the onus on the front office to work their magic in free agency in order to keep this franchise contending in 2025.

Las Vegas Aces

2025 Draft Picks: 2nd, 2nd (from WSH), 3rd
Option Players: None.
Notable Free Agents: Kelsey Plum (G, 30), Alysha Clark (F, 37), Tiffany Hayes (G, 35), Sydney Colson (G, 35), Queen Egbo (C, 24, Exclusive Rights)
Players Under Contract: 7/12
Protected Veterans: 4/6
Offseason Cap Space: $587,925

The Aces fell short in their bid for a 3-peat, but remained one of the most dangerous teams in the league despite a bit of inconsistency this past season. League A'ja Wilson & 27-year-old G Jackie Young are locked up through 2025, but the biggest question (possibly in the entire league) this offseason comes with Kelsey Plum. Las Vegas has the core contract available, locking her in for one season, but any type of (worthy) max extension for the 30-year-old will immediately drain the financial resources for the Aces this winter. 

Indiana Fever

2025 Draft Picks: 1st, 2nd, 3rd
Option Players: None
Notable Free Agents: Kelsey Mitchell (G, 28), Erica Wheeler (G, 33), Temi Fagbenle (C, 32, Restricted)
Players Under Contract: 9/12
Protected Veterans: 2/6
Offseason Cap Space: $657,639

Well that went well. The young core of Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston, & Lexie Hull quickly developed into one of the better offensive units in the league. But Clark’s immediate success goes hand in hand with the continued development of Kelsey Mitchell, who figures to be one of the top free agents this offseason. Indiana may need to drop a salary to afford Mitchell’s return, and it might take a core contract to keep her in the mix.

Phoenix Mercury

2025 Draft Picks: 1st, 2nd
Option Players: None.
Notable Free Agents: Diana Taurasi (G, 42), Brittney Griner (C, 34), Monique Billings (F, 28), Mikiah Herbert Harrigan (F, 26, Exclusive Rights), Natasha Mack (F, 26, Exclusive Rights), Charisma Osborne (G, 23, Exclusive Rights), Amy Atwell (F, 26, Exclusive Rights).
Players Under Contract: 4/12
Protected Veterans: 3/6
Offseason Cap Space: $798,966

The Mercury hung tough for much of 2024 but didn’t have the offensive firepower to stay with the top teams in the league last season. Now they’re faced with the task of needing to potentially replace Taurasi & Griner - while also adding size and depth to a roster that requires at least 7 more players right now. It’s a big draft for Phoenix, and the notion of trading a player for additional picks could very much be on the table here.

Seattle Storm

2025 Draft Picks: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 3rd (from WSH)
Option Players: None.
Notable Free Agents: Nneka Ogwumike (F, 34), Gabby Williams (F, 28), Mercedes Russell (C, 29), Sami Whitcomb (G, 36), Victoria Vivians (G, 29), Joyner Holmes (F, 26)
Players Under Contract: 5/12
Protected Veterans: 3/6
Offseason Cap Space: $712,377

Seattle pieced together a much improved roster in 2024, including the late addition of Gabby Williams post-Olympics, but her status, along with Nneka Ogwumike, is very much up in the air. The Storm have at least 6 roster spots to fill this offseason, so offering max salaries may prove difficult in the overall landscape of building out a deep enough team to contend.

Atlanta Dream

2025 Draft Picks: 2nd, 3rd
Option Players: None
Notable Free Agents: Cheyenne Parker (F, 32), Aerial Powers (F, 30), Tina Charles (C, 35), Maya Caldwell (G, 25, Exclusive Rights), Lorela Cubaj (F, 25, Exclusive Rights)
Players Under Contract: 8/12
Protected Veterans: 3/6
Offseason Cap Space: $644,298

The Dream finished off 2024 strong, sliding into the postseason after a rough start. Alongside Jordin Canada & Allisha Gray, youngster Rhyne Howard appears to be a core player to build around, and the Dream will be looking to do just that as they flip over a few older pieces this offseason. Though replacing Tina Charles (if she decides not to return) will be much easier said than done.

Washington Mystics

2025 Draft Picks: Two 1sts (1 from Atlanta), 2nd
Option Players: None.
Notable Free Agents: Shatori Walker-Kimbrough (G, 29), Emily Engstler (F, 24, Exclusive Rights), Sug Sutton (G, 25, Exclusive Rights), Julie Vanloo (G, 31, Exclusive Rights)
Players Under Contract: 8/12
Protected Veterans: 4/6
Offseason Cap Space: $523,340

Washington got off to a spectacular 0-12 start last season, putting them in a hole they never crawled out of. If the core is healthy, they’re a contending team, but health has been an issue over the past few seasons. The Mystics lack a true playmaking point guard, their biggest priority this offseason.

Chicago Sky

2025 Draft Picks: Their own 1st could be swapped with Dallas. Also own the rights to Connecticut’s 1st.
Option Players: None.
Notable Free Agents: Isabelle Harrison (F, 31), Brianna Turner (F, 28), Diamond DeShields (G, 29), Chennedy Carter (G, 25, Restricted), Michaela Onyenwere (F, 25, Restricted), Dana Evans (G, 26, Restricted), Nina Milic (F, 30, Exclusive Rights)
Players Under Contract: 6/12
Protected Veterans: 2/6
Offseason Cap Space: $923,625

Despite a blossoming young core, the Sky hold 7 free agents (3 restricted) that could very much change the outlook of this team going forward. Dallas has the ability to swap lottery picks with Chicago, virtually ensuring they won’t be drafting #1 overall this April. The Sky need to aggressively seek 3-Point shooting this winter. 

Dallas Wings

2025 Draft Picks: 1st (potential swap), 2nd, 3rd
Option Players: None
Notable Free Agents: Natasha Howard (F, 33), Satou Sabally (F, 26), Jaelyn Brown (G, 26, reserved), Sevgi Uzun (G, 26, reserved)
Players Under Contract: 7/12
Protected Veterans: 3/6
Offseason Cap Space: $611,573

The Wings have a league-high 45.4% chance of winning the lottery thanks to a pick-swap they acquired from the Chicago Sky in last year’s Marina Mabrey trade. Injuries held back this team in 2024, but that might not stop Dallas from aggressively overhauling a large portion of this roster over the next few months.

Los Angeles Sparks

2025 Draft Picks: 1st, 2nd, 3rd (potential CHI 3rd based on lottery results)
Option Players: Li Yueru ($74,019, reserved free agent)
Notable Free Agents: Kia Nurse (G, 28), Aari McDonald (G, 26)
Players Under Contract: 10/12
Protected Veterans: 4/6
Offseason Cap Space: $345,930

The Sparks have a 44.2% chance of winning the #1 overall pick, which likely means the addition of Paige Bueckers for the foreseeable future, and a legitimate young core when including Cameron Brink & Rickea Jackson to move forward with.

NBA teams are wrapping up the preseason, with the regular season just days away.

NBA preseason doesn’t come with the excitement of NFL camp or MLB preseason. Nor does it come with the competition for roster spots. Smaller rosters and more guaranteed money mean that NBA squads are generally set when camp opens.

However, all across the league battles for rotation spots are playing out. Incumbents are trying to hold off newcomers. Young players are trying to break through. Vets are trying to hang on for one more season. In some cases, there are roster spots up for grabs too.

We’re going team by team and looking some of the most interesting battles to monitor as we close in on the regular season. We previously covered the Southwest Division,  Northwest Division and Pacific Division out west. Then we headed east to cover the Southeast Division and Central Division. Now, we wrap up with a look at the Atlantic Division teams!

Boston Celtics

Big Rotation While Kristaps Porzingis Is Out

The Celtics are going to be without Kristaps Porzingis for the first couple of months of the season. Most expect Boston’s starting center to return sometime around Christmas or New Year’s Day. That means Joe Mazzulla has to figure out how to cover for Porzingis for the first 30 games or so.

Al Horford is back, and he’s the easy answer. Horford started 33 regular season games last season, then 15 of 19 playoff games when Porzingis was out. But it might not be that simple.

Boston knows how important Horford is to their team. They liked having him in a more limited role during last regular season. That kept him fresh and really productive throughout the team’s title run.

In the preseason, the Celtics started Luke Kornet alongside the other set starters. That may carry over to the regular season. That would keep Horford in a reserve role, where he’ll play around 25 minutes or so per game. Kornet has proven perfectly capable of being a productive player since joining the Celtics.

Horford also isn’t going to play back-to-back games this year. That means Boston will need more than Kornet. That’s where Xavier Tillman Sr. and Neemias Queta come in.

Tillman had a rough start to his Celtics tenure. He was injured when he arrived in Boston, then he sadly lost his father very unexpectedly. But the Celtics saw enough in Tillman to re-sign him this summer. He’ll be a part of things, especially if the corner three he’s been flashing proves to be a real thing.

Queta is a big bundle of energy whenever he hits the floor. He’s chaotic, but that’s valuable for a team where the other bigs play a more stable style. Queta is going to get into the mix simply because of his all-out hustle.

Mazzulla is going to have to piece it together until the playoffs. Even after Porzingis returns, the Celtics aren’t going to push him or Horford very hard. Boston’s goal is to be playing in June. That means getting a lot from Kornet, Tillman and Queta from mid-October through mid-April.

Brooklyn Nets

Forward Rotation

Brooklyn is leaning hard into rebuilding. They traded Mikal Bridges for a bundle of picks. They made an associated deal to reacquire their own 2025 first-round pick from the Houston Rockets. And Sean Marks isn’t done dealing either.

As it stands, the Nets backcourt looks fairly set…at least for now. Dennis Schroder and Cam Thomas look like the starters. Some mix of Ben Simmons (he’s healthy and looks good so far), Shake Milton and maybe Keon Johnson and Dariq Whitehead will handle the backup minutes.

Center is similarly settled, at least when everyone is healthy. Nic Claxton starts, Day’Ron Sharpe backs him up and Noah Clowney gets the remaining minutes at the five.

It’s the forward group that is a jumbled mess. Cameron Johnson has a long-term contract, and he’s a good shooter/scorer, so he’s going to be a starter. Dorian Finney-Smith is one of the team’s best defenders, and the Nets wants to keep his trade value high, so he’ll start too.

That leaves Bojan Bogdanovic (who Brooklyn wouldn’t mind boosting the trade value for), Trendon Watford (always productive when he gets minutes), Ziaire Williams (the kind of no-risk flyer that has paid off Marks in the past), Jalen Wilson (closed last season strong) and Simmons and Clowney for backup minutes.

That’s eight players who should see some minutes at the forward spots. Even if you take Simmons and Clowney out of the mix, that leaves six guys. Injuries will leave some guys unavailable at time, so it’ll probably sort itself out. But when everyone is available, new coach Jordi Fernandez has decisions to make.

It’s also worth noting that what will ultimately break up this logjam is Marks making a trade or two. It’s a decent bet that Finney-Smith and Bogdanovic won’t finish the season with the Nets. And it’s possible that Johnson – who other teams like quite a bit – could be on the move too.

New York Knicks

Bench Minutes

The Knicks had a big summer. The trades for Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns were blockbuster deals that came from out of nowhere. While those were two terrific acquisitions, those trades did sap New York of a lot of their depth.

Bridges and Towns will join Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart in a very good starting lineup. Behind them, Miles McBride and Precious Achiuwa will have key rotation roles. Then…who knows?

Mitchell Robinson will play – and possibly start in a jumbo lineup that pushes Hart to the bench – when he’s healthy. But that won’t be until some point in January. Until then, Jericho Sims will likely see the backup center minutes behind Towns.

Landry Shamet (coming off an Exhibit 9 training camp deal) looked like he was going to earn minutes as a backup wing. That’s now in question due to a shoulder injury suffered late in the preseason. As of this writing, we don’t have any clarity on how much time Shamet might miss. That makes him even cracking the regular season roster a question mark.

In the course of adding Bridges and Towns, the Knicks find themselves hard-capped at the second tax apron. As of now, New York is about $3.6 million under that second apron with three open roster spots. That means they can only fill one with a veteran minimum deal. That was going to be Shamet, but if he’s out for a lengthy period, the Knicks can’t keep him. They simply don’t have the depth to ride out a long-term absence.

The bench is going to be a series of test-and-adjust trials for Tom Thibodeau. We can make all the jokes about how he’ll just play the starters 45 minutes per night, but Thibodeau needs to cobble together some form of bench. They’ll get there, but it might be a little bumpy until the Knicks figure it out.

Philadelphia 76ers

Wing/Forward Rotation

The Sixers are stacked at center with Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond. It’s hard to find many starter-backup combinations at the five that are better than that one.

Philadelphia also has a bunch of good ballhandling options. Tyrese Maxey is a star. Kyle Lowry is fading, but still getting it done. Eric Gordon remains an efficient scorer/shooter. Reggie Jackson has been a capable backup for years. Ricky Council IV and Jared McCain are good developmental players. And, of course, Paul George, Kelly Oubre Jr. and even Caleb Martin will play as bigger guard options too.

That leaves Nick Nurse with figuring out his wings and forwards. George, Oubre and Martin are all probably going to start. That’s pretty good, even if one of them will have to masquerade a bit as a four. But George and Martin can both handle that, as they have in the past.

It’s behind them where things get a little complicated. Guerschon Yabusele is returning to the NBA to give the 76ers a true power forward. K.J. Martin is super athletic and motived to prove he’s more than just a tradable salary. But that’s about it for forward depth.

Philadelphia can afford to go a bit smaller at the four, because Embiid and Drummond will hold down the paint. Nurse has also been really good at making funky, non-traditional lineups work. There are only a couple of teams who might be able to hurt Philadelphia in their likely one-big, one-ballhandler, three-wing lineup construction. And the Sixers will be able to give it back just as good in those looks. That’s the bet Daryl Morey made when building this roster.

Toronto Raptors

Wing/Guard Rotation

Rebuilding is no longer a dirty word in Toronto. No better a source than Masai Ujiri said so. As such, the Raptors roster is a bit unbalanced right now.

Jakob Poeltl, Kelly Olynyk and Chris Boucher have the big spots handled. Scottie Barnes will start and play most of his minutes as a do-everything, playmaking power forward.

Barnes sliding up to the four full time might be natural progression, but it’s been hastened by the rest of the Raptors roster. This team has a lot of guards and wings.

RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley are both going to start alongside Barnes and Poeltl. Quickley will be the team’s point guard, while Barrett will fill one wing spot. That other perimeter spot is wide open.

Bruce Brown would have been in the mix, but he’s out to open the season after a knee cleanup surgery. Rookie guard Ja’Kobe Walter suffered a preseason shoulder injury and will also be out to open the year.

Even after taking Brown and Walter out of the mix, the Raptors still have Gradey Dick, Ochai Agbaji, Davion Mitchell and 2024 second-rounders Jonathan Mogbo and Jamal Shead.

Dick looks like he’s in line to start. After a rocky start, Dick shot 39% from behind the arc over the season’s last four months. That’s the kind of shooting this team is begging for around Barnes, Barrett and Quickley as playmakers.

Agbaji is at a bit of a crossroads. He flashed at time with the Utah Jazz, but was a mess in Toronto. Agbaji is also 24 years old as a third-year prospect. That suggests he might be closer to a finished product than a still-developing player. Still, Agbaji is going to have a chance at a rotation role, but he needs to make shots to keep it.

Mogbo is the kind of guy who is unassuming at first, but always doing positive stuff when he plays. He’s probably best as a four right now, which means he may soak up whatever minutes are left behind Barnes. Eventually, as his game rounds out, Mogbo should be a nice combo forward off the Raptors bench.

Mitchell and Shead are both bulldogs on defense, which Toronto coach Darko Rajakovic will love. Shead is also a pretty solid playmaker. The big question, like with too many other Raptors, is if they’ll shoot well enough. One of the two will win the backup point guard spot behind Quickley. Bet on Mitchell early, but Shead is going to push him.

In a rebuilding year, none of this overlap in positions is a problem. It’s quite the opposite, as Rajakovic will have great competition for minutes. However, it does mean having some tough conversations with some guys who are used to playing a lot. And when Brown and Walter return, unless Ujiri has swung another trade or two, things will only get more crowded on the perimeter.

Today the Levine Leichtman Family Office completed the acquisition of the San Diego Wave from its original owner Ron Burkle. As originally reported in March, the family bought their first 35% stake in the spring, and the remaining 65% of the deal closed today with the approval of the NWSL Board of Governors. 

The Wave were recently valued at $132 million in a report by Sportico. The sale carried a weighted average of $113 million, with the second portion at $120 million. The Wave joined the league in 2022 under the ownership of Ron Burkle, on just a $2 million expansion fee. 

“We are incredibly proud to take ownership of the San Diego Wave FC,” said Lauren Leichtman said in a team release. “This team has made a significant impact on women's soccer and has become an integral part of the San Diego community.”

Leichtman also spoke of the importance of creating an unparalleled experience for fans, players, and staff,” [o]ur commitment to the club will extend beyond the field as we pursue the construction of a new state-of-the-art training facility while also supporting local youth development and community programs.”

Lauren Leichtman will serve as the team’s representative on the NWSL Board of Governors, and Zachary Leichtman-Levin will be the alternate. 

Additionally, the Levine Leichtman Family Office added additional partners to the ownership group, “these new partners, many of whom are established business and philanthropic leaders in San Diego, bring a wealth of experience, passion, and diverse perspectives that will only strengthen the club and enhance our ability to achieve even greater success. Together, we are committed to not only winning on the field but also fostering meaningful connections within the San Diego community.”

. 
Courtesy of San Diego Wave FC

RELATED:

NWSL Ownership Timeline

When the NBA and the NBPA agreed to the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement, they introduced two-way contracts to the league. Each team was given two additional roster spots to sign players to deals that would see them split time between the NBA and the G League.

In the 2023 CBA, two-way spots increased to three per team. In theory, in the span of about six years, the NBA added 90 new roster spots league-wide.

Why “in theory”? Because the tradeoff with the additional two-way spots is a vanishing 15th standard roster spot around the league.

Over the last two years, Spotrac talked to multiple front office executives, coaches, players and agents about the changes in NBA roster-building tactics, especially as it pertains to roster spots in the two-way era. To say that opinions are mixed is an understatement.

“Two-way contracts have all but killed off the 15th spot for most of the year, true training camp invites and a lot of 10 Day contracts too,” a long-time agent told Spotrac. “A lot of teams don’t bother anymore, because they can just use their two-way guys. And don’t get me started on what it’s done to the draft.”

Since the advent of two-way contracts, almost every team has filled their available two-way spots. Outside of the Portland Trail Blazers and Phoenix Suns (who didn’t have their own G League affiliate teams for most of the two-way era), every team filled both spots, and all teams have regularly filled all three two-spots over the last two seasons. Even the Trail Blazers and Suns would eventually fill their spots, despite having to work out a flex assignment arrangement before they had their own G League affiliates.

“Look, we’re all cognizant of the cap and the luxury tax, even more so with hard caps and the aprons,” an Eastern Conference GM said. “Two-way contracts can serve as roster fillers who don’t count against the cap or the tax. That’s a win for teams working around the margins.”

To that point, as regular season rosters are finalized, teams are tighter to those margins than ever. New CBA rules introduced a second tax apron, and a whole host of new rules that can hard cap a team at either the first or second tax apron.

As we approach opening night, 12 NBA teams are hard-capped at the first tax apron. An additional four teams are hard-capped at the second apron. And, if that wasn’t enough, four more teams are already over the second apron, and essentially work as if hard-capped at the second apron.

That’s 20 of 30 NBA teams that are dealing with some form of hard cap or apron-related restrictions. Beyond that, another four teams are at or just over the luxury tax, which has long functioned as an artificial line of demarcation for team salaries.

Those are the margins the Eastern Conference GM was talking about working around. As things have become tighter and more complicated to manage, teams look for advantages where they can get them. Two-way contracts and not filling out the standard roster are a form of advantage that teams are going to use.

An Eastern Conference coach said that’s trickled down to him and his staff too.

“When I first started coaching, the medical team determined who could play and who couldn’t. Maybe around the trade deadline, the front office would tell you to hold a guy out because he was in trade talks,” the coach said. “Now, the front office gives us daily updates on our two-way guys and if they can play or not. That’s on top of the medical stuff and guys who are in trade talks. I love having the extra help, but you can’t get overly reliant on your two-way players. You never know when the front office will say they aren’t available because of game counts.”

With opening night approaching, if we remove Exhibit 9/10 contracts from roster counts, there are currently 19 open standard roster spots around the NBA. The league is required to roster an average of 14.5 players per team on standard contracts. That works out to 435 players against 450 possible standard roster spots.

As you can see, the league is currently four short of reaching that minimum. Now, that will be partially handled by a rule introduced in the 2023 CBA that requires teams to be at a minimum of 14 players for no more than 14 consecutive days (a carryover from previous CBAs) and a total of 28 days (new 2023 CBA addition). Teams will dip under 14 players on standard contracts from time to time, but it won’t last for very long.

However, there is no rule stating that a team has to be at 15 players on standard deals. And that’s where teams have gotten increasingly creative.

“We’re a tax team. We’re already going to get hit with a tax bill. So, a natural question we ask is ‘Does it make sense to fill the 15th spot?’”, a Western Conference front office executive told Spotrac. “Some years, it does. Some years, it doesn’t. Sure, we hope if we don’t fill it, our owner will give us some leeway later, but that doesn’t always happen. Billionaires don’t become billionaires by throwing money away.”

An Eastern Conference front office executive put it in even simpler terms: “Is it worth spending a bunch of money for a guy who isn’t going to play? Our coaches and players will obviously say yes. But our owner will probably say no. My job is to find that happy medium. And with two-way guys and 10 Day deals, we can get around filling that spot until late in the season, if we’re going to be a playoff team.”

A prominent veteran player feels different, for obvious and not-so obvious reasons.

“I’ve been bouncing around for a few years now. It’s way harder to make a team at the end of the bench than it used to be. Some organizations want vets in those spots, but they probably have a guy in that role who they’ve had for years, you know?”, he said. “That means I have to earn my spot by bringing something that team doesn’t have. But even then, if they’d rather develop a kid on a two-way, I know I’m not going to make it. That’s why a lot of guys are just going to Europe or China and taking the money and the big role.”

Of the 19 open roster spots, they belong to 16 different teams. Of those 16 teams, nine are already into the luxury tax. Recent history suggests that most of those teams will leave the 15th spot open going into the season. That’s roughly one-third of the league that will carry an open spot for a while.

Now, to be fair, it’s extremely rare for a team to leave their final roster spot open all season long. As the Eastern Conference front office executive said, a playoff team will almost always fill that 15th spot before the end of the season. That’s because two-way players aren’t eligible to play in the playoffs, and no team wants to be caught with a lack of depth in the postseason, should they suffer injuries. That’s another reason why the league doesn’t miss out on the 14.5 players per team roster requirement.

“After the trade deadline and buyout season, it’s an absolute dogfight for roster spots,” an agent told Spotrac. “You’ve got teams that are tanking and willing to tryout guys, but you’ve also got playoff teams looking for guys too. The challenge is, more and more teams would rather just promote a two-way guy than sign a player who isn’t in the league.”

Another agent said, “It used to be that after the trade deadline, I could count on getting my guys 10 Day contracts without any kind of worry. That’s become less, because teams will just use their two-way players for more games. What has changed is you’ll get two-way contract offers sometimes, but that gets tricky because a lot of teams want someone who will sign a two-year two-way deal. Our policy is to avoid locking in for that second year unless it’s the perfect spot or the only offer our guy has.”

Let’s talk about 10 Day contracts. The NBA has had the leaguewide roster minimum for several years now. One way teams work around that is by bringing players in on 10 Day contracts. Initially designed to give teams a replacement player when a player was placed on the Injured List (the NBA did away with the Injured List many years ago, in favor of a by-game Inactive List), 10 Day contracts have also been used differently over the years.

Since the 2017-18 season, when two-way contracts became a thing, the NBA has seen the following amount of 10 Day contracts signed, per Spotrac tracking data:

• 2017-18 – 62
• 2018-19 – 63
• 2019-20 – 32
• 2020-21 – 65
• 2021-22 – 225
• 2022-23 – 40
• 2023-24 – 64

There’s some context needed here. The 2019-20 season was cut short before 10 Day contract season (post-trade deadline and buyout period) could fully pick up. The 2020-21 season was shortened and with tightened COVID protocols, teams didn’t bring in extra players very often. In 2021-22, the rules were adjusted to allow for 10 Day hardship signings when players were out due to positive COVID tests. This caused a massive spike in 10 Day contracts and record number of players in the NBA for a single season.

If we take those three seasons out of the mix, as they aren’t really representative of normal NBA operating conditions, we can see teams generally sign about 60 total 10 Day deals.

However, a bit more context is needed here. In 2022-23, with things back to normal, the number of 10 Day deals had started to dip. Last season, the number moved back up, but that’s inflated by a couple of different teams who signed several 10 Day contracts due to injury hardship allowances. For example, the Memphis Grizzlies had 33 different players appear in at least three games for the team last season. Several of those players were on 10 Day deals.

“Basically, I know I’m waiting for someone to get hurt,” a player who has shuttled between the NBA and the G League in recent seasons told Spotrac. “And that sucks! A lot of these guys are my friends. But for me to get a spot, I’m almost rooting for someone to get injured. I don’t have two-way eligibility, so I’m always going to be fighting for a spot. I’ll take one how I can get it. It is what it is.”

A Western Conference coach added, “It used to be that vets wouldn’t take a 10 Day deal. It was a full contract or nothing. That changed a few years ago. Now, vets will take a 10 Day to show you that they can still play. The goal is to catch on before playoff rosters finalize.”

One West GM told Spotrac, “We save our last spot for flexibility. If we have a need and our two-way games are getting tight, we’ll bring in a guy on a 10 Day. But pre-trade deadline, we don’t want a guy taking up a roster spot we might need in an unbalanced trade. It’s easier to leave it open and to save some money, than it is to tell a guy you are cutting him.”

To put it simply, NBA teams as a collective of 30 have a contractual responsibility to all play a part in filling out their rosters. Eventually, they get there. The league hasn’t seen the number dip under that 14.5 players per team requirement.

What’s changed is that the 15th spot sits open longer than ever before.

“I’d argue that two-way contracts have been a win for players and teams,” an Eastern Conference GM told Spotrac. “Instead of cutting a guy at the end of the preseason, they end up staying a part of the organization. They keep practicing with you, maybe even see some game time. We’ve had our coaches beg us to convert a two-way guy, simply because they get to see him work. That wouldn’t happen if they weren’t still with us.”

An agent countered that with, “Sure, some teams are great with their two-way guys. They make them feel like they are part of the team. They are invested. Other teams couldn’t give a shit about a guy on a two-way deal, especially the coaching staff. And what it’s really killed is the guys who got a partial guarantee to go to camp, knowing they might land with the G League team after. Those are completely dead now.”

What that agent is talking about is a practice that has all but disappeared from use. Teams used to regularly sign players to standard contracts that were partially guaranteed. The idea was to give the player some money, even though that player likely to be waived at the end of the preseason. The player would then likely play for that team’s G League affiliate, while waiting for an in-season callup on a 10 Day deal or sometimes even a straight standard signing.

Now, teams largely use Exhibit 9 (comes with some injury protection) or Exhibit 10 (comes with a bonus if the player later plays for the team’s G League affiliate for a period of 60 days) contracts to fill out their camp rosters. Exhibit 9 “Summer Contracts” have existed for years. Teams like to use them, because they don’t count against the salary cap or luxury tax, unless the player makes the regular season roster. Exhibit 10 deals are a newer thing, and are convertible for those players with two-way eligibility, or come with a bonus for playing in the G League.

With Exhibit 9 and 10 contracts so widely used, teams have stopped giving partial guarantees to players simply to come to training camp.

“It’s bullshit. And the teams know it. I’m not even going to say it’s a bad strategy. Why spend money if you don’t have to? And with all the ridiculous apron rules, no one wants to take on even a dollar on the books if they can avoid it,” one agent said. “But this is why guys aren’t hanging around anymore. They’re going overseas in droves now. Why play the game in the NBA, get cut and then all the money is gone in Europe and Asia?”

Another agent feels differently, “The goal is to play in the NBA, right? I want our guys as close to NBA teams as possible. How many guys are signed from overseas during the NBA season? One or two? You go overseas, and you’re gone for the year. That’s not bad for some players, because there is pretty good money in Europe, Australia, China and Japan now. And they become heroes in China and Japan. But for our guys who want to be in the NBA, we advise them to stay close to the NBA.”

A veteran player who remains a free agent added, “You have to be careful. I turned down some good offers in China and Japan, because I know I’m an NBA player. But I don’t have a contract and bills are due. You know what I mean? I wonder every day if I made a mistake. And then I see this team and that team has an open roster spot and I’m like ‘Saving a few bucks is better than having me on your team?’ It’s fucking tough, man.”

A Western Conference coach said it’s helpful to have guys playing for the G League affiliate when it comes time to fill out open spots.

“I barely have time to watch other NBA games, forget games outside of the NBA. The handful of times I see a player not in the NBA is with our G League team. And if they are in our program, at least they know our system and what we want to do. If our front office says it’s time to fill our last spot, I’d rather go with someone we can bring in with relative ease.”

The reality is that there are currently 540 NBA roster spots available each season. That’s 450 standard spots and 90 two-way spots. NBA expansion is an inevitable and impending reality. That’ll add at least 36 more spots to the league (15 standard spots and three two-way spots for each of the expected two expansion teams).

That’s 576 roster spots. Are there 576 NBA-caliber players in the world?

“Absolutely. We’re probably closer to 1000 guys who could play in the league than we are 500,” one Eastern Conference GM said.

Another Eastern Conference GM disagreed.

“It’s close. But we think of two-way players and G League players as being ‘NBA adjacent’. Are they ready for the NBA? No. Are they worth working with to get there? Definitely. So, in that sense, there are definitely more than enough NBA adjacent players to fill out our current rosters and a couple more teams when we expand.”

Players and agents are ready for expansion, almost as much as fans in cities starving for their own teams.

“Expand tomorrow, if it were up to me! I’ve got guys ready to go. There aren’t 1000 NBA guys out there, but there are probably 700. And more and more are coming every year in the draft too,” an agent said. “I’m more excited about getting more guys drafted in real spots, instead of the bullshit that happens now.”

What this agent is referring to is how the NBA Draft has changed since the advent of two-way contracts. For years, first-round picks were all but guaranteed to land on an NBA roster. Every four or five years, a player would get drafted in the first round and stashed overseas.

In the second round, draft-and-stash picks were far more common. Regularly, there would be 10 or more draft-and-stash guys each year. Now, teams have started to shy away from those opportunities. Somewhere in the range of the 40th to 45th selection in the draft, teams have begun drafting players with the express purpose of signing them to a two-way contract.

“Every agent has at least a dozen stories of a guy that only got drafted because he’d sign a two-way deal or a guy who didn’t get drafted because he wouldn’t,” an agent told Spotrac.

At the 2024 NBA Draft, 28 players were selected in the second round. (The Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns both forfeited second-round picks due to tampering violations.) Here’s the breakdown of what types of contracts those 28 players signed:

• 14 players signed standard contracts
• 11 players signed two-way contracts
• 2 players are draft-and-stashed in Europe
• 1 player is unsigned after an offseason injury

The highest a player was selected and signed to a two-way contract was 38th. The lowest-drafted player to sign a standard contract was drafted 55th.

“The second round of the draft has turned into the first round of the G League Draft. Half of the guys drafted end up on a two-way deal. The other half sign four-year NBA deals, but they are headed to the G League too. That’s taken a lot of guaranteed money out of guy’s pockets, because teams don’t even give them a partial camp deal,” an agent said.

The four-year NBA deals referred to by this agent are via the Second Round Pick Exception. Another new part of the 2023 CBA was the creation of an exception to sign second-round picks to a three- or four-year contract without having to use cap space or to dip into the Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception. Some agents love the guaranteed money, while others think locking in players for four years has removed earning potential for those players who outplay a contract that pays just north of the league minimum.

Team executives pushed back on that idea.

“Agents will say guys aren’t getting paid, but (Second Round Pick) Exception and two-way players aren’t playing for free. Most of them will get a bigger deal than they’d get overseas. What most agents want to do is double-dip. Get a guarantee, then sign a two-way after. Or they want a two-year deal, but with a guarantee that if their guy doesn’t pop that we’ll bring them back on another deal,” a Western Conference GM said. “If we draft you, we want you. But our opinion is that the player needs time in the G League. If we all do our jobs well, that time on a two-way deal might be for a year or less. And we’re always open to extending the Exception guys too, if they earn it.”

That last part is a key component that is worth examining. As seen with Scotty Pippen Jr.’s recent contract with the Memphis Grizzlies, toiling on a two-way deal can pay off. Pippen played for two seasons on two-way deals. He proved himself and signed a four-year deal with Memphis that will see him earn over $4 million in guaranteed salary.

Pippen is just the latest two-way success story for Memphis only. The Grizzlies have also seen Vince Williams Jr. and GG Jackson II promoted from two-way status with long-term standard deals in the past year.

Memphis and the Miami Heat are two examples of teams who have had great success developing players while on two-way contracts and through the G League. But whether on a two-way deal or on standard deal via the Second Round Pick Exception, it’s up to the player to put in the work.

One player who was promoted from a two-way deal in recent seasons said, “You can tell the guys who go to the G League with a bad attitude and the guys who go there to work. It’s pro basketball a step below the NBA. Go there, show out, and get your NBA deal. I know too many guys who think they are too good to have to prove it. If that was true, you’d be on an NBA team not playing overseas.”

“Look, all of what others said is true. I’m not going to say players and teams haven’t both benefitted from two-way contracts. There are a lot of examples of that,” an agent said. “But you know what I have a lot more examples of? Guys not getting deals because teams don’t want to fill that 15th spot. I’ve had teams openly tell me ‘We have 50 games for each of our two-way guys.’ as the reason they won’t fill out their roster. Overall, that’s a loss for everyone.”

So…what’s the fix? That’s a complicated, and admittedly selfish answer for all parties involved.

“Personally, I don’t have an issue with it. I did my time on a two-way and I got chances because our team left roster spots open. I wouldn’t have gotten minutes if another guy was already on the team,” the promoted player told Spotrac.

A Western Conference front office executive gets that line of thinking.

“Players have to work no matter what the situation is. It’s hard to make our league. Really, really hard. Sometimes having one less guy to compete against can work for a player.”

Most agents disagree. One said, “Owners are cheap. They’ll talk flexibility and all that shit, but it’s really that they don’t want to spend extra money. And that’s been a loss for players, because they miss out. Not just on the immediate money, but years of service and all the other stuff that adds up over time.”

NBA teams have transitioned how they build rosters over the years. Rosters have grown in size since the league was formed. There was a time when the league’s original coaches believed you needed 10 players to run a practice and that was enough.

Now, there are up 540 players in the NBA at a given time. That may seem like a big number, but it’s still the smallest of all of the major sports leagues by a pretty wide margin. With limited roster spots and increasingly complex and burdensome luxury tax and apron restrictions, NBA teams are always going to be cautious and methodical about filling out their rosters.

One Eastern Conference GM put it in the simplest terms of all.

“If filling the 15th spot matters this much, we’d fill it. If you are that worried about your 15th man, I’d say you have a whole lot more you should be worried about.”

The Buffalo Bills bolstered their WR room Tuesday, acquiring Amari Cooper from the Cleveland Browns. The 30-year-old is in the final year of his 5 year, $100M contract, joining his 4th team since entering the league in 2015 with the Raiders. Cooper now joins Curtis Samuel, Khalil Shakir, Mack Hollins, & youngster Keon Coleman as Buffalo’s wide receiver set going forward.

The Trade Compensation

The Browns acquired a 2025 3rd round pick (originally Detroit’s), and a 2026 7th round pick from Buffalo, who picked up a 2025 6th round pick along with the right’s to Cooper.

Contractually, Cleveland set themselves up nicely to purchase a Top 100 draft pick this Fall. The Browns converted Cooper’s $20M base salary down to a minimum $1.21M, paying him the remainder in signing bonus. This means that the Bills now acquire Cooper at just:

2024: $806,667 (guaranteed)

In return, the Browns now take on dead cap hits of:

2024: $7,937,333 ($806,667 saved)
2025: $22,584,000 ($0 savings)

Before you gripe about the 2025 dead cap, the $22.5M was already baked into the cake long before the trade processed. The Browns processed two full salary cap conversions on Cooper’s contract (2022, 2024), adding voidable years in 2025-2028 to spread out the salary cap as much as possible. Outside of a multi-year contract extension, the $22.5M of dead cap would have hit Cleveland’s books next March regardless of him being traded or not.

The Browns Outlook

Cooper became somewhat expendable when the Browns acquired Jerry Jeudy from the Broncos this past Spring, and subsequently signed him to a 3 year, $52.5 million contract extension through 2027.

Cooper’s $22.5M dead cap hit for 2025 isn’t ideal, but neither is the $73M cap figure currently associated with QB Deshaun Watson. The Browns currently possess 9 cap hits north of $19M in 2025, factoring into -$40M of projected cap space for next season.

With the Watson contract being the albatross that it is, the time to start wondering if the Browns can continue to aggressively build (or even hold firm) a contending team even makes sense. They’re on a path to be drafting rather high in 2025 (currently #1 overall in fact), with 4 Top 100 picks under their belt right now, so a financial reset in some regard is in their near future.

But it shouldn’t be wrong to start questioning the futures of Denzel Ward, Myles Garrett, & certainly Deshaun Watson for the foreseeable future, as new contract requirements (or current full guarantees) come into focus. The most likely outcome for 2025? A dozen or so salary conversions to free up cap space, a few free agent additions & potential immediate starter draft picks (notably at running back and wide receiver), and another attempt at finding the right ingredients to get the most out of Deshaun Watson. Buckle up Cleveland.

The Bills Outlook

It can be argued that Cooper’s best stretch with the Browns came with Joe Flacco at QB, as he and Deshaun Watson never really found their stride. With all of that said, Amari Cooper caught 174 passes in 38 games for Cleveland, including 16 TDs over that span. Despite cresting the 30-years-old mark, he still possesses separation ability, and a yards after the catch threat.

It can now also be argued that Cooper is about to line up next to the best quarterback that he’s ever suited up with in Josh Allen. There’s a very real world where these two become instant favorites on the field, somewhat reviving the 1-2 punch that was Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs for the better part of 3 seasons.

From a positional standpoint going forward, Buffalo has Curtis Samuel mostly guaranteed through 2025, and Keon Coleman mostly guaranteed on his rookie deal through 2027. Khalil Shakir will be entering a contract year in 2025, and becomes extension eligible for the first time this winter as well, while Mack Hollins & Amari Cooper are slated for free agency next March.

Cooper is a tough player to evaluate from a contract projection standpoint, as the numbers are certainly there - but without much substance behind them. Furthermore, the track record for 30+ WRs cashing in sizable deals is small, though both Mike Evans and DeAndre Hopkins have done well in recent offseasons. Mathematically speaking, Cooper is a $15M player in our system, projecting toward a 2 year, $30M extension at the time of this article.

The Bills have a few mouths to feed next Spring (Greg Rousseau, Rasul Douglas most likely), but will be coming off of a 2024 offseason where “purge” and “reset” were the major themes. Signing a player like Cooper to a mid-level extension should very much be in the cards if the fit is right. Buffalo projects to just over $10M of 2025 cap space with 40 contracts on the books.

Davante Adams’ tenure as a Raider came to a close Tuesday afternoon when Las Vegas shipped the All-Pro WR to the New York Jets. The move, while somewhat expected, could bolster a stagnant Jets’ offense as they look to keep pace with the Buffalo Bills (who acquired a WR of their own Tuesday) in the AFC East.

The Trade Compensation

The Raiders received a 2025 3rd round pick from New York (currently projected as pick #75), but the pick can become a 2025 2nd rounder if Davante Adams is named an All-Pro in 2024 OR Davante Adams is on the active roster for an AFC Championship Game or Super Bowl in 2024.

The Jets pick up the remainder of the Adams contract, which by default comes over as:

2024: $11,590,000
2025: $36,250,000
2026: $36,250,000

For cap purposes, the Jets processed a simple base salary conversion on the remainder of Adams’ 2024 salary, adding two void years to the contract, which now reflects as:

2024: $3,227,333
2025: $38,340,666
2026: $38,340,666
2027: $2,090,666 (voidable)
2028: $2,090,666 (voidable)

The Raiders Outlook

With this trade, Las Vegas gets out from under the remaining $11.6M of cap/cash in 2024, while also freeing up $28.4M of 2025 cap space in the process.

The Raiders now boast around $108M of projected cap space next year, 4th most in the NFL, plus 10 draft picks for 2025 currently. Exactly which direction the organization will take going forward remains to be seen, especially as it pertains to the QB position. Left Tackle Kolton Miller will be entering a contract year in 2025, DE Maxx Crosby will be entering the non-guaranteed portion of his contract, and much of the WR room will be on the roster bubble heading toward next March.

For all intents and purposes, the only impactful contract on the books in terms of future guarantees belongs to DL Christian Wilkins, who will see nearly $55M of his salary over the next two seasons become fully guaranteed on March 13th.

The Jets Outlook

It’s no secret that Adams & QB Aaron Rodgers have a long history of A+ chemistry. But how that will fit into the cast of current characters remains to be seen. Rodgers & Garrett Wilson have begun to make strides in their connectivity of late, and the idea of New York possessing that two-headed monster in the passing game has to have opposing defenses raising eyebrows.

Here’s one thing we do know for sure: Regardless of the output on the field over the next 12 weeks, Adams won’t remain in this current contract next season. The salary cap conversion processed yesterday only added $8.3M of dead cap to the contract for the 2025 season. So in the worst case scenario, the Jets cut ties and take on that hit to move forward.

But if all goes well, and Rodgers decides to continue his career past the 2024 season, what might a renegotiated contract for Davante Adams look like? Mike Evans seems to be the best place to start with this conversation.

Evans locked in a 2 year, $41M contract to return to Tampa Bay last March, a deal that included $29M fully guaranteed at signing. His $20.5M APY represents 8% of the 2024 salary cap. If we project that forward into 2025, we’re talking about an APY at or around the $22M mark. So a 2 year, $44M extension, $32M guaranteed, is a pretty strong starting point for where Adams and the Jets may be headed in the coming months. Assuming all goes well.

Oh and by the way: Garrett Wilson becomes extension-eligible for the first time after 2024, currently projecting toward a 3 year, $70M deal in our system.

Trade Grades & Who Won?

No.

NBA teams are fully in preseason mode, with the regular season about a week away.

NBA preseason doesn’t come with the excitement of NFL camp or MLB preseason. Nor does it come with the competition for roster spots. Smaller rosters and more guaranteed money mean that NBA squads are generally set when camp opens.

However, all across the league battles for rotation spots are playing out out. Incumbents are trying to hold off newcomers. Young players are trying to break through. Vets are trying to hang on for one more season. In some cases, there are roster spots up for grabs too.

We’re going to going team by team and look some of the most interesting battles to monitor as we close in on the regular season. We previously covered the Southwest Division,  Northwest Division and Pacific Division out west. Then we headed east to cover the Southeast Division. Now, we take a look at the Central Division teams!

Chicago Bulls

Ballhandlers

Chicago has a lot of on-ball playmakers. Some of them are fine as off-ball players, but these guys are best with the ball in their hands. That’s the spot where Billy Donovan has the most decisions to make.

Zach LaVine looks healthy and he’s going to be the Bulls primary scorer and playmaker. A return to full health and productivity is good for LaVine, Chicago and LaVine’s trade value.

Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu are both back after having productive seasons. Both players are coming off career-best years. They are both also young enough to factor into whatever the Bulls are going to be next.

In the offseason, Chicago added Josh Giddey. While Giddey has taken baby steps as an off-ball player, his best work is done with the ball in his hands. He’s going to start as…well…something. Outside of Nikola Vucevic, who will be the Bulls center, Donovan seems to be leaning into a relatively positionless starting group. That’s hardly a bad thing, and it’s for the best given the team’s current roster makeup. Giddey is going to be a big part of that, both this season and moving forward.

If those four aren’t enough, Lonzo Ball is coming back from injury. After two-and-a-half years on the sideline, Ball is ready to play again. At this point, we have no idea what to expect from the veteran point guard, but the Bulls are going to give Ball some minutes to figure it out. In part, that’s to reward him for battling for nearly three years to get back on the court. It’s also to see if Ball can be a productive rotation player, either for Chicago or elsewhere as an expiring, tradable contract.

We’re now at five guys who are going to see minutes. Behind them, Jevon Carter is a quality NBA guy who seemingly has no path to minutes. The Bulls look like they may keep training camp invite Talen Horton-Tucker into the regular season. Carter can play off-ball, but Horton-Tucker is another guy who is best with the ball his hands.

Depth is great, as the injury-ravaged Bulls backcourt has demonstrated in the past. But these are a lot of guys who need to play and to have the ball. And that’s before we get to any touches used by Vucevic or Patrick Williams. That’s a lot for Donovan to work out in what looks like a transitional year for Chicago.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Small Forward

The best bet is that the Cavaliers will open with Max Strus as their starting small forward. Strus was underwhelming as a shooter last season, but should be better this year with better health from the Cavs playmakers.

Behind Strus, new coach Kenny Atkinson can go with Isaac Okoro, who is the team’s best wing defender or Caris LeVert, who is a nice on-ball playmaker and scorer. Okoro makes the most sense, as the Cavs could use his defense against bigger ballhandlers. Okoro is also a much-improved shooter, which could help open up the floor if opponents respect his jumper more this season.

LeVert is an offensive weapon. He’ll probably see more time as a backup guard/ballhandler behind both Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland than he will as a small forward. But if Cleveland needs some offensive juice, don’t be surprised if LeVert shows up in three-guard lineups with the Cavs two All-Stars.

Dean Wade is another option, especially against bigger forward as he’s a three/four combo forward. Solid defense and an improved jumper have Wade in the mix to play big minutes at both forward spots.

Lastly, keep an eye on rookie wing Jaylon Tyson. After an outstanding Summer League run, Tyson has looked just as good in the preseason. He’s got some work to do before he’ll crack the rotation, but there’s a good chance that will happen by midseason. Tyson is simply going to be too good to keep off the floor.

Detroit Pistons

Wing Rotation

Trajan Langdon’s offseason makeover of the Pistons has infused the roster with proven talent. No more does that stand out more than with the wing group.

Veteran shooters Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. were brought in this summer. Simone Fontecchio was re-signed. Ron Holland II was added in the draft. And Ausar Thompson is returning after a promising rookie season. In addition, Tobias Harris has played plenty at small forward, and talented youngster Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey could play some on the wing in multiple ballhandler lineups.

This is all good stuff for Detroit. This roster needed both talent and to create competition for minutes. Harris, Beasley and Hardaway will help – as Fontecchio did after his midseason acquisition last year – by giving Cunningham and Ivey some reliable shooters. Too many possessions featured the two young playmakers getting frustrated by making the right read, seeing another jumper clang off the rim and reverting to taking contested mid-range jumpers themselves. Now, they have players they can trust to make shots. That should lift their games, and the Pistons as a whole.

But new head coach JB Bickerstaff has to balance his rotation. Detroit is still rebuilding, so they can’t sacrifice developmental minutes for the kids by playing the veterans too much. For example, Thompson is too special as a defender and playmaker to sit just to have better shooting on the floor. Finding that balance is key for the Pistons, both for this season and the years to come.

Indiana Pacers

Are There Enough Minutes To Go Around?

In a pretty short period of time, the Pacers have built one of the deeper rosters in the NBA. That’s something to be praised, but it does come with a challenge for Rick Carlisle. There are good veterans, as well as promising youngsters, who aren’t going to have regular roles.

At each position, Indiana has at least two, if not three or more, players who can play. That’s great depth for those nights when guys are out. When everyone is healthy, it’s hard to see how there are enough minutes for everyone.

At center, Indiana will start Myles Turner and probably back him up with Isaiah Jackson. That doesn’t leave much time for James Wiseman as a project. At the four, Pascal Siakam is backed up by Obi Toppin. Both players got paid this summer as key rotation guys. Where does that leave Jarace Walker?

Sliding Walker over to play small forward is complicated by the presence of Aaron Nesmith and Ben Sheppard. Pushing one of them down a spot means that Andrew Nembhard or Bennedict Mathurin will lose minutes. Putting Nembhard behind Tyrese Haliburton takes backup point guard minutes away from T.J. McConnell.

The Pacers are somewhere between a really good team and a real contender. That doesn’t leave a lot of room for developmental minutes. That means guys like Walker, Wiseman and rookie second-rounder Johnny Furphy may rarely see the floor. Such is life on a deep team that is trying to push themselves to the next level.

Milwaukee Bucks

Who Is The Fourth Wing?

Milwaukee did really well to add talent this offseason, despite having limited resources to work with. As a second apron team, the Bucks were mostly limited to veteran minimum deals, and still came away with Gary Trent Jr., Taurean Prince and Delon Wright. That’s terrific value for all three players.

Prince gives the Bucks another forward to put in the mix behind Giannis Antetokounmpo. Bobby Portis has mostly become a third big/backup center. Having Prince gives Doc Rivers another guy he can work in when Antetokounmpo is off the floor.

Wright solves the backup point guard issue that plagued Milwaukee at times when Damian Lillard was out. Trent seems likely to start at shooting guard, which is good, given the Bucks lack of other quality options for that spot.

It’s that last one where things get tricky for Rivers. Trent is a good player. Khris Middleton will obviously play on the perimeter when he’s healthy. The challenge is that Middleton is starting the season limited after offseason surgeries on both ankles.

Behind Middleton and Trent, the Bucks can go with Pat Connaughton, who has been a solid backup wing for years. For the other wing spot? That’s a box full of answered questions.

Prince will likely see some minutes at small forward. A.J. Green is a knockdown shooter. If he can defend better, he’s likely got the inside track on a rotation role.

Andre Jackson Jr. has the opposite problem. He can defend, but he either can’t or won’t shoot. (Aside: Jackson needs to be more willing to let it fly. His jumper doesn’t look bad enough that he should be such a reluctant shooter.) MarJon Beauchamp looks like he needs a fresh start elsewhere, while Chris Livingston and A.J. Johnson are unproven prospects.

Given Middleton’s track record of missing games, Rivers is going to have to find someone beyond Trent and Connaughton that he trusts. Putting faith in young players has been an issue for Rivers over the years, but he may have no other choice, barring a move to bring in more veteran help.

As the MLB Postseason nears the finish line, we’ll begin to focus our attention toward the 2025 offseason, beginning with players who carry an option on their contract. The following is a run-down of notable players who have the ability to exercise an early opt-out, hold a player option, or carry a club/mutual option for the 2025 season, including predictions for each outcome.

RELATED: 2025 MLB Free Agency

PLAYER OPT-OUTS

Gerrit Cole (SP, Yankees)

The 34-year-old has the ability to opt-out of the remaining 4 years, $144M - but there’s a catch. The Yankees can cancel that opt-out by tacking on an extra $36M salary to the 2029 season, making the contract 5 years, $180M. That seems to be the play here for both sides.

Prediction: Opt-Out/Buy-Back

Cody Bellinger (OF/1B, Cubs)

The 29-year-old secured $27.5M from the Cubs in 2024, but his production dropped off about 40% from his 2023 resurrection season. Bellinger has a $27.5M option for 2025, then another $25M option in 2026 thereafter.

Prediction: Opt-In

Robbie Ray (SP, Giants)

The 33-year-old has the ability to opt-out of a remaining 2 years, $50M. He spent all but 7 starts worth of time on the injured list in 2024, and hasn’t been a full-time pitcher since 2022.

Prediction: Opt-In

Lucas Giolito (SP, Red Sox)

The 30-year-old missed all of 2024 from offseason elbow surgery, but should be in full-form by 2025 Spring Training. He carries a $19M salary in 2025, with a $14M-$19M option in 2026 (based on 2025 innings).

Prediction: Opt-In

Rhys Hoskins (1B, Brewers)

The 31-year-old signed a 2 year, $34M free agent contract on the heels of a torn ACL that included $12M in 2024, $18M in 2025, & a $4M buyout on an $18M mutual option in 2026. Hoskins had a productive 2024 campaign (especially as it pertains to power), but it’s tough to imagine him finding a better situation both financially and from a team standpoint.

Prediction: Opt-In

PLAYER OPTIONS

Blake Snell (SP, Giants)

Snell skipped his final SF start, leaving most to believe that he’s already made his decision about declining the 1 year, $30M remaining on his current contract and re-entering the open market this winter. The near 32-year-old is a $26M per year player in our system.

Prediction: Declined

Mitch Haniger (OF, Mariners)

Haniger hasn’t come close to repeating the 23 double, 39 homer, 100 RBI campaign he posted in 2021, making his 3 year, $43.5M contract a bit uncomfortable for San Francisco & now Seattle respectively. 2025 comes with a $15.5M player option that Haniger would be foolish not to play out.

Prediction: Exercised

Michael Wacha (SP, Royals)

Wacha rewarded KC’s 2 year, $32M free agent contract with career numbers across the board, putting him in line to opt-out of the remaining $16M for 2025 and head back to the open market. The 33-year-old carries a 3 year, $60M valuation in our system.

Prediction: Declined

Sean Manaea (SP, Mets)

Manaea opted-out of a 2 year, $25M contract with San Francisco last winter, into a 2 year, $28M contract with New York. He posted his best numbers in three years, and could conceivably be viewed as the Mets’ ace for much of their stretch run. It seems a lock that the 32-year-old will punt on a $13.5M salary for a chance to lock in a multi-year guarantee this winter. He projects toward a 2 year, $30M contract in our system.

Prediction: Declined

Nick Martinez (SP, Reds)

Martinez started 16 games for the 2024 Reds, posting a career-low 3.10 ERA and a career-high 3.98 WAR. The 34-year-old should have no trouble finding a multi-year guarantee to replace his $12M salary next season.

Prediction: Declined

Clayton Kershaw (SP, Dodgers)

Despite making just 7 starts, Kershaw added $2.5M to his 2025 player option, making it a $10M decision next month. Even if the plan is to continue his career, Kershaw most likely opts-out of this salary to free up both he and the Dodgers’ options over the course of the next few months.

Prediction: Declined

Emilio Pagan (RP, Reds)

Pagan was one of the better relievers in baseball as a member of the 2023 Twins, but he couldn’t recreate that magic last year with the Reds. An $8M payday for 2025 seems a shoe-in.

Prediction: Exercised

Hunter Renfroe (OF, Royals)

Renfroe’s overall production has decreased in each of the past 3 seasons, putting his place as an everyday starter very much in question going forward. The 32-year-old probably settles for the $2M pay raise, exercising a $7.57M salary for 2025.

Prediction: Exercised

Chris Stratton (RP, Royals)

Stratton’s 2 year, $8M free agent contract included a $4.5M player option for 2025.The 34-year-old posted a 5.55 ERA, -0.70 WAR in 2024, setting him up to stay within this contract through next season.

Prediction: Exercised

Wandy Peralta (RP, Padres)

Peralta’s 4 year, $16.5M contract includes a player option after each season. A groin injury limited his appearances last year, increasing the likelihood that he remains on this deal through a $4.25M salary for 2025.

Prediction: Exercised

Wilmer Flores (1B, Giants)

Flores spent nearly 4 months on the IL with a knee problem, destroying any chance he might have to recreate his career-year from 2023 (22 doubles, 23 homers, 2.62 WAR). After earning $6.5M in 2024, Flores’ player option for 2025 comes in at $3.5M, so an exercise would mean a pay cut.

Prediction: Exercised

CLUB OPTIONS

Yoan Moncada (3B, White Sox)

Option: $25M ($5M buyout)
Moncado finished out his 5 year extension in 2024, posting only 1 season (2021) worth taking note of. A hip injury derailed his 2024 campaign, setting up the White Sox to take on the $5M buyout in favor of a $25M salary next season.

Prediction: Declined

Anthony Rizzo (1B, Yankees)

Option: $17M ($6M buyout)
Father Time hasn’t been kind to Rizzo both from a production and reliability standpoint of late, putting the Yankees in position to take on the $6M buyout in favor of a $17M salary next season.

Prediction: Declined

Eloy Jimenez (DH, Orioles)

Option: $16.5M ($3M buyout)
Jimenez completed his 6 year extension this season, spending the final 33 games with Baltimore to close it out. He’s 2 years removed from his most formidable season (23 doubles 18 homers, .295 average, 1.79 WAR), but has no real stretch of consistently good play on his resume. The Orioles & White Sox will split his $3M buyout this winter.

Prediction: Declined

Marcell Ozuna (DH, Braves)

Option: $16M ($1M buyout)
Ozuna is an immovable force in the middle of the Braves’ lineup, hitting for power, average, and consistency across the board. He’s a 7.6 WAR player over the past two seasons, meaning Atlanta will be thrilled to exercise a $16M salary for 2025.

Prediction: Exercised

Marco Gonzales (SP, Pirates)

Option: $15M (no buyout)
Gonzalez was traded twice (Atlanta, Pittsburgh) amidst a 4 year, $30M contract extension signed by Seattle, battling arm injuries each of the last two seasons. With no buyout against a $15M club option, it’s a lock that the Pirates will move on here. 

Prediction: Declined

Eugenio Suarez (3B, Diamondbacks)

Option: $15M ($2M buyout)
The 33-year-old had his most complete season in years in 2024, the final of a 6 year, $66M extension. His $15M option salary for 2025 represents a $4M raise, but that seem more than plausible for an Arizona franchise looking to remain in the thick of things.

Prediction: Exercised

Kyle Gibson (SP, Cardinals)

Option: $12M ($1M buyout)
The numbers aren’t popping off of the screen (and never really have), but Gibson has been a model of consistency for the better part of two decades. The 36-year-old ate up 170 innings across 30 starts in 2024 and can be brought back at the same $12M salary he earned last season ($1M buyout otherwise).

Prediction: Declined

Jorge Polanco (2B, Mariners)

Option: $12M ($750,000 buyout)
The Twins exercised a $10.5M option for 2024, then subsequently traded Polanco to Seattle. He posted his worst season in 4 years from a productivity standpoint, putting his $12M salary for 2025 on notice ($750,000 buyout).

Prediction: Declined

Lance Lynn (SP, Cardinals)

Option: $11M ($1M buyout)
A knee injury limited Lynn to just 23 starts in 2024, but the overall efficiency on the mound was still evident. The 37-year-old holds an $11M salary against a $1M buyout for 2025.

Prediction: Declined

Devin Williams (RP, Brewers)

Option: $10.5M ($250,000 buyout)
The heir apparent to Josh Hader in Milwaukee missed 4 months of 2024 with a back injury, but was every bit the 9th inning star he was advertised to be in the 22 appearances he was able to make. There’s a bit of math to figure out here, as Williams carries a $10.5M club option for 2025, but also one final year of arbitration eligibility. If Milwaukee believes they can lower that $10.5M cost through the arbitration process, a decline would make some business sense here. 

Prediction: Exercised

Brandon Lowe (2B, Rays)

Option: $10.5M ($1M buyout)
Lowe finished out the guaranteed portion of his 6 year, $24M contract this year, leaving a $10.5M club option for 2025, & an $11.5M one for 2026. The Rays generally scoff at salaries north of $10M, but Lowe still seems a part of the core in Tampa.

Prediction: Exercised

Freddy Peralta (SP, Brewers)

Option: $8M (no buyout)
Peralta (32 starts, 3.68 ERA, 2.55 WAR in 2024) projects toward a 4 year, $70M contract in our system, making his $8M club option for 2025 a veritable steal.

Prediction: Exercised

Seranthony Dominguez (SP, Orioles)

Option: $8M ($250,000 buyout)
Dominguez posted career-worsts across the board in 2024, despite splitting time between two very good teams (Phillies, Orioles). A $3.75M raise to $8M for 2025 seems unlikely ($500,000 buyout).

Prediction: Declined

Ryan O’Hearn (1B, Orioles)

Option: $8M (no buyout)
O’Hearn has been a serviceable player in the middle of Baltimore’s lineup the past two seasons, but his $8M option for 2025 represents a $4.5M pay raise. For a team almost certain to be aggressive this offseason, moving off of this option (no buyout) might make some sense.

Prediction: Declined

Travis d’Arnaud (C, Braves)

Option: $8M (no buyout)
The 36-year-old split much of 2024 with the well-paid Sean Murphy (who battled an oblique injury early on), and his $8M 2025 option matches his 2024 compensation. The problem? Murphy’s salary jumps up $6M ($9M to $15M) in 2025, meaning the Braves would be allocated $23M to their catchers for the upcoming season. It’s not out of the question, but it’s also not something most franchises would sign up for.

Prediction: Declined

Phil Maton (RP, Mets)

Option: $7.75M ($250,000 buyout)
An early deadline acquisition from Tampa Bay, Maton has experience in a variety of big games, and the Mets appear poised to be contending once again in 2025. His $7.75M option is on the more expensive side for middle relievers, but with Adam Ottavino certain to come off the books, there’s room for the Mets to make this work. It’s a $250,000 buyout if not.

Prediction: Exercised

Merrill Kelly (SP, Diamondbacks)

Option: $7M ($1M buyout)
Kelly missed 4 months with a shoulder injury, and Arizona will be in search of upgrades to their rotation this winter, but at $7M ($1M buyout), there’s too much value here to see the Diamondbacks moving on.

Prediction: Exercised

MUTUAL OPTIONS

Frankie Montas (SP, Brewers)

Option: $20M ($2M buyout)
The Reds gave Montas a 1 year deal that included a $20M mutual option for 2025. That option now belongs to the Brewers, who acquired the 31-year-old at the deadline for their stretch run. He’s a valued innings-eater, but the numbers across the board don’t necessarily align with a $20M payday.

Prediction: Declined by Team

Joc Pederson (DH, Diamondbacks)

Option: $14M ($3M buyout)
It can be argued that Pederson just completed his most productive MLB season in terms of both power, efficiency, and even 7 stolen bases to boot. The 32-year-old was used primarily as a DH in 2024, limiting his value to a degree, but it stands to reason that the player will want to cash in on his nice season this winter.

Prediction: Declined by Player

David Robertson (RP, Rangers)

Option: $7M ($1.5M buyout)
The 39-year-old made 68 appearances in 2024, posting solid numbers as per usual, with the exception of saves - which he’s no longer being targeted for at this stage of his career. Robertson vested $10M in 2024, so the option would be a pay cut he’s probably not worthy of.

Prediction: Declined by Player

Manuel Margot (OF, Twins)

Option: $12M ($2M buyout)
Margot bounced around from the Rays, to the Dodgers, to the Twins in 2024, then posted career lows for the most part on the field. Tampa is responsible for the buyout here, making this an easy decision for the Twins (who are certain to be cutting payroll).

Prediction: Declined by Team

Drew Smyly (RP, Cubs)

Option: $10M ($2.5M buyout)
Smyly started 45 games for the Cubs across 2022-23, but was moved to the bullpen in 2024 where he saw action in 50 games, finishing 8. There’s a world where the 35-year-old becomes an important piece to a bullpen for the next few seasons, but the Cubs (who placed Smyly on waivers in August) are likely leaning toward a decline here to begin their offseason.

Prediction: Declined by Team

RELATED: 2025 MLB Free Agency

NBA teams are fully in preseason mode, with the regular season about a week away.

NBA preseason doesn’t come with the excitement of NFL camp or MLB preseason. Nor does it come with the competition for roster spots. Smaller rosters and more guaranteed money mean that NBA squads are generally set when camp opens.

However, all across the league battles for rotation spots are playing out out. Incumbents are trying to hold off newcomers. Young players are trying to break through. Vets are trying to hang on for one more season. In some cases, there are roster spots up for grabs too.

We’re going to going team by team and look some of the most interesting battles to monitor as we close in on the regular season. We previously covered the Southwest Division,  Northwest Division and Pacific Division. Now, we head east for the Southeast Division teams!

Atlanta Hawks

Wing Rotation

The Hawks aren’t really rebuilding, but resetting. And Atlanta is attempting to do so on the fly. Nowhere on the roster is more of a work in progress than the wing rotation.

It looks like De’Andre Hunter and Jalen Johnson will start at the two forward spots as interchangeable players. The shooting guard spot is a three-way competition between veteran Bogdan Bogdanovic, first overall pick Zaccharie Risacher and Dyson Daniels.

If those five guys aren’t enough, Vit Krejci is firmly in the mix for regular minutes, as is shooting specialist Garrison Mathews. And Larry Nance Jr. will figure into the four/five rotation, which may push down other players to more minutes at the three.

None of this is bad. The Hawks are in a good spot to have players earn their minutes. Johnson is the best of this bunch, as he’s already shown he’s a long-term part of Atlanta’s future. Bogdanovic is the next most proven. The question for him is if he should be coming off the bench or starting. As a reserve, Bogdanovic is a potential Sixth Man of the Year. It also should help Quin Snyder manage minutes for the veteran a bit more.

Risacher has looked better in the preseason than he did in Summer League, which is exciting. He’s got the potential for rapid improvement and he’s going to play plenty. Daniels gives the Hawks a nice big guard option alongside Trae Young, but his lack of a consistent jumper is still holding him back somewhat.

Snyder is going to have make some tough decisions as long as everyone is healthy. Bet on Johnson, Bogdanovic, Risacher, Hunter and Daniels all playing plenty. The others may have to wait until an injury, or a trade, opens up more minutes.

Charlotte Hornets

Wing/Guard Rotation

All of a sudden, the Hornets have an abundance of quality at the wing/guard positions. The emergence of young players, players returning to good health and acquisitions over the last year has given new head coach Charles Lee some rotation decisions to make.

LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller are locks to start. They are Charlotte’s building blocks and both look ready to have big seasons. Around them, there are more questions, but instead of a bunch of not-great options, the Hornets have talented players to choose from.

Josh Green came over in a multi-team trade as a salary-dump this summer. Green can play though. If he can hit open shots and defend, Green could be in the mix to start in between Ball and Miller as a 3&D wing.

Off the bench, Cody Martin is hoping for a healthier season than last year. Unfortunately, a wrist and finger injury have him a bit behind as the regular season approaches. If he can get right, Martin will be a rotation player as a wing option.

Of true guards, Vasilije Micic has the inside track to be the backup point guard. The veteran is a stabilizing player for bench units, and a good option should Ball miss more time. Tre Mann got his career on track after last season’s trade to the Hornets. He’s an undersized scoring guard, but those players have long histories as productive bench players.

Rookie first-round Tidjane Salaun looks more ready to contribute right away than expected. He’s going to force his way into some regular wing minutes. Veteran guard Seth Curry is back for some bench shooting, while second-year guard Nick Smith Jr. faces an uphill battle for a rotation spot.

As a rookie head coach, Lee has some talented players to choose from in this group. This is still a rebuilding season for the Hornets, but they’re closer to the “push forward” side of the rebuild, as opposed to the “getting started” portion. This group is a big part of why Charlotte could potential compete for a spot in the Play-In Tournament this season.

Miami Heat

Backup Point Guard

The Heat roster is fairly well settled. Well, so long as everyone is healthy. Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Terry Rozier III and Nikola Jovic seem likely to start. Duncan Robinson, Jaime Jaquez Jr, Haywood Highsmith, Kevin Love and rookie Kel’el Ware will see time off the bench.

That leaves the only uncertain spot as backup point guard. Josh Richardson will probably fill that role when he’s fully healthy. Richardson has been a bit hit or miss as the primary floor leader, but the Heat have enough other playmakers that it should be fine.

Veteran Alec Burks will probably figure into the mix, as well. Burks isn’t a traditional point guard, but he’s a solid enough ball-mover that he can fill the role. Again, like with Richardson, Miami should have other playmakers out there to ease that burden.

If the veterans aren’t working out, keep an eye on rookie Pelle Larsson. He’s got a knack for passing and he’s a pretty solid spot-up shooter too. Don’t be surprised if he breaks through late in the year.

Orlando Magic

Two-Way Spots

For a young team, the Magic have a lot of roster continuity. The only major rotation change is Kentavious Caldwell-Pope took the place of Markelle Fultz. That leaves Jamahl Mosley with a bit of a crowded guard group, but that will work itself out throughout the season.

With terrific frontcourt depth, and solid wing depth, there isn’t a whole lot up in the air for Orlando’s rotation right now. Where the intrigue comes in for the Magic is with their two-way spots.

Trevelin Queen has one spot locked in. The other two have been subject to a camp-long competition. Mac McClung could snag one, as he’s been wildly productive on the G League level. Jalen Slawson could grab the third spot, as he’s a wing with a little bit of size. Ethan Thompson and Robert Baker II are also in the mix, as Thompson is a big guard and Baker is a combo forward.

Despite not having competition for spots on the standard roster, Orlando has had a competitive camp with this two-way battle. That’s solid work by the Magic front office to manufacture some spirited play down the roster.

Washington Wizards

Play the Kids or Play the Vets?

The Wizards are still in “deconstruction phase” per general manager Will Dawkins. That means there’s still a lot of roster-tinkering to come in Washington.

Despite that, the Wizards aren’t going full youth movement yet. Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole are still around. And in the last year, the team added Malcolm Brogdon, Jonas Valanciunas and Marvin Bagley III. That’s a fairly solid veteran group to eat up a lot of regular season minutes.

Behind that group, there are a bunch of kids who are going to push for minutes. Bilal Coulibaly is hitting Year 2 looking like a starter. Corey Kispert is starting Year 4 as a regular rotation player. The 2024 NBA Draft brought Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George into the mix.

Brian Keefe is now the full-time head coach, after having the interim tag removed this summer. He’s not going to be challenged with winning games, at least not yet. But Keefe is going to have to find the balance of keeping the team competitive by playing the veterans, while developing the kids who are the Wizards future. At some point, the latter will become priority. The question is: How quickly will that happen?