The 2023 NBA offseason is mostly behind us. Why only mostly? Well, Damian Lillard and James Harden still call Portland and Philadelphia home, respectively. Until those guys are traded (more likely) or show up for training camp (less likely), the offseason won’t really be wrapped up.

But outside of those two stars, rosters are more or less set to open the 2023-24 season. And that means we can start looking ahead by nearly a year to what the landscape looks like for the 2024 NBA offseason.

The NBA CBA negotiations wrapped up without any sort of major hitches. No work stoppages and everything is moving forward as per usual. The salary cap settled at just over $136 million for the 2023-24 season. That was a 10% increase over last year’s cap of about $123.6 million. The luxury tax landed at $165.6 million, with the tax apron coming in at $172.3 million. The new second tax apron (it really is a shame that “super tax” hasn’t caught on more!) is set at $182.8 million.

For the 2024-25 season, the NBA is being very conservative. Initial projections are that we’ll see just a 4.4% increase. That means a cap of $142 million, a tax line of $172.5 million, first apron of $179.9 million and second apron of $190.8 million. The reason for this conservative projection is likely driven by the uncertainty with several Regional Sports Networks (RSNs). Diamond Sports Group, the parent company of Bally Sports, currently broadcasts games for about half of the NBA teams. They are going through bankruptcy proceedings, and that’s caused issues for those teams, and the league as a whole. Thus, the conservative cap projection.

We’re basing everything on the NBA’s official projection. Yes, there is a good chance the cap raises by more than a modest 4.4%. It might even go up the full 10%, which many smart capologists are betting on. But for now, for consistency purposes, we run with the league’s official projection.

With all of that said, here’s our first pass at what the spending power landscape might look like in the summer of 2024.

(Note: These projections are made using the noted cap and tax figures above, draft pick cap holds based on projected standings and a projection on all option and guarantee decisions by players and teams. No extensions or trades have been projected. We will call out where those types of situations could impact a team projection.)

Cap Space Teams – 7 Teams

1. San Antonio Spurs: $55.3 million

2. Orlando Magic: $51.3 million

3. Utah Jazz: $41.6 million

4. Charlotte Hornets: $40.7 million

5. Detroit Pistons: $38.7 million

6. Philadelphia 76ers: $32.9 million

7. Washington Wizards: $20.1 million

Seven teams project to have cap space in 2024. Not only will these teams likely go the cap space route, but they’ll also have the $8.1 million Room Exception too. In the new CBA world, the Room Exception has more spending power than the Taxpayer MLE does. So, these seven teams are kind of in control of the free agent board.

The Spurs are highly likely to use some of their $55 million in an extension for Devin Vassell. But even a deal of $20 million or more would leave San Antonio with considerable cap space. There’s also a world where the Spurs choose to keep Vassell’s moderate cap hold of $17.7 million on the books to maximize their cap space, while re-signing Vassell after.

This projection for the Magic is largely dependent on Orlando moving on from Jonathan Isaac. Given that his deal is fully non-guaranteed for 2024-25, and he still can’t stay healthy, it’s probably time for the Magic to go in a different direction. Orlando may use a chunk of this space to re-sign Markelle Fultz and/or Cole Anthony. They could also extend Fultz and/or Anthony before it gets to that point. Either way, the Magic should have the ability to add some major talent to a developing young roster.

Utah is sitting pretty. They’ve got all of their core players under contract, with a ton potential cap space. Some of this spending power could be used to renegotiate-and-extend Lauri Markkanen’s deal. That’s en vogue at the moment, with Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis, as well as Jazzman Jordan Clarkson, having inked such deals in the last year. If Utah chooses to let things play out with Markkanen, they could be a major player in free agency, as they’ve got a ready-to-win roster.

The Hornets are a tricky projection. As of this writing, P.J. Washington hasn’t re-signed. If he signs a long-term deal, that will eat into some of this $40 million in spending power. If Washington signs his qualifying offer for this season, a la teammate Miles Bridges, he’ll be headed towards unrestricted free agency and a potential departure next summer. We’re betting on the latter for now and the Hornets having cap space to build around an extended LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller.

Detroit feels like they are perpetually in this spot of sitting on a bunch of cap space with an interesting roster of vets and young players. This season will give us a big sense of the Pistons plans. If they’re competitive, they might use some of this space to add more veteran talent. If they struggle again, then it’s probably time to move on from some of the older players and reset once again around the kids.

The 76ers are a bit of a mess. The James Harden drama lingers over the team, but Philadelphia has given us some clues as to their plans for next summer, independent of the Harden situation. By not extending Tyrese Maxey, who is the organization’s second-most important player behind Joel Embiid, the Sixers are signaling they intend to have cap space next summer. It won’t be the “double max contract” cap room that’s been bandied about, but Philadelphia will have enough to make some moves as they rebuild around Embiid and an ultimately re-signed restricted free agent Maxey.

Washington cleaned up their cap sheet considerably, despite taking on Jordan Poole’s contract and re-signing Kyle Kuzma. But both of those guys make less than Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis by a considerable amount, so the Wizards are in a better spot both short- and long-term. They could easily stay over the cap, as $20 million is right in range where that becomes and either/or decision. If the Wizards retain Tyus Jones, they’ll end up staying over the cap. If not, then they’ll be hunting for a point guard to put next to Kuzma and Poole.

Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Teams – 10 Teams

1. Brooklyn Nets

2. Chicago Bulls

3. Houston Rockets

4. Indiana Pacers

5. Miami Heat

6. New Orleans Pelicans

7. New York Knicks

8. Oklahoma City Thunder

9. Sacramento Kings

10. Toronto Raptors

These 10 teams project to have access to the beefed-up Non-Taxpayer MLE of $12.95 million. This group is mostly full of playoff contenders, or teams trying to get into that position.

The Nets have rebuilt on the fly in an impressive manner. Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson are signed for the next three and four seasons, respectively. The draft pick situation has been reset with the trades of their former Big 3. Of the team’s free agents, Nic Claxton is the most important one to get re-signed. Brooklyn can do that and still have plenty of clearance under the tax line to use the full Non-Taxpayer MLE.

Chicago didn’t make a lot of their fans happy by extending Nikola Vucevic and re-signing Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu. This wasn’t a group that was screaming “Run it back!”. But the Bulls have a solid group, even if there are question marks. Pending what happens with re-signing or extending DeMar DeRozan and/or Patrick Williams, Chicago could have enough room to use the Non-Taxpayer MLE. That’s not bad, considering the team is still working around Lonzo Ball’s salary on the books, while he tries to come back from his knee injury.

Houston spent big this summer, and that probably took them out of the cap space derby for next summer. That’s fine. The Rockets are trying to push things forward. The roster remains pretty full, so Houston should be able to spend the full MLE on a targeted signing.

The Pacers are kind of in the same spot as the Rockets, but about a year ahead on the rebuilding timeline. Indiana is ready to win now. Their young guys are ready now, and they’ve got vets in place. Indiana’s cap sheet is also relatively clean. They’ve got a few pending free agents, but even if they re-sign or extend guys like Buddy Hield and Obi Toppin, the Pacers will likely have the ability to use the full MLE.

Miami…what to do with Miami? Projecting where the Heat will be next summer is kind of an exercise in futility. If they trade for Damian Lillard, they’ll likely be a tax team, and potentially up against the super tax. If they don’t, the Heat could have the Non-Taxpayer MLE to add someone alongside all the names you already know. We’ll definitely be updating this one down the line, as this situation remains very much in flux.

The Pelicans are dancing around the tax line this season, but could have enough clearance to use the full MLE next summer. A lot depends on what happens with Jonas Valanciunas. He wants an extension, but New Orleans seems at least as open to trading him, as they do extending him. If the latter happens, the Pels could have some money to spend in the form of the MLE.

The Knicks are probably going to spend a good chunk of change to extend Immanuel Quickley. Or they should, at least. Even so, they should still have room to use the full Non-Taxpayer MLE. The only way this projection changes is if Evan Fournier is traded to bring long-term money onto the books. Then, the Knicks will probably be a Taxpayer MLE team.

It might be a surprise to see the Thunder here, as opposed to in the cap space section, but they’re carrying more money than most think. The good news? None of that is bad salary. A few years of high and multiple draft picks, along with a few smart re-signings, have the team just over the cap. Also working for Oklahoma City is that they can use the full MLE on a targeted player, because they have a mostly full roster too.

Sacramento is coming off their best season in forever, and they’ve got the ability to keep the good times rolling. The Kings should be about $20 million clear of the luxury tax line next summer. They’ll use some of the clearance to re-sign Malik Monk, but Sacramento should still have enough room to use the full Non-Taxpayer MLE. For a team that doesn’t need a lot, that’s a great spot to be in.

The Raptors are in a weird spot. Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby and Gary Trent Jr. will likely be free agents, along with probably Precious Achiuwa. If those guys all came off the books entirely, Toronto could have a ton of cap space. If one of two them return, the Raps are over the cap. If all returned, they’re probably up against the tax. It’ll probably fall in the middle, and that leaves Toronto with the MLE to spend.

Taxpayer Mid-Level Teams – 7 Teams

1. Atlanta Hawks

2. Cleveland Cavaliers

3. Dallas Mavericks

4. Denver Nuggets

5. Los Angeles Lakers

6. Minnesota Timberwolves

7. Portland Trail Blazers

The Taxpayer MLE is no longer much of an advantage for the NBA’s more-expensive teams. It’s been knocked down to just $5.22 million in value for 2024-25. The real kicker is that using the Taxpayer MLE hard caps a team at the second tax apron. That makes it hard to find the right amount of wiggle room to use this MLE, while staying under that hard cap.

Atlanta reset their cap sheet by salary-dumping John Collins. Pending extensions for Onyeka Okongwu and Saddiq Bey, the Hawks could be right back to bumping against the luxury tax line. Extending Okongwu seems important, given the trade of Collins and Clint Capela having just two years left on his deal. There’s also the fact that Okongwu is pushing Capela for the Hawks best big man status. Add it all up, and Atlanta is probably working right around the tax apron next season.

The Cavs spent a good chunk of money this offseason. Combine that with Darius Garland’s extension and Donovan Mitchell’s and Jarrett Allen’s deals, and Cleveland is as expensive as they’ve been since LeBron James was on the team. If Ricky Rubio retires, the Cavaliers could probably angle themselves in a spot to use the full Non-Taxpayer MLE. But for now, put them in Taxpayer MLE territory.

The Mavericks are just below the tax line, but that’s before extending or re-signing Josh Green. He’s an integral part of the team’s rotation (and a likely starter this season), so Green will be extended or re-signed. That’ll leave Dallas working with either the Taxpayer MLE, or maybe dancing just below the second apron line.

Denver is sitting about $6.3 million under the second apron. That should give them juuuuuuust enough room to use the Taxpayer MLE and to sign a player to a minimum deal. That’s good news, because Denver should only have one or two roster spots to fill. If they can shed a salary or two, they’ll have even more wiggle room under the super tax.

The Lakers have rebuilt their roster, but still left themselves some room to work. And if some guys move on, then Los Angeles will have even more room to work with. They’ll probably have several roster spots to fill, so using their MLE in a productive way is very important to the Lakers. Things will probably look similar to this summer, with lots of movement through re-signings, using the MLE and minimum deals.

Minnesota is going to be up against the tax to open next summer. They’ve got most of their core guys signed, but if Jaden McDaniels extends, they’ll be well over the tax. If not, they have to carve out room to re-sign McDaniels next summer. He’s their best all-around defender and a better-than-you-think offensive player. Pending what he signs for, the Wolves could even be approaching super tax status.

Portland is in a similar place to Miami and Philadelphia. We don’t really know where to put them. For now, with Damian Lillard’s $48.8 million on the books, the Blazers are close to being a super tax team. If they move on from Lillard, they’ll still probably take back at least some long-term money. We’re going to split the difference and call them a Taxpayer team for now, owning that this could change greatly.

Super Tax Teams (no signing exception) – 6 Teams

1. Boston Celtics

2. Golden State Warriors

3. LA Clippers

4. Memphis Grizzlies

5. Milwaukee Bucks

6. Phoenix Suns

This is the same group as this current season, minus swapping out the Heat for the Grizzlies, and there’s a good chance Miami lands back here again too. This group also comprises some of the top contenders in the NBA. If you’re going to spend this much, you better be in the mix for the Finals.

Reminder: Super Tax teams are limited to re-signing their own free agents, signing their draft picks and signing minimum deals. And in the summer of 2024, the new and far-more restrictive trade rules will be in full effect, as well.

Boston is set to be over the second apron by virtue of signing Jaylen Brown to his super max extension. The Celtics also extended Kristaps Porzingis. They’ll likely have a few roster spots to fill, and that’ll happen through the draft or veteran minimum signings. With extensions looming for Jayson Tatum and Derrick White, Boston will probably be in this spot for the next few years.

Golden State could get out of the super tax mix. Could. Not likely to happen though. That would mean the Warriors re-signed Klay Thompson to a deal worth a fraction of what he makes now, or they let him walk entirely. If Thompson looks good and the Dubs contend, they’ll run it back for at least a couple more years of the super tax.

The Clippers are fascinating. They could be the most expensive roster in the league if they extend or re-sign all their major free agents (including maybe James Harden?). Or LA could be resetting their roster with around $100 million in cap space. Bet on the former, as the Clips are going to try to keep this group together to get them to that elusive Finals berth. With a new arena opening, LA isn’t going to want to be rebuilding.

It might surprise some to see Memphis here. The Grizzlies have been thought of as an up-and-coming team with great flexibility. Well, they’re here now. Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. will all be on their extended deals, and the team traded for Luke Kennard and Marcus Smart in the last year. All that salary has Memphis just below the second apron and without any kind of signing exceptions projected for next season. That’s no big deal for the Grizzlies, because their roster is basically full as is.

Milwaukee’s projection mostly involves an idea that the team will extend or re-sign Jrue Holiday. If Holiday approaches a deal in the range of $35 to $40 million in first-year salary, then the Bucks will probably be right around the super tax. If Holiday takes a discount, Milwaukee could be far enough under the second apron to use the Taxpayer MLE.

Phoenix has over $185 million committed to the foursome of Deandre Ayton, Bradley Beal, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant. That’s less than $6 million under the second apron with 11 roster spots to fill. Much like this past summer, when the Suns nailed their minimum signings, they’ll be in the same boat for at least the next couple of years. They’ll need to do similarly good work to flesh out their roster around their big-money quartet.

The NBA offseason is just about wrapped up. As of this writing, we’re still waiting on trades for Damian Lillard, James Harden and maybe Pascal Siakam. There are a handful of impact free agents left on the board, but every team has used almost all of their meaningful cap space. There are lots of exceptions left, but it seems as though teams are in wait-and-see mode, as the calendar moves into the dog days of August.

That means it’s time to reset where each roster stands. We’re going to look at who is returning, who was acquired and who has departed. We’ll also answer a few key questions about each team.

We covered the Atlantic Division, Central Division and Pacific Division already. Next up: The Southwest Division!

Dallas Mavericks

Players Returning (9)

Luka Doncic, Josh Green, Tim Hardaway Jr., Jaden Hardy, Kyrie Irving, Maxi Kleber, A.J. Lawson (two-way), JaVale McGee, Dwight Powell

Players Added (7)

Seth Curry, Dante Exum, Richaun Holmes, Dereck Lively II, Mike Miles Jr. (two-way), Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Grant Williams

Players Lost (8)

Davis Bertans, Reggie Bullock, Justin Holiday, Markieff Morris, Frank Ntilikina, Theo Pinson, Christian Wood, McKinley Wright IV (two-way)

Roster Openings

1 standard and 1 two-way spot.

Cap/Tax Status

Dallas is $4.1 million under the luxury tax line.

Spending Power Remaining

The Mavs have $5.4 million remaining of the Non-Taxpayer MLE.

Biggest Move of the Summer

Re-signing Kyrie Irving. The Mavericks did a lot of things this summer, but re-signing Irving has to be at the top of the list. Irving is a superstar and Dallas gave up quite a bit to get him in last season’s trade. The Mavs also got Irving for far less than the full maximum deal that he could have signed. Irving signed for more than $10 million less than his first-year max salary, and he signed a three-year deal too. All-around, this deal is a win for both the Mavericks and Irving.

Dallas also beefed up their frontcourt by signing-and-trading for Grant Williams, trading for Richaun Holmes and re-signing Dwight Powell. All three should be integral members of the Mavs big man rotation, along with the returning Maxi Kleber. Williams is effectively the replacement for Dorian Finney-Smith, who was traded to get Irving. And a bonus for Dallas is that Williams is making slightly less than Finney-Smith over the next few seasons.

Work To Do

Dallas has a couple of roster spots to fill. They’ve also been openly shopping Tim Hardaway Jr. and JaVale McGee. That’s about $23.6 million in matching salary that could bring back a rotation upgrade.

Josh Green is also extension-eligible. Negotiations on a extending his rookie deal could continue up to the start of the regular season. Green has become an important player on both ends of the floor for Dallas, so keep an eye on these discussions.

Houston Rockets

Players Returning (8)

Darius Days (two-way), Tari Eason, Jalen Green, Trevor Hudgins (two-way), Kevin Porter Jr., Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., Jae’Sean Tate

Players Added (8)

Dillon Brooks, Jeff Green, Aaron Holiday, Jock Landale, Jermaine Samuels (two-way), Amen Thompson, Fred VanVleet, Cameron Whitmore

Players Lost (9)

D.J. Augustin, Willie Cauley-Stein, Josh Christopher, Usman Garuba, Frank Kaminsky, Boban Marjanovic, Kenyon Martin Jr., Daishen Nix, TyTy Washington Jr.

Roster Openings

1 standard spot.

Cap/Tax Status

Houston is about $21.6 million under the luxury tax

Spending Power Remaining

The Rockets have the full $7.7 million Room Exception available.

Biggest Move of the Summer

Adding veterans to the roster. Houston made it clear months before free agency started that they would be attempting add veterans to the roster. Mission accomplished. The Rockets add over 30 years in combined veteran experience this summer.

The key guys are Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks. Both should start and will be good fits in upgrading first-year head coach Ime Udoka’s defense. Jeff Green and Jock Landale both have an opportunity to play key rotation roles off the bench, while putting pressure on Houston’s kids to play the right way.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Rockets summer is perhaps a good illustration of what happens when you have too many draft picks. You can’t keep everyone, while simultaneously adding outside talent. That saw Houston effectively salary-dump former first-round selections in Josh Christopher, Usman Garuba and TyTy Washington. None are major losses, but it’s a cautionary tale on hanging on to every draft pick you acquire while rebuilding.

Work To Do

The Rockets have one roster spot to fill. They’ve got four players on camp deals, so one of them could claim that spot. Or Houston could pick up a veteran that needs a home ahead of the season.

Beyond that, the work falls on Ime Udoka. In his first year with the Rockets, he has to meld the returning youngsters with the veterans into a cohesive rotation and team. The talent is there, it’s up to Udoka and the players to make it work.

Memphis Grizzlies

Players Returning (15)

Steven Adams, Santi Aldama, Desmond Bane, Brandon Clarke, Jacob Gilyard (two-way), Jaren Jackson Jr., Luke Kennard, John Konchar, Jake LaRavia, Kenneth Lofton Jr., Ja Morant, David Roddy, Xavier Tillman Sr., Ziaire Williams, Vince Williams Jr. (two-way)

Players Added (4)

Josh Christopher, Derrick Rose, Marcus Smart, Isaiah Todd

Players Lost (2)

Dillon Brooks, Tyus Jones

Roster Openings

None.

Cap/Tax Status

Memphis is $13.4 million under the luxury tax.

Spending Power Remaining

The Grizzlies have their full $12.4 million Non-Taxpayer MLE available, as well as the full $4.5 million Bi-Annual Exception.

Biggest Move of the Summer

Trading for Marcus Smart. Memphis didn’t have a lot of roster turnover, as they are returning a league-high 15 players from last season, but they did well with the few moves they did make. The Grizzlies added Smart to effectively replace the two rotation players they lost in Dillon Brooks and Tyus Jones.

Smart will likely start at point guard for Memphis to open the season, while Ja Morant is suspended. Then when Morant returns, Smart will likely start in the spot that formerly belonged to Brooks, while also functioning as the backup point guard. Smart’s defense and playmaking will be welcomed additions for the Grizzlies on both ends.

Memphis also did well to add Derrick Rose as a backup point guard. Rose will likely be needed in the first part of the year while Morant is out, then he can transition into a depth role.

Work To Do

The Grizzlies roster is so full that they’ll have to cut two players with guaranteed contracts. That may be two guys they acquired in trades this summer in Josh Christopher and Isaiah Todd. Memphis likes to keep their own drafted and developed players, so Christopher and Todd may not be long for the roster.

New Orleans Pelicans

Players Returning (13)

Jose Alvarado, Dyson Daniels, Brandon Ingram, Herb Jones, Kira Lewis Jr., E.J. Liddell, Naji Marshall, C.J. McCollum, Trey Murphy III, Larry Nance Jr., Dereon Seabron (two-way), Jonas Valanciunas, Zion Williamson

Players Added (2)

Jordan Hawkins, Cody Zeller

Players Lost (4)

Jaxson Hayes, Willy Hernangomez, Josh Richardson, Garrett Temple

Roster Openings

2 two-way spots.

Cap/Tax Status

The Pelicans are $2.9 million over the luxury tax line.

Spending Power Remaining

New Orleans has $10.6 million remaining of their Non-Taxpayer MLE and all of their $4.5 million Bi-Annuel Exception.

Biggest Move of the Summer

Re-signing Herb Jones. New Orleans acted a year early in re-signing Jones, but they now have him locked up for the next four years. He’s on the cusp of being a mainstay on the All-Defense team, and the offense is coming along. Jones is a perfect fit alongside the team’s stars, so retaining him was important.

The next biggest move was one the Pelicans didn’t make. They didn’t trade Zion Williamson. Was that a mistake? Only time, and Williamson’s health, will give us that answer. When healthy, he’s been a star. But…well…you know.

Work To Do

New Orleans needs to sign a couple of two-way players, but the roster is pretty well set. Jonas Valanciunas is extension-eligible and has made it known he’d like to extend. He’s also been rumored in just about any trade package involving the Pels this summer. We’ll see how that one plays out.

Also, this may go into the season, maybe as deep as the trade deadline, but expect the Pelicans to get out of the tax. They’re a minor move or two away from ducking under the tax line. Unless they’re a top-tier title contender, they’ll make the necessary moves to get out of paying the tax.

San Antonio Spurs

Players Returning (14)

Dominick Barlow (two-way), Charles Bassey, Khem Birch, Malaki Branham, Julian Champagnie, Zach Collins, Devonte’ Graham, Keldon Johnson, Tre Jones, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Doug McDermott, Jeremy Sochan, Devin Vassell, Blake Wesley

Players Added (6)

Reggie Bullock, Sidy Cissoko, Cedi Osman, Cameron Payne, Sir’Jabari Rice (two-way), Victor Wembanyama

Players Lost (3)

Keita Bates-Diop, Gorgui Dieng, Romeo Langford

Roster Openings

1 two-way spot.

Cap/Tax Status

The Spurs are $28.8 million under the luxury tax.

Spending Power Remaining

San Antonio has their full $7.7 million Room Exception available.

Biggest Move of the Summer

Drafting Victor Wembanyama. Did you really think it was going to be anything else?

Look, the Spurs don’t deserve a ton of credit for this one. It was lottery luck that delivered Wembanyama, but San Antonio didn’t overthink it or get cute with a trade. They now have their future superstar and franchise player in place around an exciting young core.

San Antonio also re-signed Tre Jones to a very fair contract and acquired a bunch of veterans in salary-shedding trades. And, arguably right behind drafting Wembanyama on the importance scale: the Spurs re-signed Gregg Popovich to a new contract. He’ll be around to shepherd this group through their early stages of development.

Work To Do

San Antonio is currently three players over the regular season roster limit. That means they’ll be eating some guaranteed salary, barring trades. And that may come in the form of useful veteran players, which means keeping an eye on trades. The Spurs don’t have to get into roster compliance until the end of the preseason. They might be able to see if a playoff contender has a need for one of their players, then swing a deal vs simply cutting them.

Beyond that, Gregg Popovich has to figure out how all of these pieces fit together. The Spurs have a little bit of everything in terms of wings, frontcourt players and on-ball scorers. They’re still a little light at point guard and in playmakers behind Tre Jones. That means ballhandling and on-ball playmaking duties will go to young players who can use the reps. That could get a little messy at times, but it will have long-term benefits for the players and the Spurs.

The NBA offseason is just about wrapped up. As of this writing, we’re still waiting on trades for Damian Lillard, James Harden and maybe Pascal Siakam. There are a handful of impact free agents left on the board, but every team has used almost all of their meaningful cap space. There are lots of exceptions left, but it seems as though teams are in wait-and-see mode, as the calendar moves into the dog days of August.

That means it’s time to reset where each roster stands. We’re going to look at who is returning, who was acquired and who has departed. We’ll also answer a few key questions about each team.

We covered the Atlantic Division and Pacific Division already. Next up: The Central Division!

Chicago Bulls

Players Returning (12) 

Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso, DeMar DeRozan, Ayo Dosunmu, Andre Drummond, Carlik Jones, Zach LaVine, Justin Lewis (two-way), Dalen Terry, Nikola Vucevic, Coby White, Patrick Williams

Players Added (5)

Onuralp Bitim (two-way), Jevon Carter, Torrey Craig, Julian Phillips, Adama Sanogo (two-way)

Players Lost (5)

Patrick Beverley, Javonte Green, Derrick Jones Jr., Marko Simonovic, Terry Taylor (two-way)

Roster Openings

None.

Cap/Tax Status

The Bulls are $1.8 million under the luxury tax line.

Spending Power Remaining

Chicago has $6.2 million remaining of the Non-Taxpayer MLE. The Bulls also have a $10.2 million Disabled Player Exception for Lonzo Ball.

Biggest Move of the Summer

Extending Nikola Vucevic. It was a controversial extension, because some Bulls fans were hoping the team would blow up the roster and start over. But Chicago got Vucevic on a fair deal for $60 million over the next three seasons. It would have been better if the Bulls had some protection on the final season of the deal, but it’s still a fair value.

As far as outside additions go, Jevon Carter was a very nice pickup, as was Torrey Craig. Both players will give the Bulls a boost defensively, and both have shot it well in recent years.

Work To Do

Chicago doesn’t have a lot left to do. The roster is more or less finished. They don’t currently have a spot to give a player if they use the Lonzo Ball DPE to sign someone. That means that will be a piece of spending power that lingers into the season.

Mostly, it’s a good, if uninspiring roster. The Bulls should compete for a spot in the playoffs, but likely through the Play-In Tournament. That’s the kind of stuck-in-purgatory situation that Chicago fans were hoping to avoid this season.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Players Returning (10)

Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland, Caris LeVert, Sam Merrill, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Isaiah Mobley (two-way), Isaac Okoro, Ricky Rubio, Dean Wade

Players Added (6)

Emoni Bates (two-way), Ty Jerome, Damian Jones, Georges Niang, Craig Porter Jr. (two-way), Max Strus

Players Lost (7)

Mamadi Diakite (two-way), Danny Green, Robin Lopez, Raul Neto, Cedi Osman, Lamar Stevens, Dylan Windler

Roster Openings

2 standard spots.

Cap/Tax Status

The Cavaliers are about $2.8 million under the luxury tax

Spending Power Remaining

The Cavaliers have $3.6 million remaining of the Non-Taxpayer MLE.

Biggest Move of the Summer

Adding shooting via Max Strus, Georges Niang and Ty Jerome. It’s hard to narrow this down to one move, because all three players are going to help Cleveland a lot. Strus got the biggest payday by a wide margin, and he could start on the wing for the Cavs. So, he’s probably the single biggest move.

Cleveland also brough back Caris LeVert on two-year, $32 million deal. That was more than fair, given his ability to be a productive bench scorer. Retaining LeVert should allow the team to avoid offensive droughts when Darius Garland or Donovan Mitchell sit.

Finally, sometimes the best moves are ones you don’t make. The Cavaliers didn’t swing a major trade involving one of their core players, despite some chatter that a big deal could be a thing. Instead, they added very solid pieces around that core in hopes of a deeper playoff run this season.

Work To Do

Cleveland has a couple of roster spots to fill. They could use another veteran center to replace Robin Lopez. Damian Jones was a fine addition, considering his minimum deal, but he’s been inconsistent throughout his career. Having Dean Wade healthy will help quite a bit to round out the frontcourt too.

The Cavs could also use one more point guard. Ricky Rubio really struggled last season, and he’ll be 33 years old this season. Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell are awesome, but one more ballhandler for depth purposes should be added before the season starts.

Detroit Pistons

Players Returning (11)

Marvin Bagley III, Bojan Bogdanovic, Alec Burks, Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Killian Hayes, Jaden Ivey, Isaiah Livers, Jared Rhoden (two-way), Isaiah Stewart II, James Wiseman

Players Added (5)

Malcolm Cazalon (two-way), Joe Harris, Monte Morris, Marcus Sasser, Ausar Thompson

Players Lost (5)

Hamidou Diallo, R.J. Hampton, Cory Joseph, Rodney McGruder, Eugune Omoruyi

Roster Openings

1 standard spot and 1 two-way spot.

Cap/Tax Status

Detroit is $29.6 million under the luxury tax.

Spending Power Remaining

The Pistons have their full Room Exception of $7.7 million available.

Biggest Move of the Summer

Adding Joe Harris and Monte Morris. The Pistons have made it clear that they are trying to move forward this season. As bench veterans, Harris and Morris will help toward that end. Harris adds much-needed shooting, while Morris can be a steady hand to run the offense.

Detroit also held on Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks, which seemed likely after not trading either player at last season’s trade deadline. This team has an interesting mix of solid veterans around a lot of developing young players.

On the sideline, Detroit gave Monty Williams the richest coaching deal in NBA history. Williams is a respected coach and the Pistons are hoping he’ll lead them back to playoff appearances.

Work To Do

There isn’t a lot left to be done roster-wise. The Pistons have viable NBA players or highly-touted prospects at every position. Monty Williams isn’t going to hand minutes to anyone who hasn’t earned them. There are going to be a lot of fun roster battles at each position to monitor throughout the preseason.

Indiana Pacers

Players Returning (12)

Kendall Brown (two-way), Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, Isaiah Jackson, Bennedict Mathurin, T.J. McConnell, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Jordan Nwora, Jalen Smith, Daniel Theis, Myles Turner

Players Added (6)

Bruce Brown, Ben Sheppard, Oscar Tshiebwe (two-way), Obi Toppin, Jarace Walker, Isaiah Wong (two-way)

Players Lost (5)

Oshae Brissett, Chris Duarte, George Hill, James Johnson, Gabe York

Roster Openings

None.

Cap/Tax Status

The Pacers have the ability to still create $7.5 million in cap space.

Spending Power Remaining

In addition to their cap space, Indiana has the entirety of the $7.7 million room exception remaining.

Biggest Move of the Summer

Extending Tyrese Haliburton. The Pacers have their star and franchise player in Haliburton. He’s happy in Indiana and the team got him signed to a Designated Rookie extension. Having a young All-Star locked up for years is huge for a small market team.

Coming in behind extending Haliburton is adding Bruce Brown. Did Indiana overpay a little for Brown? Probably. But it’s really a one-year, $22 million deal, because the Pacers have a team option on the second season. If for some reason things aren’t working out, Indiana can move on with ease next summer. But we’re betting things work out just fine.

Getting Obi Toppin for a couple of relatively minor second-round picks was also a steal by Indiana. They needed to add some size and Toppin’s skillset should be a perfect fit for the go-go-go Pacers. He could end up being a breakout player this season.

Work To Do

Indiana is pretty much done roster-wise. They could hammer out an extension with Obi Toppin. But don’t be surprised if the Pacers want to see how he fits before committing long-term money.

The roster still skews heavy with guards and wings, but that’s something Kevin Pritchard and his staff can figure out in-season. There isn’t a lot of size at the forward and center spots, so Indiana could move some of their perimeter depth for a bit more frontcourt depth.

Milwaukee Bucks

Players Returning (12)

Grayson Allen, Gianis Antetokounmpo, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, MarJon Beauchamp, Pat Connaughton, Jae Crowder, A.J. Green, Jrue Holiday, Brook Lopez, Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis, Lindell Wigginton (two-way)

Players Added (5)

Malik Beasley, Andre Jackson Jr., Chris Livingston, Robin Lopez, Omari Moore (two-way)

Players Lost (5)

Jevon Carter, Goran Dragic, Joe Ingles, Meyers Leonard, Wesley Matthews

Roster Openings

1 two-way spot.

Cap/Tax Status

The Bucks are $6.5 million over the second tax apron.

Spending Power Remaining

Milwaukee can only offer minimum contracts, as they are over the second tax apron.

Biggest Move of the Summer

Re-signing Khris Middleton. There were rumors for months that one of the cap space teams was going to throw the proverbial bag at Middleton. Whether that happened or not, we’ll never really know, as he re-signed with Milwaukee for $95 million guaranteed over three seasons. If healthy, Middleton is a perfect fit with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday and a solid two-way wing. Given the Bucks couldn’t replace him if he left, getting Middleton back was huge.

Only slightly less important was retaining Brook Lopez for $48 million over the next two seasons. He’s been one of the best defensive centers in the league since signing in Milwaukee, and his offensive game fits like a glove around the Bucks stars.

Getting Malik Beasley on a minimum deal was a nice pickup too. He’ll give first-year head coach Adrian Griffin another option on the wing. That’s important, given Middleton’s propensity to miss games.

Work To Do

The Bucks have a two-way spot to fill, but they’re basically done. The roster is deep and balanced. Health is probably the biggest question for how deep of a run this team can make.

The next biggest question is how Adrian Griffin will adapt to being a first-time head coach. Griffin was advocated for by the players, so that should make his transition a bit smoother. But Mike Budenholzer had an incredible amount of success in Milwaukee. So, it’s natural that there will be some “prove it” moments coming this season.

If there is anything the Bucks seem to be missing from this roster is a proven backup point guard behind Jrue Holiday. That’s something the team could still address in the coming weeks, or leading up to the trade deadline.

It’s often said that timing is everything in life. That’s true for Jaylen Brown, the Boston Celtics and your intrepid author here.

It took about three weeks or so longer than expected, but Brown reached an agreement on a Designated Veteran Extension with the Celtics. As luck would have it, Brown’s deal was agreed to as I was out to sea on our long-awaited family vacation. Without the benefit of the internet (or perhaps without the detriment of the internet!), I learned about the deal kind of old school. I turned on SportsCenter one morning and that was the lead story.

Now, a week or later, we have all the details on Brown’s extension, and I have thoughts. These are going to be a bit scattered. These are the things that came to mind about Brown, the Celtics, the process and some thoughts on the impact of the deal on the NBA as a whole.

The Contract 

Jaylen Brown signed under the Designated Veteran Player Extension rules that have existed over the last couple of CBAs. Nothing Brown signed for is new or unprecedented, despite some of the sensationalized reporting around the deal. I’ll have more thoughts on that later.

Brown’s new contract is for five years and will start at 35% of the salary cap in the 2024-25 season. There are no options in the deal. His contract includes a trade bonus for the lesser of 7% of his salary or $7 million.

Unlike Brown’s current deal, there are no incentives in this contract. Brown will make the full 35% of the cap in 2024-25, with the maximum 8% raises in the following seasons. Brown’s current contract with Boston is ladened with several different incentives related to individual and team success. This one is for the maximum that Brown could get, without any bonuses involved.

The deal has been reported as being for $304 million over five years. For that to be the total number, Brown would need to start at about $52.4 million in first-year salary. That assumes the salary cap will again jump by the maximum possible 10%. However, it’s not quite that simple.

The NBA’s current projection for the 2024-25 salary cap is $142 million. That’s a modest 4.4% bump. The reason for this lower-than-expected projection is that there is considerable uncertainty within the Bally Regional Sports Network system that carries the games for about half of the NBA’s teams. The NBA is baking in some potential losses due to the bankruptcy of the Bally RSN’s parent company Diamond Sports.

Now, the cap may very well end up jumping by 10%, but that’s not what the NBA is currently projecting. Therefore, we are basing Jaylen Brown’s extension off the actual projection of a cap of $142 million.

That makes the projection for Brown’s Designated Veteran Extension as five years, $288,260,000, with a first-year salary of $49,700,000.

The Reporting

Related to the above, the reporting around Brown’s extension got a little sideways. And it’s caused some madness across the world of sports. This is true on the team, player, analyst and fan sides.

As we know by now, the terms reported in most new contracts or extensions are often in the most favorable possible light for the player and the agent. As details of these new contracts become known, the overall money is often less than the original report. This happens for a lot of different reasons. The most common, and least egregious, is simple rounding. If a deal is for $29.4 million, it will often get rounded off to $30 million.

Sometimes, the reports include all possible money the player can earn. So, let’s say a deal is for $45 million, but there are $5 million in incentives, it will regularly be reported as a $50 million deal.

In the NBA, contracts regularly include an option on the final season. Sometimes, NBA deals include partial or non-guaranteed season. So, while a report may be that a deal is for $100 million over four years, there may be a team option on the final season. Or the final two years may be only partially guaranteed.

One great example of this is Chris Paul’s current deal. It was reported as a four-year, $120 million contract. But Paul’s deal only originally had $75 million in guaranteed salary.

Getting back to Jaylen Brown’s new deal…

The reporting was at best inaccurate and at worst irresponsible. Yes, Brown’s extension could be for a maximum of $304 million, but that isn’t in line with the current projection. Sure, $288 million is basically the same, especially considering the relative Monopoly type of money we’re talking about here. But it was that mystical $300 million barrier that has issues.

Time and time again, it was reported that Brown signed the first $300-million deal in the NBA, and one of the few deals in the big four US sports (Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, Aaron Judge in MLB and Patrick Mahomes in the NFL) to have crossed the $300-million barrier. The first-year salary of $52.4 million would be the largest first-year salary in the NBA, NFL, MLB or NHL by a decent margin.

And it was those figures that have been endlessly spouted off about by talking heads across sports media. In addition, it’s those figures that fans, and some players, have attached to.

Now, are $288 million and $49.7 million really all that different? Not really. But they aren’t $300 million and $50 million. We gravitate toward large, round numbers. They are easy to remember and discuss.

Lastly: Who is to blame here? No one, really. This is really just another data point in the whole “Be careful of the initial numbers!” warning that we so often issue at this time of year. In this case, because it’s the first deal to approach (and possibly even cross!) both the $300 million and $50 million marks, it got an outsized amount of attention.

The Timing

This isn’t about Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics taking three weeks to get to this deal, even if that was a bit odd. There’s only so much that can be negotiated in these types of deals, and Brown and Brown seem to have haggled over some stuff that took about three weeks to sort out.

This is about the timing of Brown inking the richest contract in NBA history. And that’s really all it was: timing.

Jaylen Brown is a wonderfully talented player and he’s earned every penny of his new contract. He made All-NBA last season and he’s an established All-Star level guy. He’s a top-20 to top-25 player in the NBA.

But he’s not a top-5 to top-10 player in the league. And therein lies the rub. Should a non-top-10 player be getting the largest contract in league history?

Doesn’t matter.

It’s all about timing, with a smidgen of circumstance.

Jaylen Brown qualified for the Designated Veteran Extension. The NBA has never been in better shape financially. Boston couldn’t afford to lose Brown.

Add it all up, and Brown gets the richest contract in NBA history because he was eligible for it right now.

That’s really all it is. Next summer, or later this summer/fall in an extension, someone like Anthony Davis or Kawhi Leonard is going to get a massive deal, and possibly one that’s even bigger than Brown’s. And then the next season, their deal will get knocked off by whatever Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jayson Tatum sign for. And then, and then, and then.

There was far too much focus on “Jaylen Brown shouldn’t be getting the biggest deal in NBA history!” with far too little focus on “This is just how NBA contracts work timing-wise.”

The Contract Part 2

This is a quick one, but an important one.

Brown is signing for 35% of the 2024-25 salary cap. That currently projects to $49.7 million. From there, Brown will get 8% raises.

There seems to be somewhat of a perception that Brown will get 35% of the cap every season. Not only is that not the case, but cap growth is projected to go up the maximum of 10% over the life of Brown’s deal. That means the cap will outpace Brown’s raises. In fact, after the 35% of the cap in the first year, Brown’s contract over Years 2-4 projects to be 34.4%, 33.6%, 32.6% and 31.6% of the cap.

The Impact on the Celtics

Brown’s now locked in under contract for the next five years. It’s the NBA, so we all know that is Brown or Boston decide in a year or two that things aren’t going as they want, a trade or trade request will come. At that point, both sides will go their separate ways. But for now, they are connected for more than a half-decade.

This is a good point to pause and remind everyone that Brown and Boston are linked for at least a year. When a player signs a Designated Veteran Extension as Brown did, that comes with a one-year trade restriction. Given how late in July Brown signed his extension, that means he can’t be traded until July 26, 2024. That’ll be long after most of free agency is complete, so Brown and Boston are probably together for the next two season, at least.

We’re going to assume that the Celtics will also ink Jayson Tatum to a Designated Veteran Extension too. And Boston already extended Kristaps Porzingis.

This season and next, the Celtics will be dancing around the second tax apron, and deep into the tax itself.

At the start of the 2025-26 season, Boston is likely to have at least $154.5 million on the books for Brown, Tatum, Porzingis, Robert Williams and Jordan Walsh. That’s almost at what projects to be a salary cap of $156 million for that season. For five players. And that’s before factoring in any kind of extensions or new contract for players like Derrick White, Malcolm Brogdon or anyone else acquire in the next two years.

Essentially, Boston is capped out for the foreseeable future, and likely to be above the tax too. The Celtics core is good. Tatum, Brown, Porzingis, White and Williams are good enough to win a title, if they have enough help.

It’s on Brad Stevens and the front office to find that help. And they’re going to have to win on the margins for the next several years. Veteran Minimum players are going to have to hit. Draft Picks are going to be crucial. And doing well in any future trades is imperative. The ability to add to this roster outside of those means are going to be mostly non-existent.

The Impact on the rest of the NBA

This one is also going to be quick.

There really isn’t one. Unless things go really, really poorly for Boston and Brown.

Extensions and trades are how most big business is getting done in the NBA these days. Free agency delivers a few big moves here and there, but for the most part, players are taking money early via extensions. And then trades are how teams make their major additions and subtractions.

As we covered previously, Brown signed the largest deal in the NBA…for now. That’ll quickly get replaced with a new largest deal in the NBA.

Where this could impact teams and players is if Brown doesn’t come even close to living up to the deal. Let’s say he’s simply good for the life of this contract, but not an All-Star and never again All-NBA. That would be a huge loss for Boston. He’s being paid as an All-Star, at the minimum, and as an All-NBA guy, at the top-end.

If Brown doesn’t live up to the deal, the next team in this spot could pause and not be so willing to commit. You’re putting yourself in tax and second apron hell for years by having two players combining for roughly 2/3 of the cap. And building a contender that way is a tricky line to walk.

The reality is, few teams will be in this spot. Not many are sitting on two All-NBA level guys heading into their peak years. And when you have an All-NBA level guy, you pay him.

The NUMBERS 

We’re capitalizing NUMBERS here, because whether you use $300 million and $52.4 million or $288 million and $49.7 million, those are massive salaries. We all get that.

But that lacks context.

On each of our NBA salary pages on Spotrac, we added “% of cap” to the salary numbers. NBA max deals use caps of 25%, 30% or 35% in first-year salary, pending years or service, or qualifying for Designated Player status.

From there, as covered in The Contract Part 2 above, the cap projects to outpace the raises a player can get. It’s important to understand that percentage of the cap is how we’re thinking about NBA deals now, vs just focusing on the number.

We’re not that far off from the NBA salary cap reaching above $200 million in a single season. At the current projected growth, we’ll get there by the 2028-29 season. When we do, the maximum salary for a player with 10-plus years or service or for a Designated Veteran Player will be $72.7 million.

$72.7 million in first-year salary and $422 million over a five-year max deal. The final salary in that contract? $96 million. Nearly $100 million for a single season. Whew boy!

But you know what? That $72.7 million is 35% of the cap in 2028-29. Same as Jaylen Brown getting $49.7 million in 2024-25. Same as it was when Russell Westbrook signed his Designated Veteran Extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder for $35.6 million of the $101,869,000 cap in 2018.

Stop focusing on the NUMBERS. They’re already big and only getting bigger by the year. Reframe your thinking to percentage of the cap and everything starts to look a lot more in context.

The NBA offseason is just about wrapped up. As of this writing, we’re still waiting on trades for Damian Lillard, James Harden and maybe Pascal Siakam. There are a handful of impact free agents left on the board, but every team has used almost all of their meaningful cap space. There are lots of exceptions left, but it seems as though teams are in wait-and-see mode, as the calendar moves through mid-July.

That means it’s time to reset where each roster stands. We’re going to look at who is returning, who was acquired and who has departed. We’ll also answer a few key questions about each team.

We covered the Atlantic Division already. Next up: The Pacific Division!

Golden State Warriors

Players Returning (8):

 Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Kevon Looney, Moses Moody, Gary Payton II, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins

Players Added (5): 

Trayce Jackson-Davis, Cory Joseph, Chris Paul, Brandin Podziemski, Dario Saric

Players Lost (9): 

Patrick Baldwin Jr., Donte DiVincenzo, JaMychal Green, Andre Iguodala, Ty Jerome (two-way), Anthony Lamb, Jordan Poole, Lester Quinones (two-way), Ryan Rollins

Roster Openings: 

2 standard spots and 3 two-way spots.

Cap/Tax Status: 

Golden State is $25.5 million over the second tax apron.

Spending Power Remaining: 

The Warriors are far over the super tax line and can only offer minimum contracts to free agents.

Biggest Move of the Summer: 

Re-signing Draymond Green. Yes, the Jordan Poole for Chris Paul trade was a big one, but it’s not on the level of keeping Green in the fold. Green is the key to the Warriors defense, and an important player for the offense because of his facilitation skills. The Warriors had to keep him. It also signals that the core has enough left to keep competing for titles.

As for the Paul trade, it was at least as much about shedding long-term money for Poole as it was about acquiring Paul. The role for the veteran Point God is unclear, and the fit is a little messy. We’ll see how that all plays out.

Work To Do: 

The Warriors need to fill out their roster. They added a nice piece in the frontcourt with Dario Saric, but the big man rotation could use another guy. And Golden State could use another bench shooter, unless they think Moses Moody is ready for a bigger role, or rookie Brandin Podziemski is ready to play from the ump.

Keep an eye on Chris Paul too. His deal is pretty tradable, as it’s basically a $30 million expiring contract (the 2024-25 season is non-guaranteed). Golden State is pretty limited in what else they can do, so having Paul as a living $30 million trade exception could end up just as valuable as what he could do on the court.

The Warriors also need to fill out their two-way spots. Lester Quinones is a good bet to return, as the team remains high on him. Golden State has also done a nice job in recent years with developing players and getting them to the main roster. Don’t bet against that happening again with whoever they bring in on two-way deals this summer.

LA Clippers

Players Returning (15): 

Nicolas Batum, Brandon Boston Jr., Amir Coffey, Robert Covington, Moussa Diabate (two-way), Paul George, Bones Hyland, Kawhi Leonard, Terance Mann, Marcus Morris Sr., Mason Plumlee, Norman Powell, Jason Preston, Russell Westbrook, Ivica Zubac

Players Added (2): 

Kobe Brown, Kenyon Martin Jr.

Players Lost (2): 

Eric Gordon, Xavier Moon (two-way)

Roster Openings: 

2 two-way spots.

Cap/Tax Status: 

The Clippers are $11.3 million over the second tax apron.

Spending Power Remaining: 

LA can only offer minimum contracts, due to being over the second apron.

Biggest Move of the Summer: 

Re-signing Russell Westbrook. After joining the Clippers during buyout season, Westbrook played really well. LA had very little at the point guard position, so bringing back Westbrook for $7.8 million over the next two seasons is a good value signing.

The Clippers snagged Kenyon Martin Jr. for a second-round pick and draft rights to a player who will likely never come to the NBA. Given they needed to inject some athleticism into an older roster and ground-bound frontcourt, this was a steal for LA.

Re-signing Mason Plumlee was also a smart move by LA. He combines with Ivica Zubac to give Ty Lue 48 minutes of solid center play. Plumlee is also a smart passer who knows to keep the ball moving to the team’s stars.

Work To Do: 

Should they trade for James Harden? That’s the question the Clippers front office has to be asking themselves. It’s clear Harden wants to go to the Clippers. LA has the ability to match salary in a trade without surrendering any key rotation players. But it would sap some of the team’s depth, and given the past injury histories of the main players, the Clippers can’t have enough depth.

Beyond that, there’s not a lot left for LA to do. The Clippers are returning more players from a season ago than any other team in the NBA. They need to waive or trade a player from a standard deal. And the Clippers have a couple of two-way spots to fill. This roster is pretty well finished, minus a Harden trade.

Los Angeles Lakers

Players Returning (8): 

Max Christie, Anthony Davis, Rui Hachimura, LeBron James, Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, Cole Swider (two-way), Jarred Vanderbilt

Players Added (8): 

Colin Castleton (two-way), Jaxson Hayes, D’Moi Hodge (two-way), Jalen Hood-Schifino, Maxwell Lewis, Taurean Prince, Cameron Reddish, Gabe Vincent

Players Lost (9): 

Mo Bamba, Malik Beasley, Troy Brown Jr., Wenyen Gabriel, Shaq Harrison, Scotty Pippen Jr., Dennis Schroder, Tristan Thompson, Lonnie Walker IV

Roster Openings: 

2 standard spots.

Cap/Tax Status: 

Los Angeles is $1.4 million under the luxury tax.

Spending Power Remaining: 

The Lakers have $1.9 million of the Non-Taxpayer MLE remaining, but are functionally limited to veteran minimum contracts, which pay just over $2 million for next season.

Biggest Move of the Summer: 

Re-signing Austin Reaves. The Lakers re-signed all of their most important free agents, but Reaves was the most most-important player of that group. He’s blossomed into a multi-faceted offensive player, who is equally productive starting or coming off the bench. Reaves also didn’t get the massive $100 million offer sheet that was projected by many. That meant the Lakers got him on a four-year deal for right around the Non-Taxpayer MLE. That’s a great value.

Los Angeles also did well to get Rui Hachimura and D’Angelo Russell back on solid deals. They are both important rotation players. And adding Gabe Vincent for the actual Non-Taxpayer MLE was a good value signing for the Lakers too.

Work To Do: 

Los Angeles will likely fill their 14th roster spot ahead of training camp. They’ll bring in camp guys, but may choose to leave the 15th spot open. That could make it easier to convert a two-way player (keep and eye on Colin Castleton, who was terrific in Summer League) or to sign a veteran player in-season.

Overall, the Lakers roster is far deeper than at this point a year ago. And it makes sense with good positional balance. They probably need to add one more rotation-level big, just to make sure they don’t overtax Anthony Davis, and for when he inevitable misses some games. But this roster is deep and balanced.

Phoenix Suns

Players Returning (7): 

Deandre Ayton, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Damion Lee, Saben Lee (two-way), Josh Okogie, Ishmail Wainright

Players Added (9): 

Keita Bates-Diop, Bradley Beal, Bol Bol, Toumani Camara, Drew Eubanks, Jordan Goodwin, Eric Gordon, Chimezie Metu, Yuta Watanabe

Players Lost (9): 

Darius Bazley, Bismack Biyombo, Torrey Craig, Jock Landale, Chris Paul, Cameron Payne, Terrence Ross, Landry Shamet, T.J. Warren

Roster Openings: 

2 two-way spots.

Cap/Tax Status: 

The Suns are $4.7 million over the second tax apron.

Spending Power Remaining: 

Phoenix can only sign players to minimum contracts, due to being over the second apron.

Biggest Move of the Summer: 

Trading Chris Paul for Bradley Beal. This was the Suns all-in move. Beal isn’t a perfect fit, as he overlaps quite a bit with Devin Booker, but he should be just fine for Phoenix. Adding Beal took on a lot of long-term money, and put the Suns in a position to be one of the more expensive teams in the NBA for at least the next few years.

Because Beal, Booker and Kevin Durant have all played alongside other superstars for most of their careers, they should be able to make this work as a trio. The bigger concern: Who is going to make sure Deandre Ayton gets enough touches to stay engaged?

Work To Do: 

Phoenix’s roster is probably about set for the regular season, minus a couple of two-way signings. It seems as though the Suns intend to keep Deandre Ayton. James Jones and the front office did a wonderful job filling out the roster with impact players, despite only have minimum contracts to work with. They added depth and balance behind the star-studded starting lineup.

Now, it’s up to Frank Vogel to turn this collection of players into a team. It’s likely to be a little bumpy early on, but there’s enough talent here that the Suns should eventually be a terrific team.

Sacramento Kings

Players Returning (11): 

Harrison Barnes, Kessler Edwards, Keon Ellis (two-way), De’Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter, Alex Len, Trey Lyles, Davion Mitchell, Malik Monk, Keegan Murray, Domantas Sabonis

Players Added (5): 

Chris Duarte, Colby Jones, Nerlens Noel, Jalen Slawson (two-way), Sasha Vezenkov

Players Lost (6): 

Terence Davis, Matthew Dellavedova, P.J. Dozier, Richaun Holmes, Chimezie Metu, Neemias Queta (two-way)

Roster Openings: 

1 standard spot and 1 two-way spot.

Cap/Tax Status: 

The Kings are $21.6 million under the luxury tax.

Spending Power Remaining: 

Sacramento has about $1.4 million remaining of the Room Exception. Beyond that, it’s minimum contracts for the Kings.

Biggest Move of the Summer: 

Renegotiating-and-extending Domantas Sabonis. It was a busy summer of retaining talent for Sacramento, but getting Sabonis signed long-term was their best move. He’s become an All-Star center, and made All-NBA last year. He’s a perfect pairing with De’Aaron Fox as the co-engines that make the Kings offense hum. Creating and using cap space to keep Sabonis around was creative and smart by Monte McNair and his front office staff.

Extending Harrison Barnes for a second time, along with re-signing Trey Lyles were also great moves. And finally brining Sasha Vezenkov over, six years after drafting him, seems like a really solid move too. He’ll be a rotation guy from Day 1.

Lastly, keep an eye on Chris Duarte. He went through a mess of a season with injuries, and he got lost in the shuffle in a crowded wing group in Indiana. He can play and the bet here is that he ends up a key guy off the bench for the Kings.

Work To Do:

Sacramento has a couple of roster spots to fill. They could maybe use one more point guard, as a break-glass type of player. But the frontcourt and wing groups seems pretty fleshed out.

It’s not an immediate thing, but the Kings are well clear of the luxury tax. That should give them the flexibility to take on money during any in-season dealings. But that’s something that will make itself known as the season goes along.

Sacramento is talented and deep. That’s a combination that should make it so that last season’s playoff appearance started a new streak vs being a one-year blip.

The NBA offseason is just about wrapped up. As of this writing, we’re still waiting on trades for Damian Lillard, James Harden and maybe Pascal Siakam. There are a handful of impact free agents left on the board, but every team has used almost all of their meaningful cap space. There are lots of exceptions left, but it seems as though teams are in wait-and-see mode, as the calendar moves through mid-July.

That means it’s time to reset where each roster stands. We’re going to look at who is returning, who was acquired and who has departed. We’ll also answer a few key questions about each team.

First up: The Atlantic Division

Boston Celtics

Players Returning (11): 

Malcolm Brogdon, Jaylen Brown, Justin Champagnie, J.D. Davison (two-way), Sam Hauser, Al Horford, Luke Kornet, Payton Pritchard, Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, Robert Williams

Players Added (5): 

Dalano Banton, Oshae Brissett, Kristaps Porzingis, Jay Scrubb (two-way), Jordan Walsh

Players Lost (6): 

Danilo Gallinari, Blake Griffin, Mfiondu Kabengele (two-way), Mike Muscala, Marcus Smart, Grant Williams

Roster Openings: 

1 standard spot and 1 two-way spot.

Cap/Tax Status: 

The Celtics are $2.3 million under the second tax apron.

Spending Power Remaining: 

Boston has the $5 million Taxpayer MLE, but they’d need to clear over $2.7 million in salary to use it in order to stay under the second apron. Teams are hard-capped at the second apron if they use the Taxpayer MLE under the new CBA.

Biggest Move of the Summer:

 Trading Marcus Smart (and others) in a deal to land Kristaps Porzingis. Boston went big, literally and figuratively, this summer by trading Smart for Porzingis. The Celtics are betting that Porzingis will stay healthy and will give the team another offensive weapon, along with some rim protection. Boston’s mounting payroll also played a part in Grant Williams leaving for the Dallas Mavericks via sign-and-trade. That’s a lot of toughness, versatility and defense out the door for the Celtics this summer.

Work To Do: 

Boston needs to get Jaylen Brown signed to an extension. He’s eligible for the super max, and all parties involved continue to say it’ll get done, but it’s been nearly three weeks and nothing is signed yet. That’s something to monitor.

Beyond extending Brown, Boston has to figure out if they are going to trade Malcolm Brogdon or not. He was originally supposed to be part of the deal for Porzingis, but the LA Clippers balked at Brogdon’s health and Brad Stevens pivoted to trading Marcus Smart. Now, the Celtics need to repair their relationship with Brogdon and get him healthy for this upcoming season. Or Boston needs to find another deal for the reigning Sixth Man of the Year before the season starts.

The Celtics will also fill out their roster by adding a 15th player on a standard deal and by filling their third two-way spot. That’s in addition to bringing a few players to training camp, with eyes on getting them to play for Maine in the G League this season.

Brooklyn Nets

Players Returning (10): 

Mikal Bridges, Nicolas Claxton, Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, RaiQuan Gray (two-way), Cameron Johnson, Royce O’Neale, Day’Ron Sharpe, Ben Simmons, Cam Thomas

Players Added (6): 

Darius Bazley, Noah Clowney, Dennis Smith Jr., Lonnie Walker IV, Dariq Whitehead, Jalen Wilson (two-way)

Players Lost (7): 

Seth Curry, David Duke Jr., Joe Harris, Patty Mills, Dru Smith (two-way), Edmond Sumner, Yuta Watanabe

Roster Openings: 

1 standard spot and 1 two-way spot.

Cap/Tax Status: 

The Nets are $10 million under the luxury tax.

Spending Power Remaining: 

Brooklyn has the $12.4 million Non-Taxpayer MLE to spend. They are $12 million clear of the first apron, at which they’d be hard-capped if they used the NTMLE. That means to use the entire thing, they’d need to clear a little more space.

Biggest Move of the Summer: 

Re-signing Cam Johnson. Brooklyn sees Johnson as an important part of their core, alongside Mikal Bridges. Getting him inked to a fair value deal with $94.5 million guaranteed over four years is huge. Brooklyn also got good value with minimum signings in Lonnie Walker IV and Dennis Smith Jr., as well as intriguing draft picks in Noah Clowney and Dariq Whitehead.

Work To Do: 

The Nets are perhaps a bit light on shooting after trading Joe Harris and Patty Mills in salary-shedding deal, and losing Seth Curry in free agency. Lonnie Walker will help fill that void to some extent, but one more shooter would be nice.

Brooklyn could also use another experienced big to play behind Nic Claxton. The Nets are relying on unproven youngsters behind Claxton. The fifth-year big man has proven himself a top defender, but Claxton can still find himself in foul trouble on occasion. A proven backup would be good to have for the Nets.

It’s not a roster move, but Brooklyn really needs to find out what they have in Ben Simmons. All reports are that he’ll be ready to go to start the season. Can he find his way back to the All-Star level he was just a few years ago? Can he at least be a productive rotation player?

The Nets will also fill out their roster with another standard signing, a third two-way player and then some camp signings.

New York Knicks

Players Returning (13): 

RJ Barrett, Jalen Brunson, Evan Fournier, Quentin Grimes, Josh Hart, Isaiah Hartenstein, DaQuan Jeffries, Miles McBride, Immanuel Quickley, Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, Isaiah Roby, Jericho Sims

Players Added (2): 

Donte DiVincenzo, Jaylen Martin (two-way)

Players Lost (4): 

Trevor Keels (two-way), Derrick Rose, Obi Toppin, Duane Washington Jr. (two-way)

Roster Openings: 

1 standard spot and 2 two-way spots.

Cap/Tax Status: 

New York is $4.7 million under the luxury tax.

Spending Power Remaining: 

The Knicks have the $4.5 million Bi-Annual Exception to spend, but are unlikely to do so.

Biggest Move of the Summer: 

Signing Donte DiVincenzo. The Knicks traded big for small by signing DiVincenzo and trading Obi Toppin. The rotation is very wing- and guard-heavy, but getting DiVincenzo for the MLE is good work. He’ll be a productive player and can allow New York to deal from a position of strength in any future trades.

Work To Do: 

The Knicks are still looking for an Evan Fournier trade. At this point, it seems likely they’ll keep Fournier and his $18.8 million pseudo-expiring deal (Fournier has a $19 million team option for 2024-25) in case they need to match salary in a bigger trade.

New York is still looking at potential backup power forward options. They need someone for about 10-12 minutes per game behind Julius Randle. But that player has to come in with the understanding that that’s the role. The Knicks don’t want to get caught with another player looking for a bigger role.

Beyond that, extension talks will continue with Immanuel Quickley, and the Knicks will fill out their roster with a couple more two-way signings and one more standard deal.

Philadelphia 76ers

Players Returning (11):

 Joel Embiid, James Harden, Montrezl Harrell, Tobias Harris, Danuel House Jr., Furkan Korkmaz, Tyrese Maxey, De’Anthony Melton, Paul Reed, Jaden Springer, P.J. Tucker

Players Added (6): 

Mo Bamba, Patrick Beverley, Ricky Council IV (two-way), Filip Petrusev, Terquavion Smith (two-way), Azuolas Tubelis (two-way)

Players Lost (6): 

Dewayne Dedmon, Louis King (two-way), Mac McClung (two-way), Jalen McDaniels, Shake Milton, Georges Niang

Roster Openings: 

1 standard spot.

Cap/Tax Status:

 Philadelphia is $2.8 million under the first tax apron.

Spending Power Remaining: 

The Sixers have the $12.4 million Non-Taxpayer MLE, but are functionally limited to spending no more than the $5M Taxpayer MLE, due to room under the first apron/hard cap.

Biggest Move of the Summer: 

Signing Patrick Beverley…so far. In reality, nothing will top whatever happens with James Harden and the potential package Philadelphia gets for trading him. Alas, we wait…

Work To Do: 

As referenced above, the 76ers need to find a James Harden trade. They’ve done some moves while waiting for that deal to develop, but this roster has a very unfinished feel to it. Patrick Beverley is a nice addition, no matter if Harden is on the team or not. Mo Bamba is fine, as is re-signing Montrezl Harrell. But the Sixers have a lot of bigs now and the wing and the backcourt feel a bit thin.

Nothing else of substance is likely to happen until Harden is dealt. That’s likely to be at least a 2-for-1, if not a 3-for-1 or 4-for-2 type of deal. Because of the likelihood of an unbalanced trade, Philadelphia has to somewhat conserve roster spots. You don’t want to pitch a free agent on joining you team, then not have a roster spot for them when the regular season starts.

Toronto Raptors

Players Returning (12): 

Precious Achiuwa, OG Anunoby, Scottie Barnes, Chris Boucher, Malachi Flynn, Christian Koloko, Jakob Poeltl, Otto Porter Jr., Pascal Siakam, Gary Trent Jr., Joe Wieskamp, Thaddeus Young

Players Added (4): 

Gradey Dick, Jalen McDaniels, Markquis Nowell (two-way), Dennis Schroder

Players Lost (5): 

Dalano Banton, Will Barton, Jeff Dowtin, Ron Harper Jr., Fred VanVleet

Roster Openings: 

2 two-way spots.

Cap/Tax Status: 

The Raptors are is $3.3 million under the luxury tax.

Spending Power Remaining: 

Toronto has only veteran minimum contracts to offer.

Biggest Move of the Summer: 

Re-signing Jakob Poeltl. Toronto got a nice deal on Poeltl, as they re-signed him for $78 million guaranteed over four seasons. That’s a very good value for a starting center. The Raptors also got Jalen McDaniels for a relative bargain of $9.3 million over two seasons via the Bi-Annual Exception. And Dennis Schroder was a nice addition for $25.4 million over two seasons via the Non-Taxpayer MLE. Gradey Dick was also a solid value pick in the middle of the first round of the draft.

Work To Do: 

Toronto’s roster remains very unbalanced. They have approximately 87 forwards, a few centers and two guards. OK…maybe it’s not quite that drastic, but the Raptors remain very heavy in forwards and light in the backcourt. You have to assume that eventually a trade will come to balance things out a bit, otherwise Dennis Schroder is going to have to carry a very heavy load at point guard, unless Malachi Flynn makes a major leap in his fourth season.

Rumors continue to bubble to the surface about Pascal Siakam trade interest. It feels like Toronto has hit a breaking point to extend Siakam or trade him. Letting things play out seems unnecessarily risky. OG Anunoby is in only slightly less of an uncertain position, given his player option for the 2024-25 season.

Fred VanVleet is gone. Siakam and/or Anunoby could be next. Toronto has the pieces in place to be a playoff team, but the possibility of trades given the unbalanced roster still loom over this team. After years of being rock solid, it feels like everything is built on an increasingly shaky foundation. Eventually, this needs to be torn down or reinforced, with the former seeming the more likely path than the latter.

Longtime readers of mine (back to my RealGM days) will know that each year that I attended NBA Summer League, I came home with an overflowing notebook of items from talking to people around the NBA. These can be notes about players, teams, the league as whole or really anything related to the NBA.

Summer League is a very relaxed environment. The draft is done, free agency is largely done (especially this year!) and NBA folks are chatty. It’s also probably the most optimistic time of the NBA calendar. Everyone feels great about the work they did in the offseason and what it means for their club going forward. Admittedly paraphrasing, it’s very common to hear things like:

• “We had him at the top of board.” (Note: This is said almost no matter what pick the team had.)

• “The draft fell off right after pick X.” (Note: This is at whatever pick the team had, traded up to, or the pick after a pick they traded out of.)

• “We were lucky he wanted to sign with us.” (Note: Said about almost every free agent signee.)

• “We feel good about what we did, given our limited resources this summer.” (Note: Said by teams with cap space, teams without cap space, teams that only had veteran minimum deals to offer and teams that had multiple draft picks.)

With that in mind, the vast majority of the quotes about players and teams will be positive ones. But that’s ok! Who can’t use a little more positivity in their life?

A few more notes:

• All quotes are anonymous. Each one came from NBA team personnel (generally a front office executive, coach or assistant coach). In exchange for anonymity, you often get candidness.

• Anything that is an opinion from myself will be noted as such with “Opinion: …”.

• In the vast majority of cases, these notes and thoughts were collected through Tuesday, July 11. A handful of times, folks followed up after the fact with further thoughts, but most were collected while I was on the ground in Las Vegas.

You can read Part 1, which were general NBA comments here and Part 2, which were notes from the Eastern Conference teams here.

Western Conference

Dallas Mavericks

• “Re-signing Kyrie Irving was priority number one. Adding depth to our frontcourt was probably next on the list. And adding some young talent that fit with Kyrie and Luka (Doncic) was also high on the priority list. We feel like we accomplished all of those goals, even if there is still work to be done.”

• “Grant (Williams) is going to help replace what we lost in Dorian Finney-Smith. He can shoot and defend, and we need guys like that. We’re also excited about his ability as a passer too. That’s something our other bigs don’t really do, so it adds a new dimension to our offense.”

• “The kids (Dereck Lively II and Olivier-Maxence Prosper) are the kind of defense-first guys we need right now. They’ll get their minutes by defending. From there, the offense will come, especially as Luka (Doncic) and Kyrie (Irving) begin to trust them.”

• Opinion: It’s a shame that the Matisse Thybulle offer sheet didn’t work for Dallas. He would have been a good fit for the Mavericks. Wing depth still seems to be lacking a bit for this team.

Denver Nuggets

• “Does it feel like to you that some people have already forgotten that we’re the champs? That’s how it feels sometimes, because everyone is talking about all the other teams. But that’s ok. Keep sleeping on us!”

• “Christian (Braun) is going to take a big step forward this year. Last season, everything was on instinct until we got to about March or so. This year, he’ll be better prepared to play right out of the gate. We’re excited to watch him grow in a bigger role.”

• “We feel like we nailed our draft class. Julian Strawther is this year’s project. We’re excited about what he can become. Jalen Pickett could contribute right away in the backcourt. And Hunter Tyson knows how to play. Those three, combined with Christian Braun and Peyton Watson, and we have five potential rotation guys out of the last three drafts. That’s huge with our top-end payroll.”

• “We haven’t given up on Zeke Nnaji being a rotation guy. He has to stay healthy though. If he can, there is still a chance he grabs a role in the frontcourt rotation.”

Golden State Warriors

• “It was the only decision to re-sign Draymond (Green). We were never going to break up the core. They’ve had too much success and we won the title two seasons ago. Why would we move off that group now?”

• “We’re aware that Jonathan (Kuminga) wants to play more. The chance will be there for him this season. We need him to be ready for a full rotation role in our frontcourt.”

• “Brandin (Podziemski) hasn’t shot it well, but he’s done everything else. He’s a smart, tough, versatile player. It may take a year, but he’ll be a rotation guy for us eventually.”

• “Both Lester (Quinones) and Gui (Santos) have been our best guys in both Summer Leagues. Lester is probably better than his two-way status, but we’ll see if there is room. Gui could benefit from a step up in league. I think eventually both will find their way on our roster at some point.”

Houston Rockets

• “We set a goal this summer to improve our roster and rebalance things. We felt like we were a little too young. Nine first-round picks over three seasons is a lot. We made it a goal to come away with veteran players who can lift and enhance our young guys. We feel like we accomplished that goal.”

• “Jabari Smith has been working non-stop. Part of the process with changing the coaching staff and roster was to make sure we could get Jabari to a place where he can be his most successful. It’s important that we get him touches, and quality touches, at that. He’s going to be a star in our league, but it’s up to us to help get him there.”

• “Amen Thompson didn’t get a chance to show it for too long out here, but you saw a glimpse that he can do it all. We’re going to keep it simple for him early on. Let his natural instincts take charge first. But we have a plan to add more and more to his plate as the season goes along. He’ll be fine with the injury too. Not something we’re worried about long-term.”

• “When Cam Whitmore was falling in the draft, we considered trading up. Eventually, it became clear he’d get to us. Once that happened, we felt like we had won some sort of second lottery. He’s such a powerful player at a young age. He’s going to fit in our forward group just fine. Him, Jabari (Smith) and Tari (Eason) is as good a young group of forwards as any team in the NBA has.”

• “Fred (VanVleet) is going to be so great for us as an organizer. He’ll enhance Jalen (Green), Jabari (Smith) and Kevin (Porter Jr.) in a big way. Some think Fred and Dillon (Brooks) are going to take reps away from the kids, but we don’t see it that way. They are going to help those guys grow up quicker than they would have otherwise. Same with Jeff Green. We’re excited about getting them in the gym with the young guys.”

LA Clippers

• “We felt like we found a nice groove after we added Russell (Westbrook) and Mason (Plumlee). So, it was important to us to bring them back. They are both great fits with our roster and how we hope to play.”

• “Kobe (Brown) hasn’t shot it well yet, but that will come. He’s rebounding and playing defense. That’s enough for now. Having another big wing is never a bad thing.”

• “Look, I hate to talk bad about any other team, and everyone makes deals for their own reasons, but we stole K.J. Martin. He’s going to add a whole new level of athleticism to our frontcourt. Our vets are going to love playing with him and he’ll change the energy in games for us. Just a straight up robbery to get him on our roster.”

• “I can’t comment on any ongoing trade discussions, but we’re always looking to get better. If the right deal comes our way, it’s something we’ll look at. We feel like our title contention window is right now, so we’re always looking to add talented players in support of that goal.”

Los Angeles Lakers

• “Getting Austin Reaves signed was our top priority. Was there a worry we’d have to match an offer sheet? Absolutely. He’s a good player and he could fit on any team. But we were prepared to match any kind of offers Austin got. We weren’t going to lose him over money.”

• “We’re very happy with how our offseason went. We added a point guard, a forward, a wing and a big man. The two players we drafted (Jalen Hood-Schifino and Maxwell Lewis) are guys we targeted in our draft range. And we re-signed all of our important contributors. We feel great about that.”

• “The player I’m most excited about that we added is Jaxson Hayes. He’s shown flashes of being a real player. We have minutes available in the frontcourt. My hope is that he’s ready to take them.”

• Opinion: Keep an eye on Colin Castleton. He has nice touch and rebounding and blocking shots at a pretty good rate. After a little G League time, he could be the next guy to step into a rotation spot for the Lakers.

Memphis Grizzlies

• “Marcus Smart is perfect for everything we want to be. We want our players to be tough, versatile, intelligent and to sacrifice for the team. And they have to represent what we want Grizzlies to be and to do right by Memphis. Marcus is going to teach some of our young guys how to win in ways they haven’t quite figured out yet. We couldn’t be happier to have him.”

• “Our roster was getting a little overstuffed. It probably still is, to be completely honest. There could be another trade or two where we consolidate a little bit. But there aren’t any glaring needs we’re desperately trying to fill. If something becomes available, then we’ll look at it.”

• “Locking up Desmond (Bane) was our primary objective this offseason. We now have our entire core under long-term deals. And they are all 25 and under. How many other good teams can say that?”

Minnesota Timberwolves

• “We traded up to get Leonard Miller as a targeted player at the draft. We weren’t sure how the rest of the summer would go, but we knew getting him would mean we did alright. He’s a first-round talent. Once he fills out and adds strength, we’ll have another big to throw into the mix in our frontcourt.”

• “Re-signing Nickeil (Alexander-Walker) is something I would be lying if I said was a priority when we got him in the trade. But he proved that he can really play and can be a nice combo guard off the bench for us. We’re happy that we kept him in the fold.”

• “One of our goals was to add another wing and to get a little more offense off the bench. Troy (Brown Jr.) and Shake (Milton) fill those needs for us. They’ll have a chance to be rotation guys right out of the gate, and that should strengthen our team in a big way.”

• “We remain confident we can get Jaden McDaniels signed to an extension. He’s a very big part of what we want to be going forward. In my opinion, he’s the best defensive forward in the league right now. And his offensive game just keeps getting better. Of course, you keep a guy like Jaden.”

New Orleans Pelicans

• “Let me start with saying all the noise about Zion (Williamson) not working, not liking his teammates and wanting out, it’s all nonsense. Complete garbage. Zion knows he’s made some mistakes. What 20- and 21-year-old hasn’t? But he’s a hard worker and he gets along with his teammates. It’s painful to read some of this made-up stuff that’s out there.”

• “Jordan Hawkins is going to be a big-time scorer in our league eventually. We’re asking him to do a lot of off-the-dribble stuff out here, because this is the time to experiment. It’s been messy, but that’s fine. It’ll come eventually. He’s a little bigger than C.J. (McCollum), but C.J. is going to be an ideal mentor for Jordan, because they have somewhat similar games.”

• “It was a risk to decline the team option for Herb (Jones), but we felt like it would work out because we’ve put time and effort into building that relationship. And now he’s got a new, big deal and we’ve got one of our most important guys signed long-term. Hard to be unhappy with that.”

• “Just seeing E.J. (Liddell) out there and being aggressive is great. It was such a shame what happened to him last year. But he never got down. He just put the work in, and now he’s ready for his rookie season.”

• Opinion: Dyson Daniels needs the jumper to fall, but he’s ready for a rotation spot. He’s got size, which the veteran Pelicans guards don’t really have. Daniels should be a rotation guy from Day 1.

Oklahoma City Thunder

• “It’s hard to be any more excited about Chet (Holmgren) joining our group this year. He made good use of what I call his “gap year” by watching and soaking it all in. In a weird way, he’s better prepared for how the NBA game is played. He’s going to start the season as one of the more skilled big men in the league. Not rookie big men, all big men.”

• “Yeah, Jalen Williams didn’t need even that one Summer League game. He’s ready for a big second season.”

• “Cason Wallace is what we want in our players. Work hard, play for your teammates and be tough. He’s got all of that. And he’s going to show he can do more than that Kentucky program and system allowed him to do. That’s always a thing with Kentucky guys, especially guards. We’re thrilled to have him.”

• “Tre (Mann) has played terrific so far this summer. It’s been fits and starts for him in the league. But the talent is there. The challenge is that our guard group is so deep, and we added more guys to it this summer. But Tre can really play. We want to see how he takes on the challenge.”

• Opinion: The Thunder are keenly aware that they have too many players on guaranteed contracts, and even non-guaranteed deals. The repeated comment was “Better to have too many guys who you like and can play than not enough of them.” But something is going to have to give, or some talented players are going to get cut.

Phoenix Suns

• “We had a lot of rotation spots to fill. And we had to target specific players, because we weren’t bringing back a lot of depth. Overall, we feel as though we accomplished our goals of getting guys who will complement our starting group.”

• “Brad (Beal) is going to be a terrific addition to our team. Is there overlap with Devin Booker? Sure. But show me the coach that says they have too much playmaking and scoring and I’ll show the first coach to ever say that. We think he might have his most efficient season ever too, because he’s not going to have to create so much for himself.”

• “We’re committed to Deandre (Ayton). He’s going to play a key role for us this year as the backline of our defense. And we’ll make sure he gets enough touches on offense to keep him involved on that end too. It’s not just going to be him living off screens and offensive rebounds.”

• “Toumani (Camara) might be more ready to play than we thought. Once that jumper comes around, we feel like we’ve got a steal on our hands.”

• Opinion: The Suns did more with only veteran minimums to offer than anyone could have imagined. They made it clear that they went after specific players to fill specific needs, and they did well with that strategy.

Portland Trail Blazers

• “I’m not going to stand here and proclaim that it’s a new era and expect trumpets to play and the sun to shine upon us, but it really is a new era. We’ve been fortunate to roll from one good group to the next over the years, and we’ve got the next good group in place already. They just need some seasoning and experience.”

• “Scoot (Henderson) and Shaedon (Sharpe) are the guys everyone is focused on, and for good reason. They are both really great, young players. But we’ve still got Anfernee Simons and we also drafted Kris Murray. That’s four young guys we’d put up against anyone else’s.”

• “We have a logjam of sorts at the guard and wing positions. But it’s a good problem to have. We’ll let them battle it out and it’ll sort itself out over time.”

• “Jerami Grant’s contract isn’t a bad contract. People got downright idiotic with the things that were said and written about that deal. He’s making 20% of the cap and people acted like we gave him a max deal. No matter what direction our roster takes, that’s a good deal.”

• Opinion: The specter of a Damian Lillard trade remains looming over the Trail Blazers. Within the first minute or two of every conversation in Las Vegas, everyone asked everyone else “What do you think will happen with Dame?” And it’s clear the organization is doing their best to move forward with the guys who will be there, as opposed to outwardly focusing on trading Lillard. But there’s only so much you can do with that, considering the stakes of trading your franchise player.

Sacramento Kings

• “We didn’t even need to play Keegan Murray the two games he played (in Summer League), but he wanted to be out there. But that was more than enough. He’s going to be a great player and quicker than most people realize.”

• “We have our entire core locked up for at least the next three seasons. That includes our entire starting lineup. How many teams can say that? And all of them are on value contracts too. That’s going to give us an edge moving forward.”

• “We’re excited to work with Chris Duarte. He’s better than he showed last year. Injuries and a packed rotation in Indiana got him behind and he never caught up. We think he can back up Kevin Huerter and our forwards and be a rotation contributor. We don’t need him to be great. Just productive.”

San Antonio Spurs

• “It’s a step too far to say our entire franchise is focused on making sure Victor Wembanyama becomes everything we think he can be, because we have other good players too. But clearly, we’re all focused on Victor. He’s a special talent and we can’t wait to add him in with all of our other guys.”

• “We’ve still got some roster balancing to figure out. We loaded up on wings over the past few years, because we drafted guys we were high on. Over time, that will need to balance out a bit with more ballhandlers and bigs. But that will come. For now, we’re looking forward to seeing this group together.”

• “There’s no rush to trade our veterans. We like what they can bring to a very young roster. Those guys are going to help the young guys figure out life in the NBA.”

• Opinion: Dominick Barlow should be on a standard NBA deal. He’s got a lot of talent. Barlow played well when given chances toward the end of last season, and he’s been terrific in Summer League. It’s unclear if the Spurs will have a standard spot, so he might have to take another two-way deal, but he’s better than that.

Utah Jazz

• “Adding John Collins was a no-brainer. He’s an outstanding talent. We feel like he got lost in the shuffle some in Atlanta. With us, we’re going to make sure he’s regularly involved and has a consistent role. We want to play big lineups, because it’s an advantage we have over most other teams. John is going to be an integral part of that strategy.”

• “We knew going into the summer that we wanted to keep Jordan Clarkson around. At one point, we thought it would be via a standard extension. But once the board kind of fell into place, it was clear we could do the renegotiation and that would benefit both Jordan and us. He’s an organizational favorite and we’re thrilled we kept him in Utah.”

• “Whenever you have three first-round picks, it’s going to be hard to feel like you nailed all of them, but we really did. Taylor (Hendricks) is going to be a terrific two-way player. It’s rare to find someone as skilled as he is, but that also likes to defend too. Keyonte (George) is already showing his leadership and toughness. He’s going to prove a lot of people wrong. And Brice (Sensabaugh) is going to be really good too. You add them to last year’s rookies, Walker (Kessler), Ochai (Agbaji) and Johnny (Juzang) and that’s six guys in two years. That’s how you fill out your roster while keeping a ton of cap flexibility for the future.”

Longtime readers of mine (back to my RealGM days) will know that each year that I attended NBA Summer League, I came home with an overflowing notebook of items from talking to people around the NBA. These can be notes about players, teams, the league as whole or really anything related to the NBA.

Summer League is a very relaxed environment. The draft is done, free agency is largely done (especially this year!) and NBA folks are chatty. It’s also probably the most optimistic time of the NBA calendar. Everyone feels great about the work they did in the offseason and what it means for their club going forward. Admittedly paraphrasing, it’s very common to hear things like:

• “We had him at the top of board.” (Note: This is said almost no matter what pick the team had.)

• “The draft fell off right after pick X.” (Note: This is at whatever pick the team had, traded up to, or the pick after a pick they traded out of.)

• “We were lucky he wanted to sign with us.” (Note: Said about almost every free agent signee.)

• “We feel good about what we did, given our limited resources this summer.” (Note: Said by teams with cap space, teams without cap space, teams that only had veteran minimum deals to offer and teams that had multiple draft picks.)

With that in mind, the vast majority of the quotes about players and teams will be positive ones. But that’s ok! Who can’t use a little more positivity in their life?

A few more notes:

• All quotes are anonymous. Each one came from NBA team personnel (generally a front office executive, coach or assistant coach). In exchange for anonymity, you often get candidness.

• Anything that is an opinion from myself will be noted as such with “Opinion: …”.

• In the vast majority of cases, these notes and thoughts were collected through Tuesday, July 11. A handful of times, folks followed up after the fact with further thoughts, but most were collected while I was on the ground in Las Vegas.

You can read Part 1, which were general NBA comments here.

Eastern Conference

Atlanta Hawks

• “We’re incredibly excited Dejounte Murray signed his extension. Was the fit perfect last season with Trae Young? No. But you saw what it could be by the end of the year. Those guys will make it work, because they are both too good to not make it work.”

• “It does sting to trade John Collins. He was a big part of some good teams for us. But our cap sheet made it necessary. We were carrying too much long-term salary. Everyone is going to have to make difficult decisions like this in the new CBA world.”

• “A big year is coming for Jalen Johnson. The opportunity is there. He just needs to take it.”

• “Kobe (Bufkin) needs to settle down a little. It’ll come for him. We’re deep, but not in ballhandlers. Kobe could find a rotation role this year.”

• Opinion: Keep an eye on two-way player Seth Lundy. He has a nice shot and good size for a wing. Atlanta has a lot of guys in front of him, but he can play.

Boston Celtics

• “We’re going to miss Marcus (Smart). We’re going to miss Grant (Williams). But we had to become a different kind of team. Getting KP (Kristaps Porzingis) is huge for us. Literally and figuratively. He’s going to make a massive difference for our offense. And he’s come a long way with his defense too.”

• “Our depth took a hit for sure. We’re relying on some guys who have had injuries. But they are also terrific players, and we believe we can keep them healthy.”

• “Jordan (Walsh) was very high on our board. We think he can play either forward spot and probably switch and cover most guards too. He needs to shoot the ball with confidence and consistency to find a spot, and we think he will.”

• “Wanted to see J.D. (Davison) really come out here and dominate guys. He just needs more time in Maine to really develop. Shot has to improve to make it in the league.”

• Opinion: Jay Scrubb is an NBA equivalent of an MLB 4A guy: Too good for the minors, but not quite good enough for the majors. He can really, really score. There’s an NBA spot for him, if he can defend just a little bit better.

Brooklyn Nets

• “Getting Cam Johnson signed was big for us. He’s our guy with Mikal (Bridges) that is going to lead us forward. I don’t think anyone has seen the best of Cam yet.”

• “Having back-to-back picks was a different experience. We felt like we had to add some size this summer, and Noah (Clowney) is that guy. We think he’ll eventually be a stretch big. With our second pick, we wanted to go upside. Dariq (Whitehead) was perfect for that. He was a top recruit for a reason. Just had a messy season. We’re really high on his potential.”

• “Signing Lonnie Walker and Dennis Smith gives us that backcourt depth we needed. Lonnie can really score. Dennis is tough. He’s probably the best defensive guard we have on the team. (Note: It was clarified that Mikal Bridges is seen by the team as a wing.) So, we improved in two ways with those signings for our backcourt.”

• “Things aren’t as certain as they were with KD (Kevin Durant), Kyrie (Irving) and James (Harden), but we’re excited about our future. We have a lot of flexibility moving forward and we’ve got our building blocks in place.”

• “Ben (Simmons) is working. We’re excited about what he could bring to our team with his unique skillset.”

Charlotte Hornets

• “Summer League was a little messy for (Brandon Miller) at times, but that’s ok. This was all about him getting his feet wet and working. We couldn’t be happier with Brandon’s work. He’s a perfect fit with our roster and what we want to be as a team.”

• “Getting LaMelo (Ball) signed to that extension was crucial. He’s our leader and our All-Star. And he’s going to be in Charlotte for a long time.

• “Nick (Smith Jr.) is tough. Tougher than I even thought before he got to us. He had such a messy season on that weird Arkansas team and with his injuries, that people forgot he was in the mix to be a top pick. We feel like we got a steal and that he’ll eventually be a starter in this league.”

• “Our cap sheet cleans up a lot after this season. We can start building around our young core with a lot of pathways forward.”

Chicago Bulls

• “Working around Lonzo Ball’s injury makes everything a little harder. We were a good team before he went down. You build a roster designed to play a certain way, around expensive players, and it becomes very hard when you lose one of those key guys. But we’re figuring it out.”

• “Adding Jevon Carter and re-signing Coby White were big moves for us. Jevon will bring some of the defense we lost at the lead guard spot with Lonzo (Ball) out. And he can shoot too. Coby has come a long way. We think he could win Sixth Man of the Year. He’s been that good as a bench scorer.”

• “We’re aware of the criticism about running it back. But we have good players. Are we supposed to throw in the towel? We’ll be a playoff team, barring another major injury.”

• “Julian Phillips can do a lot of different things. We’re excited about what he brings to our roster.”

• “It’s been disappointing to see Dalen (Terry) really struggle to shoot the ball. He can do just about everything else. But if he can’t figure out the shot, it’ll be hard to get regular rotation minutes. We have a very competitive wing and guard group.”

• “We’re still very high on Ayo (Dosunmu). This is how restricted free agency can go sometimes. Don’t read anything into our opinion of him as a player just because he isn’t signed.”

• Opinion: Javon Freeman-Liberty is really close to cracking an NBA roster. He’s tough, he can score and shoot and he’s improved his playmaking. Chicago’s guard depth, especially if Dosunmu re-signs, is going to make it hard for him to get through with the Bulls, however.

Cleveland Cavaliers

• “We were a good team last year and our guys got a taste of the playoffs. We know it’s not enough to just have another good regular season. We think we addressed our weaknesses, without sacrificing any of our strengths.”

• “Max (Strus) and Georges (Niang) are going to give us two snipers from the arc. And they’ve both played a lot of high-level playoff games. We didn’t want to add anyone who hasn’t been successful in that environment before. Both Max and Georges have.”

• “Our Summer League group is as good as anyone’s. Sam Merrill is an NBA shooter. Emoni Bates was one of the steals of the draft. Isaiah Mobley has improved from a year ago. Craig Porter does everything. And Sharife Cooper can play at this level too. We’re also pleased with the way Luke Travers is developing. He’ll be over in the NBA eventually.”

Detroit Pistons

• “It could have been tough for Ausar (Thompson) to fit in, because we brought real NBA guys to Vegas, but he’s already a team leader. Even in a group where other guys are talkative, you can see him stepping up and taking control. Really confident for a young guy.”

• “Locking up Stew (Isaiah Stewart) to an extension was big for us. We love our big group. They’re going to get better by battling each other every day.”

• “We didn’t just ‘eat’ deals for Joe Harris and Monte Morris, ok? Those guys can actually play. We’re serious about being a better team this year. We added shooting, playmaking and leadership with those two guys. They’re going to help us a lot.”

• “Cade (Cunningham) looks good. He’s ready to go. I bet he would have loved to play out here, but we’re looking forward to seeing him with everyone else in a couple of months.”

• “Jaden (Ivey), James (Wiseman) and Jalen (Duren) all did exactly what we wanted to see our here: They’ve looked a step or two ahead of the rest of their competition here. That’s what the expectation was, and they all delivered.”

Indiana Pacers

• “Having Tyrese (Haliburton) locked up for years to come is a sign that we believe in him and he believes in us. He’s been great since we got him, and we have no reason to believe that will change. He’s an All-Star now and will only continue to get better.”

• “Getting Obi Toppin was a no-brainer for us. He gives us a dimension at the forward spot that we didn’t have. We’re looking forward to seeing him on the floor with the other guys.”

• “We haven’t made very many shots out here, but we’re asking guys to do different stuff. This is where you can play around and try things. But our guys will be good. We’re not worried about it.”

• Opinion: Rick Carlisle has one of those “good” problems with how many guys he has. The Pacers guard and wing group has a lot of players who can play and need minutes. That’s going to take a little while to sort itself out.

Miami Heat

• “We lost some talent, but we have faith in our ability to develop the next guys. The thing with us is that if you come to our organization and you put the work in, we’ll do everything we can to get you to the best level you can be at. That’s from the NBA through the G League and here at Summer League. It’s all about the work.”

• “We’re thrilled to have Jaime Jaquez. He fits everything we want in a player. Versatile, hardworking, communicative and tough. That’s our kind of guy.”

• Opinion 1: The Heat are clearly in a bit of a limbo, as they attempt to trade for Damian Lillard. It was hard to get many definitive thoughts on the roster, because it’s clear they hope the roster isn’t complete yet.

• Opinion 2: Orlando Robinson is ready for a real NBA role. He’ll pass Thomas Bryant (who can also play) in the rotation for minutes behind Bam Adebayo.

Milwaukee Bucks

• “We feel like injuries cheated us the last two playoffs. That’s why we brought our guys back. This is still a championship team. We want the chance to show it again with this group.”

• “It’s hard to be a rookie on a title contender, but MarJon Beauchamp made the best of it. He was a sponge and soaked up knowledge from all of our guys. You can see here in Las Vegas that he’s at a different level now. We’re excited for a big year from him.”

• (After being told A.J. Green is underrated): “We think so too! (laughs) We’re happy to have A.J. He can really shoot the ball. We think our depth in shooters is unmatched in the league, and that’s important to have around our key rotation guys.”

• “Both Andre (Jackson Jr.) and Chris (Livingston) are going to be good players in the league. They’re good examples of why this new rule for signing second rounders is so good. They need time, and now we’re invested in each other for years. Our rotation is hard one to break into, but they have time. It doesn’t have to happen today.”

New York Knicks

• “Landing Donte (DiVincenzo) adds to our depth on the perimeter. We have a lot of different options 1 through 3 now. It’s our deepest spot on the team.”

• “It was time to trade Obi (Toppin). He needs to play more and we’re committed to Julius Randle. It does leave us with a bit of a hole at the 4, but that’s something we can figure out going into the season.”

• “We’re excited about Jaylen Martin’s potential. He’s got a lot of work to do, and he’ll spend a good amount of time in the G League. But all of the potential is there for him to eventually become a rotation player. He’s one of the youngest guys from this draft class, so there’s a long runway.”

• Opinion: The Knicks are loaded with guards and wings. They also have three good center options. Based on observations and conversations, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see New York move some of that depth to find an experienced backup big that can swing between the 4 and the 5.

Orlando Magic

• “Anthony Black is ready to defend in the NBA today. He’s projected as an on-ball guy, but early on, he’ll probably be a secondary creator on offense. The question is going to be his shot. If he hits shots, this is a homerun pick, because he can do everything else.”

• “Jett Howard is doing some of the ‘other’ stuff here in Las Vegas. He’s moving the ball, playing defense, rebounding. That’s good, because his finishing has been a little rough. He’s got a good jumper though. That’s big for his chances of finding playing time.”

• “Adding Joe Ingles brings a measure of maturity to the locker room. Not that the guys are immature, but Ingles can help through the rough patches. If we had a guy like him last year, we might not get off to such a rough start.”

• “Still excited about everything Jalen Suggs can be. He’s got all the talent, just has to stay healthy long enough to put it all together for more than a four- or five-game stretch.”

• “We’ll put our young guys against anyone’s in the league. We feel like this group is ready to start taking steps forward. The talent is there, it’s now about adding the experience.”

Philadelphia 76ers

• “Everything has been in a bit of a holding pattern because of (James Harden’s) trade request. We can’t sign a bunch of guys, then do a 3-for-1 trade and not have the roster spots. But we added Patrick Beverley and Mo Bamba. We needed more depth at those spots no matter what, and those guys will help us this season, no matter what direction the roster takes.”

• “Long-term, it’s about Joel (Embiid) and Tyrese (Maxey). Those two are as good of a starting point as anyone has in the entire NBA. Add a ton of cap and roster flexibility, and you’ve got something most teams would kill for.”

• “Offseason remarks aside, we love Tobias Harris and he knows that. He’s a really good player and a big part of everything we’ve been over the last several years. Nothing has changed about the way we feel about him.”

Toronto Raptors

• “Signing Dennis Schroder wasn’t quite a ‘must sign’, but it was close. We just don’t have a lot at that position. We’re fortunate that our forwards can all handle the ball and do a lot of playmaking. But we still needed someone who is more of a true point guard. Dennis gives us that guy.”

• “I understand you think Jalen McDaniels is just adding an extra forward to an already crowded mix. But sometimes the value of the player and the cost are just something you can’t pass up. We’re happy to have him as part of the Raptors.”

• “Scottie Barnes and Gradey Dick are our future, along with Jakob Poeltl. Not because we are down on anyone else, but those guys are all signed for longer than two seasons. But that’s the kind of stability we want, because the rest of the roster is sort of in transition. That trio is a group we can build with.”

• “There’s a lot of trade interest in a lot of our players. We always say that means we have good players. As of now, there’s nothing in the works to move anyone, but we are in a bit of a transition period and the roster is still taking shape.”

Washington Wizards

• “Starting over is too harsh of a term. Resetting? That feels more correct for where we’re at. The intention was never to tear things all the way down. But we like what we’ve got and the path we’re on now.”

• “Kyle Kuzma has been a big part of things for a couple of years now. We’ve seen how he’s grown and rounded out his game. Getting him to return on the deal we did is a major win for him and the franchise as a whole.”

• “There are opportunities for a lot of players to show what they can do this season. We’re going to play the kids a lot and find out what they can be. No one will be able to say it was a lack of opportunity that kept them from showing what they can do.”

• “We’re thrilled to have Bilal (Coulibaly). We traded up because our intel was that other teams were attempting to do the same thing, and Indiana had made it clear they were willing to move around the board. We couldn’t risk waiting one more pick, because we knew someone else was going to come up to draft Bilal. But we’re going to ask everyone to be patient. He’s only 18 years old. (Note: Coulibaly turns 19 years old on July 26.) So, this is very much throwing a kid into the fire. But this is a long-term thing for us. He doesn’t need to be great or to play on Day 1. He just needs to work hard and do what’s asked of him by the coaches.”

• Opinion: It’s officially time to worry about Johnny Davis, if you aren’t there already. Second-year players should look better than the first-year players at Summer League. Unfortunately, Davis hasn’t looked like that guy.

Longtime readers of mine (back to my RealGM days) will know that each year that I attended NBA Summer League, I came home with an overflowing notebook of items from talking to people around the NBA. These can be notes about players, teams, the league as whole or really anything related to the NBA.

Summer League is a very relaxed environment. The draft is done, free agency is largely done (especially this year!) and NBA folks are chatty. It’s also probably the most optimistic time of the NBA calendar. Everyone feels great about the work they did in the offseason and what it means for their club going forward. Admittedly paraphrasing, it’s very common to hear things like:

• “We had him at the top of board.” (Note: This is said almost no matter what pick the team had.)

• “The draft fell off right after pick X.” (Note: This is at whatever pick the team had, traded up to, or the pick after a pick they traded out of.)

• “We were lucky he wanted to sign with us.” (Note: Said about almost every free agent signee.)

• “We feel good about what we did, given our limited resources this summer.” (Note: Said by teams with cap space, teams without cap space, teams that only had veteran minimum deals to offer and teams that had multiple draft picks.)

With that in mind, the vast majority of the notes about players and teams will be positive ones. But that’s ok! Who can’t use a little more positivity in their life?

A few more notes:

• All quotes are anonymous. Each one came from NBA team personnel (generally a front office executive, coach or assistant coach). In exchange for anonymity, you often get candidness.

• Anything that is an opinion from myself will be noted as such with “Opinion: …”.

• In the vast majority of cases, these notes and thoughts were collected through Tuesday, July 11. A handful of times, folks followed up after the fact with further thoughts, but most were collected while I was on the ground in Las Vegas.

All of that said, let’s start with some general NBA observations!

General NBA Observations

New CBA

• “It’s restricting, but you can see the impact already. None of the Warriors, Suns or Clippers signed anyone new for more than the minimum. That’s a good thing for balance.”

• “Everyone is over the salary floor. That’s almost never the case. That’s a good thing, because those teams spent to lift themselves up.”

• “The league already feels more balanced. No one team is spending tens of millions more than everyone else. No teams are sitting on piles of cap space.”

• “The Second Round Pick Exception is a game changer. We were able to use it and use our MLE. That’s extra talent we added because we didn’t have to use the MLE to sign our second rounder.”

• Opinion: The Second Round Pick Exception has been used to sign 13 players to four-year contracts. That’s already a huge win for teams, and most of those players got more guaranteed money than they would have otherwise. That’s a win-win situation.

• “Extensions have changed the game. Of course, that happened before the new CBA, but the new rules make extensions even better for players. You’re not going to see too many guys actually hit free agency.”

• “Trades are the way now, if you want to make a big splash. Maybe for a bad team, like Houston did, you can use space to get some veterans. But most teams aren’t in a spot to pay or overpay for guys. That means trades will be even more important than they were before.”

Depth of Talent

• “This is the most talent the league has ever had. Look at the guys who are playing here in Vegas. These rosters are stacked.”

• “We’ve never been in a better place as a whole. There’s incredible young talent in the league, and vets are playing longer than ever before. I tell our guys all the time ‘It’s hard to find a rotation spot now. If you aren’t playing, it doesn’t mean you can’t play. It’s just not your time yet.’ But the young kids don’t want to hear that. They get impatient and start looking for another situation. The grass isn’t always greener.”

Expansion

• “It’s time. Beyond time actually. We have too many good players not playing. And there are at least 50 guys playing outside of the NBA somewhere, in places like the G League or overseas, that are NBA-level guys.”

• “There are cities who want it and we have enough talent. It’s time. I know they keep saying after the new TV deal, but the process should already be starting. We all know it’s coming.”

• “I want expansion because I want more jobs for everyone. Players, coaches, medical staff, front office personnel, TV folks, all sorts of people. Expansion will add hundreds of jobs to the league. Too much talent not in our league that should be.”

• “I’m against expansion. I’d rather have too many good players on each team than not enough. But I know it’s coming.”

• Opinion: Las Vegas is buzzing about getting their own NBA team. Most folks assume it’s basically a done deal, even if nothing has been officially said, or even fully hinted at.

In-Season Tournament

• “It’s fine. I don’t know. It’s fine.”

• “I guess I don’t see the point. But we tell our guys all the time: If we have to play, we might as well win.”

• “It’ll be fun. Those early-season games don’t have a lot of juice. This will get guys feeling competitive early. And by the time we hit the tournament phase, guys are going to want to win it.”

• “We aren’t soccer. Stop trying to make us soccer.”

• “I thought the Play-In Tournament was bad, but it’s been great. I’m sure this will be great too.”

• “I’m a big soccer fan. This is going to be awesome. Eventually, we should open it up to the G League teams too and make it a real tournament. Unfortunately, no one is going to want to risk losing to a G League team. Imagine how bad that would make you look?”

Summer League

• “I’ll repeat what I told you years ago: Summer League doesn’t tell you who can play, but sometimes it can tell you who can’t play. But don’t read too much into things, whether good or bad.”

• “We use it to experiment with our second- and third-year guys. Some games we tell them that their goal is to shoot at least 20 times, with 10 off-the-dribble shots. Does that get messy? Sure. But that’s what Summer League is for.”

• “I never thought this would get this big. It’s crazy how popular this has become.”

• “Honestly, my favorite two weeks of the year. Everyone is here. We’re all working. Your young guys are in the gym getting better. Nothing beats it.”

• “It should be one week long. Four games. One game every other day. That’s enough.”

• “I’m on the road all the time, so this is my time to actually be with the team. I enjoy that aspect of it. And it’s great to see people, especially coaches, because we don’t cross paths much during the season.”

• “It’s fun to see the rookies, but, for me, it’s about seeing what the other kids can do. Did they get better? Are they improving the skills we tasked them with improving? Are they embracing the new guys? Those are the things I look for.”

• Opinion: Summer League is a must-do for any NBA fan. No where will get you as close to NBA players as you can get in Las Vegas.

On the full days, with eight games spread between the two gyms, you can’t beat it. The gyms are literally right next to each other, and connected by the concourse around Thomas and Mack.

If you ever have the opportunity to attend Summer League, do it. You’ll enjoy yourself, even if the actual basketball isn’t always the best.

NBA free agency is about superstars, first and foremost. The best players get the most money, and they generally get it the earliest. Star trades are also a big (and only getting bigger) part of the opening of free agency, as teams reset their rosters.

Once that first wave or two of free agency passes, that’s when a lot of the real work gets done. At that point, teams get to work signing lesser-known players using parts of their MLE, remaining cap space or sometimes even for the veteran minimum.

Here are some of the top under-the-radar free agents to keep in mind when everything starts swirling this weekend:

Dalano Banton (Toronto Raptors) – Unrestricted

Banton is huge for the point guard position, as he stands 6-foot-9. His statistical profile isn’t going to jump out at anyone, especially from last season. But Banton can play. He needs to shoot the ball more consistently to make it as a rotation player, but the rest of his game is pretty solid. His G League numbers, albeit only over 21 total games, show how solid Banton is all-around. That’s worth taking a shot on for your third point guard, with some upside.

Keita Bates-Diop (San Antonio Spurs) – Unrestricted

Bates-Diop has toiled in relative obscurity in San Antonio the last three years. His first year was nothing to write home about, but the last two seasons have shown real growth. Bates-Diop can play and guard 2-4. Last season, he had 51/39/80 shooting splits. If you believe that the jumper is real, especially from deep, Bates-Diop will be a free agency steal for someone’s rotation.

Jevon Carter (Milwaukee Bucks) – Unrestricted

It’s not that Carter is an unknown quantity. Most people know he’s good. But do most know just how good Carter is? He played in 81 games last season, which has value in and of itself. But Carter also shot 42.1% from three, which continued a four-year trend of being a good shooter. And that’s in addition to being a solid ballhandler, playmaker and a bulldog on defense. Unless he’s dead set on returning to Milwaukee, Carter should be making more than the minimum from a playoff contender that needs a guard.

Torrey Craig (Phoenix Suns) – Unrestricted

Craig is coming off the best season of his career, as he enters his age-33 season. He still gets after it on defense, but he showed a little more on-ball offensive ability last season, as well as hitting 39.5% from deep. It’s likely Phoenix will re-sign Craig, given their need for quality depth. But if Craig does get away, someone should get a relative bargain for a 3&D wing.

Drew Eubanks (Portland Trail Blazers) – Unrestricted

Eubanks had an outstanding run with the Trail Blazers to finish up the 2021-22 season. No one really saw it, because that was a bad and injury-ravaged team playing out the string. But Eubanks put up another solid season this past year with Portland too. He’s a terrific finisher around the rim, and a good shot-blocker and rebounder. Eubanks is also showing some early signs of developing a spot-up three-point shot. He’d be great as the primary backup/spot-starter at the five for any playoff team.

A.J. Green (Milwaukee Bucks) – Restricted

This takes some projecting, and a leap of faith, because Green has only played in 35 NBA games. But he can really, really shoot. And that’s become arguably the NBA’s most-prized skill. In those 35 NBA games, Green hit 41.9% on 105 three-point attempts per game. In the G League, Green hit 42.6% on 155 three-points, in just 15 games. He was also an efficient shooter on high three-point volume in college. In a league where everyone wants wing shooting, Green should be on a standard deal.

Trey Lyles (Sacramento Kings) – Unrestricted

It took a few years, and some bouncing around the league, but Lyles finally found his niche in the NBA. He was one of the better backup stretch bigs in the NBA last season. Lyles shot 36.3% on 3.2 three-point attempts per game last season. He’s also a good rebounder and solid positional defender. The Kings would love to have him back, but someone could make Sacramento pony up by offering a portion of an exception to sign Lyles.

Jaylen Nowell (Minnesota Timberwolves) – Unrestricted

Last season got a little sideways for Nowell. After a very good shooting year in 2021-22, he fell way off. Nowell shot 39.4% on three-pointers two seasons ago and then just 28.9% this past season. If you believe he’s closer to that 40% shooter, then he’s worth making a run at in free agency. Nowell has some on-ball playmaking ability, and was improved as a midrange shooter. He’s worth a gamble on a team-friendly deal, with the hope that he’ll re-discover his shooting stroke from the outside.

Orlando Robinson (Miami Heat) – Restricted

Robinson flashed in the 31 NBA games he played as a rookie. He’s got good hands and soft touch. He’s already a terrific rebounder, and should improve as a finisher around the rim. In 16 G League games, Robinson was pretty dominant. The Heat challenged him to shoot more from the outside too, which shows signs of potentially being a weapon for him at some point. This would be an upside play for a team that has room for a developmental big man.

Yuta Watanabe (Brooklyn Nets) – Unrestricted

Over the least three seasons as an at least semi-regular rotation player, Watanabe has shot 40.5% from three on 2.1 attempts per game. That’s pretty solid. He’s also a hustle guy, who never gives less than 100% effort. Watanabe’s all-out style also makes him a fan favorite everywhere he’s played. He’d make a wonderful fit as a bench player for any playoff team, because he’ll play hard, defend and hit threes at both forward spots.