When NBA teams lose a player for the season due to injury, they’re limited in how they can replace that player. There is no injured reserve in the NBA. Unless teams are down several players, they don’t get an extra roster spot.

The NBA functions under a soft cap, but with a hard cap limiter that can be triggered in some situations. That can make it hard to sign a replacement player. By the time the season starts, the vast majority of teams are already operating over the cap, with limited resources available to sign a player.

There are always trades, but in that case, you might be robbing Peter to pay Paul and creating another roster issue for yourself.

However, the NBA does have one tool that teams can apply for when they lose a player for the season. The Disabled Player Exception is an exception that teams can be granted to help replace an injured player, but there are some restrictions.

Here’s a quick Q&A as to what a DPE is and how they can and can’t be used.

How do teams get a Disabled Player Exception (DPE)?

Teams have to petition the NBA in order to be granted a DPE. It’s not an automatic thing when a player is injured. A team must apply to the NBA for a DPE.

From there, it’s up to either an NBA-designated doctor or the league’s Fitness to Play panel to determine the extent of the injury to the player the DPE is being asked for. If the determination is made that the injured player is substantially more likely than not to miss the rest of the season, the DPE is granted to the team that petitioned for it.

Teams have until January 15 of each season to apply for a DPE. If a player is ruled out for the season after that, teams cannot petition for a DPE. If a player is deemed to be out for the subsequent season, the team will need to reapply during that next league year for a new DPE.

How much is a DPE for in terms of salary?

The DPE is worth one-half of the injured player’s salary, with a maximum value equal to that of the Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception for the season in which the DPE is granted.

Example: If the injured player’s salary for whom the DPE is granted has a salary of $10 million for the 2022-23, the DPE value would be worth $5 million.

If the injured player was making $30 million for 2022-23, the DPE value would be capped at $10,490,000, which is equivalent to the Non-Taxpayer MLE for the 2022-23 season.

How can a DPE be used?

The DPE is a unique exception from other salary cap exceptions. Exceptions like the Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level, Taxpayer Mid-Level, Room and Bi-Annual Exceptions are signing exceptions only. They must be used to sign a free agent(s).

Traded Player Exceptions (TPE) can be used in two ways: teams can trade for a player (or players) whose salary fits inside of the TPE or they can use the TPE to claim a player off waivers whose salary fits inside of the TPE.

The DPE is unique in that it can be used to sign a player, trade for a player or to claim a player off waivers. However, there are restrictions with the DPE that do not exist for the other exceptions.

What are the restrictions to a DPE?

Unlike the signing exceptions (NTMLE, Tax MLE, Room and BAE), the DPE can only be used to sign a player to a remainder-of-season contract.

The remainder-of-season condition also exists in trades and waiver claims as well. If a team trades for a player or claims that player off waivers, they have to be on an ending (commonly called expiring) contract. And there cannot be an option year after, either. It must be a true ending contract.

In addition, the DPE can also only be used to acquire one player. Unlike several of the signing exceptions and TPEs, the DPE cannot be used to acquire more than one player.

Essentially, teams are granted the DPE to replace the one injured player for the remainder of that current season only.

For re-signing purposes, teams do inherit whatever applicable form of Bird Rights would come after acquiring a player via a DPE.

Do you get an additional roster spot when granted a DPE?

No. Teams are still bound by the maximum of 15 players on standard contracts.

In a normal, non-COVID-impacted season, the only way teams can gain extra roster spots is via the Hardship Exemption. If a team has at least four players out for at least three regular season games, they can petition the NBA for a Hardship Exemption, which would grant the team an extra roster spot.

Technically, a team could fill a Hardship roster spot via a DPE. However, when that fourth player is ready to return from injury or illness, the team would need to get back into roster compliance by waiving or trading a player to get back to 15 players on standard contracts.

When does a DPE expire?

Unlike signing exceptions, which expire at the end of the regular season, and TPEs, which have a one-year expiration date from the date of creation, a DPE can only be used through March 10.

The idea with the DPE is to give a team an opportunity to add a player through the trade deadline and the early part of what is now commonly called “buyout season”.

A DPE will also expire when used. A DPE is also rendered void if the injured player returns or if the injured player is traded to another team.

If a team only uses a portion of a DPE, the unused portion expires, as the DPE can only be used to acquire one player.

Does a DPE prorate in value as the season goes along?

No. Unlike a signing exception, the DPE always retains its full value until it expires or is used.

What happens if a DPE is used and then the injured player returns?

Nothing. The player acquired via the DPE is unaffected. This is basically seen a stroke of good fortune that a player thought to be out for the remainder of the season was able to return.

Reminder: Because no roster spot is created through a DPE, there would not need to be corresponding roster move for the injured player to return.

Can you trade for an injured player and then apply for a DPE?

No. The player must have been injured while under contract to the team in order for that team to apply for a DPE.

Does a DPE count against the salary cap and luxury tax?

Yes, when used to acquire a player, whatever portion of a DPE is used will count against both the salary cap and the luxury tax.

In addition, if a team is hard capped at the tax apron, they cannot exceed the apron via use of a DPE. A hard-capped team is still required to have a team salary that is no higher than that of the tax apron.

Does a DPE offer any sort of short or long-term salary relief for the injured player?

No. There is a process under which teams can petition to have a player’s salary removed due to career-ending injury. But that process is independent of the DPE process.

Do any teams currently have DPEs available?

The Boston Celtics have a DPE of $3,239,500 which was granted for Danilo Gallinari.

There are no other current DPEs available for use.

What are some recent cases where a DPE was used?

In 2017-18, after Gordon Hayward broke his left leg on opening night, the Boston Celtics were granted a DPE of $8,406,000. That was the equivalent of that season’s Non-Taxpayer MLE, as Hayward’s salary for that season was nearly $30 million.

Boston used that DPE to sign Greg Monroe for $5 million after he was waived by the Phoenix Suns.

Is a petition for a DPE ever declined?

Yes. Last season, the Chicago Bulls petitioned for a DPE for Patrick Williams after he tore ligaments in his wrist early in the 2021-22 season. The NBA denied the application, as it was deemed Williams had a chance to return for that season. That proved prescient, as Williams did return in late-March.

In addition, the Indiana Pacers had also applied for a DPE for Edmond Sumner last season. However, Sumner was traded by Indiana before that DPE was granted, which rendered the application void.

When the San Antonio Spurs re-signed Jakob Poeltl to a three-year, $26.25 million in 2020, they were betting that the flashes he showed would become regular production. So far, so good on that bet for the Spurs. Poeltl has become a solid finisher around the rim, while continuing to up his rebounding and rim protection.

Now, it’s time for Poeltl’s next deal. But that’s a little more complicated than it might seem.

Like some others we’ve talked about in this series, including Jaylen Nowell and Naz Reid, Poeltl is signed to a team-friendly deal. That’s great for the Spurs in the moment, but that limits how much Poeltl can extend for.

Let’s start with the simplest question: Is Jakob Poeltl worth extending? This should be a resounding yes. Poeltl just turned 27, which means he’s entering his prime years as a center. He’s one of the better rim protectors in the NBA. And he’s a top-tier rebounder. As stated above, he’s improved his finishing and his moves around the basket. Poeltl is also a better passer than you think. Yes, his free throw shooting is poor, but there are maybe some signs it’s improving (he’s edging closer to 60% this season).

Add it all up, and Poeltl is going to get paid. It’ll either be by the Spurs or someone else, but he’s going to get a nice new deal. Let’s examine what that new deal could look like.

The Dinwiddie Extension

As we wrote about extensively in the Nowell and Reid piece, Jakob Poeltl is eligible for the Dinwiddie Extension. Because his contract is so team-friendly, Poeltl is eligible to sign for up to 120% of the estimated average salary in Year 1 of an extension. That extension can include up to 8% raises could be for up to four years. It would look like this:

• 2023-24: $12,950,400
• 2024-25: $13,986,432
• 2025-26: $15,022,464
• 2026-27: $16,058,496
• Total: four years, $58,017,792

That’s just about $14.5 million per season. For reference, that would put Poeltl at 15th in terms of Average Annual Value for all centers. He’d be nestled right between Mitchell Robinson at $15 million and Brook Lopez at $13 million.

That seems maybe a tad low. When you consider where the cap is headed, plus the value teams place on rim protection, Poeltl should be able to pull in more than $14.5 million per season.

One last note on this type of extension: If Poeltl was signed this kind of extension, it would come with a six-month trade restriction. Essentially, the Spurs couldn’t sign Poeltl to this kind of deal and then immediately turn around and trade him. That leads us to the next type of extension.

The Extend-and-Trade

There are a number of contenders who would probably love to send a draft pick to the rebuilding San Antonio Spurs for Jakob Poeltl. It’s likely that pick, and possibly a player, sent to the Spurs would be even better if Poeltl was already locked into a new contract and not a pending free agent.

That’s where the extend-and-trade comes into play. However, there are limitations that probably make this a no-go for Poeltl.

In an extend-and-trade, the total contract is limited to only three seasons. Thus, Poeltl could only add two seasons onto his deal, because the current season counts towards the three seasons allowed. That part probably isn’t the end of the world.

Where things would break down is that the extension is only allowed to have a 5% raise over the final season of the current contract. In Poeltl’s case, that would make a new extend-and-trade deal look like this:

• 2022-23: $9,398,148
• 2023-24: $9,868,055
• 2024-25: $10,361,458
• Total: three years, $29,627,661

If $14.5M million AAV isn’t enough, then roughly $9.8 million AAV certainly won’t be enough. That’s less than the Non-Taxpayer MLE and some contender without hard cap worries would certainly sign Poeltl to a deal for the full MLE.

Extending after a trade

If Jakob Poeltl was to be traded to another team, he could still extend with that team. Unfortunately, he’d have to wait six months to sign an extension which is larger than the extend-and-trade scenario laid out above. That makes timing really, really important to watch as to when Poeltl would theoretically be traded.

And, in that extension, the acquiring team would still be capped at offering the Dinwiddie Extension. That contract would look exactly the same as laid out above.

Re-signing with the Spurs as a free agent

The most likely course of action for Jakob Poeltl seems to be to let things play out to unrestricted free agency. It’s the only way for him to get a contract that’s worth more than $58 million over four years allowable by the Dinwiddie Extension.

For reference, a max deal (which isn’t happening for Poeltl) would be:

• 2023-24: $40,200,000
• 2024-25: $43,416,000
• 2025-26: $46,632,000
• 2026-27: $49,848,000
• 2027-28: $53,064,000
• Total: five years, $233,160,000

That’s the full 30% of the cap max with 8% raises.

That’s obviously not going to happen, no matter how much of a Jakob Poeltl fan you may be. But it does set an absolute top-end range for negotiations. That’ll come in later.

Signing with another team as a free agent

Let’s say Jakob Poeltl and the Spurs are ready to part ways. Then he’d be eligible for the following max deal from another team:

• 2023-24: $40,200,000
• 2024-25: $42,210,000
• 2025-26: $44,220,000
• 2026-27: $46,230,000
• Total: four years, $172,860,000

That’s the full 30% of the cap max with 5% raises.

Again, this isn’t anything Poeltl will get as a free agent, but now we have our ranges set. And that’s where the negotiating comes in.

Finding middle ground

We know the max the San Antonio Spurs can offer Jakob Poeltl right now is roughly $58 million over four years. We know the max another team can offer Poeltl in free agency this summer is almost $173 million over four years. We don’t really need to cover the max the Spurs can offer, because it will never get to that.

So, our window ends up being somewhere between $58 million and roughly three times that amount at $173 million.

That’s a pretty big range for negotiations. That leaves us to finding recent comps to work off of. We already said that the $14.5 million per year that Poeltl could make via the Dinwiddie Extension seems a bit low. So, let’s look at the next few players on the highest paid centers list.

• Jarrett Allen - $20 million AAV
• Myles Turner - $18 million AAV
• Jusuf Nurkic - $17.5 million AAV
• Steven Adams - $17.5 million AAV (note: this is Adams’ current deal, not his recent extension)
• Jonas Valanciunas - $15 million AAV
• Mitchell Robinson - $15 million AAV

That’s not a bad list of comps for Poeltl. He’s younger than a few of those players, older than a few others, but in range with all of them age-wise.

Production-wise, Poeltl is a better defender than most of the list. He’s a better rebounder the, or on par with, the entire list. Offensively, Poeltl is probably the equal to all but Myles Turner (his shooting ability sets him apart) and Jusuf Nurkic (the best all-around player of this bunch).

Now, we have our comp list and their average salaries on their current deals. If we factor in a slight upward-ness in salary, because the cap is climbing, we can land at a what seems like a fair value for Poeltl of about $18 million AAV.

One last thing to note, Mitchell Robinson’s contract is frontloaded and descends year over year. That could be a smart structure for the Spurs to take if they re-sign Poeltl. They won’t likely need the extra cap space in the next year or two, but could down the line. And having Poeltl on a lower number in the further out season will keep him a very tradable asset.

A reasonable middle ground deal could look something like this for Poeltl:

• 2023-24: $20,500,000
• 2024-25: $18,860,000
• 2025-26: $17,220,000
• 2026-27: $15,580,000
• Total: four years, $72,160,000

That would be a max decline of 8% from year-to-year over the life of the deal, while hitting almost exactly at $18 million AAV.

Summary

It doesn’t really make sense for Jakob Poeltl to sign a Dinwiddie Extension right now. He’d likely be leaving money on the table. If the San Antonio Spurs could get him to ink that sort of extension, that would be a major win for them.

Instead, it makes sense for both sides to let things play out. If the Spurs want to go full cap space, they can just let Poeltl leave this summer. If they see him as a part of the future, they can still beat any offer that any other team can offer him. And, they can do so while keeping Poeltl on a still-tradable contract too.

Rim protectors that can rebound and aren’t a complete zero on offense, are very valuable players. Poeltl is set to be one of the better free agents available this summer, in addition to being one of the top available centers. That’s going to get Poeltl paid, whether by the Spurs or someone else.

Veteran extensions in the NBA are complicated. For one set of players, those who are stars (or near-stars) but on less than maximum contracts, it often makes little sense to extend. These are players like Jaylen Brown, Domantas Sabonis, Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet.

On the other end, you have players on maximum deals who are established All-NBA talents. In recent years, those players have chosen to lock in another max contract via extension. This offseason, Devin Booker, Damian Lillard and Karl-Anthony Towns are good examples of that group.

In the middle, you have non-max players that don’t have star upside. For them, an extension probably makes sense. They can ink an extension and stay with a team where they’ve earned a rotation role. Recent examples of these players are Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Gary Harris and Taurean Prince.

But there’s another group of extension-eligible players. They’re often somewhere between the non-max players and the near-star group. These players are often brimming with potential, but haven’t quite broken out. Or they’re on an undervalued deal, but not likely to truly cash in as a free agent.

For these players, what we’re going to call the “Dinwiddie Extension” makes sense.

What is the Dinwiddie Extension? As you probably guessed, we’re naming it after Spencer Dinwiddie, as he was the most recent recognizable player to sign this type of extension. When with the Brooklyn Nets, Dinwiddie got his career on track after a series of false starts. That earned Dinwiddie a three-year, $34.4 million extension.

In previous pieces about Jaylen Brown and Pascal Siakam, we wrote about how these two players extending makes little sense. That’s because of the rules limiting many players to only a modest bump in first-year salary of an extension of 120% of the final year’s salary.

However, in a Dinwiddie Extension, players who are on team-friendly (read: underpaid) contracts, they are eligible for a bigger bump in first-year salary. In this case, these players are eligible to sign an extension worth 120% of that season’s estimated average salary. In both a standard Veteran Extension and a Dinwiddie Extension, the player is also eligible for up to 8% raises off the first-year salary.

The current maximum Dinwiddie Extension looks like this:

• 2023-24: $12,950,400
• 2024-25: $13,986,432
• 2025-26: $15,022,464
• 2026-27: $16,058,496
• Total: four years, $58,017,792

That’s 120% of the estimated average salary for 2022-23 ($10,792,000) with 8% raises.

Now, as with almost any extension, players and teams can negotiate the terms of this type of extension. They could agree to less than the maximum allowable amount in Year 1. They could do less than 8% raises. And, as always, they could add a player option or team option onto the final season.

Often, players who sign the Dinwiddie Extension are coming off a minimum contract, or they are coming off a deal that pays them less than the Non-Taxpayer MLE amount. The estimate average salary plus 120% is often in the range of what a player could get coming off a Non-Taxpayer MLE deal.

The most recent player to sign a Dinwiddie Extension was, coincidentally, Dinwiddie’s Dallas Mavericks teammate Dorian Finney-Smith. The versatile forward was completing a three-year, $12 million contract that paid him $4 million flat per season.

Before reaching free agency, Finney-Smith signed a Dinwiddie Extension that looks like this:

• 2022-23: $12,402,000
• 2023-24: $13,394,160
• 2024-25: $14,386,320
• 2025-26: $15,378,480
• Total: four years, $55,560,960

This deal was 120% of the estimated average salary with 8% raises. Finney-Smith was also able to negotiate a player option on the final season.

With that framework in mind, let’s look forward at who might be next up for a Dinwiddie Extension.

Two players we want to cover here are Jaylen Nowell and Naz Reid of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Recently, The Athletic reported that the Wolves have begun extension negotiations for both Nowell and Reid.

Minnesota is capped out for the foreseeable future. Karl-Anthony Towns is signed for more than $294 million through 2027-28. Rudy Gobert is owed $169.6 million through 2025-26. Anthony Edwards will undoubtedly ink a five-year, maximum rookie scale extension (likely with Designated Player language) next summer. That will be three players on max deals.

That leaves the Wolves in a spot where they need to lock up talented players to long-term extensions wherever possible. Thus, the negotiations with Nowell and Reid have begun.

Jaylen Nowell

Let’s start with Jaylen Nowell, as he’s kind of a fascinating test case of projecting value within the terms of a Dinwiddie Extension.

Prior to this season, a look at Nowell’s career stat lines shows an interesting player, but not one necessarily worth $58 million over four years. But you have to look a little deeper.

Nowell’s rookie season was spent mostly with the Iowa Wolves of the G League, as he saw limited NBA action. In the G League, Nowell was pretty dominant. He scored 21 points per game on 49/44/73 shooting splits.

The next two seasons, Nowell played himself into a rotation role with Minnesota. Last season, Nowell showed real signs of what he might be. He averaged 8.5 points in 15.7 minutes per game off the Timberwolves bench. In a very crowded guard rotation, Nowell’s shooting stood out. He knocked down 47.5% of his shots overall, while hitting 39.4% of his 160 three-pointers.

In a very small sample of five games this season, Nowell has become Minnesota’s primary bench scorer. It’s early, but it’s safe to say Nowell has arrived as a bench scoring weapon. But there’s more there too.

Nowell is flashing some playmaking skills in an offense where the majority of touches are dominated by Towns, Edwards and holdover veteran point guard D’Angelo Russell. Nowell is also getting to the boards more. Both the playmaking and rebounding match his NCAA and G League profile as a better all-around player than he’s shown in his NBA career.

All that said, it’s clear that Nowell is someone the Timberwolves should be considering extending. But should Nowell take the Dinwiddie Extension?

Let’s start with the fact the Nowell is wrapping up a four-year, slightly above minimum contract that he signed with Minnesota in 2019. All told, Nowell will have made $6.6 million over his first four years in the NBA.

Next, we move onto age. Nowell will only turn 24 years old this summer, despite the fact that he’ll have four NBA years on his ledger at that point. Whoever signs Nowell will be getting him during some key years of his career. He’s young enough that continued improvement can still be projected, and by the end of his next deal, Nowell will be headed into his prime years.

Minnesota would do well to get Nowell to sign the Dinwiddie Extension. At worst, he’ll be one of the best bench guards in the league over the next four-to-five seasons. But there’s potential that Nowell could, and probably should, be starting alongside Edwards in the Wolves backcourt as soon as next season. He’s not really a point guard, but Minnesota runs so much offense through Towns and Edwards, that shooting and defense are more important at that spot than traditional playmaking.

As for Nowell, he might want to wait. On one hand, Nowell would double his career earnings in Year 1 of a Dinwiddie Extension. That’s hard to pass up. But Nowell and his reps would do well to survey the landscape this summer.

At least nine NBA teams project to have between $20 million and $66 million in cap space this summer. As more extensions are signed, the free agent class will only weaken. And shooting and scoring, with good size, are always something teams are willing to pay for.

It’s not unreasonable to project that there will be more cap space available this summer than good players to spend it on. Nowell will be an unrestricted free agent. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that a team could offer him somewhere between $15 million and $20 million in first-year salary.

A comparison here is Jalen Brunson. Brunson was in a very similar spot to Nowell in terms of career earnings. He was also in the midst of a breakout season when he was eligible for a Dinwiddie Extension. And, like Nowell, Brunson was a pending unrestricted free agent heading into last summer. He bet on himself and got over $100 million from the New York Knicks in free agency.

It’s certainly a tricky spot for a player coming off a minimum deal. The Dinwiddie Extension would offer Nowell immediate life-changing money, but there is the possibility that even more could be waiting for him this summer.

Naz Reid

As for his running mate Naz Reid, the contract situation is almost the same. Reid signed a four-year, minimum contract in the summer of 2019. He’s making the same $1.9 million as Nowell is in the final year of that deal this season. Like Nowell, Reid will also turn 24 years old this summer.

From there, the circumstances differ greatly.

First, the Minnesota Timberwolves already have two All-Star level centers on the roster in Towns and Gobert, even if Towns is spending more time than ever at the four this season. How much can Minnesota really invest in a third center?

Second, the free agent market is flush with solid options for backup centers. Teams will continue, as they have for years, pluck players from free agency to give them a serviceable 15 minutes per game for a minimum deal or slightly above.

Lastly, Reid’s play has been more inconsistent than the consistent upward climb of Nowell’s. Reid broke out during his sophomore season, when he averaged 11.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 19.2 minutes per game off the Wolves bench.

Last year, Reid had a rotation role from opening night and he sort of fizzled. Mostly, the 6-foot-10 big man’s shooting fell off. He didn’t finish as well in and around the paint, and his three-point shooting also dipped. And lineups featuring both Reid and Towns were messy and didn’t really work in limited regular season minutes, before disappearing in the playoffs.

Unlike Jaylen Nowell, Naz Reid isn’t worth the full Dinwiddie Extension. But that doesn’t mean Reid has no value at all. He’s an established solid backup center. For a playoff team that is built around their bigs, Minnesota needs a real player in that spot, even if for only 15 minutes per night.

Like Nowell, Reid has made comparatively little money in his NBA career. That leaves a deal less than the full Dinwiddie Extension as a still enticing possibility.

If we look around the NBA this past summer, we see backup centers signing for anything from the minimum up to $12.5 million per season. It feels like the sweet spot for Reid is somewhere in the middle of that range.

If Minnesota could get Reid on something like three-year, $22 million deal, that seems workable for both player and team. A sensible deal structure could look something like this:

• 2023-24: $8,000,000
• 2024-25: $7,360,000
• 2025-26: $6,720,000

That’s a frontloaded contract that descends by 8% each season. That gives Reid more money right away, while also helping the Wolves with what will likely be an extremely expensive roster down the line. In addition, the deal is short enough that Reid can hit the market for a bigger third contract before he turns 30, should be prove worthy.

This deal would also pay Reid slightly more than the three-year, $18.5 million extension that Dean Wade recently signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers. That feels fair, as Reid is nearly three years younger than Wade, and he’s established more of a consistent role in the NBA.

Final Thoughts

The Minnesota Timberwolves have all the way until the end of the league year to sign Jaylen Nowell and Naz Reid to extensions. The Wolves should be aggressive in trying to get both players signed. The roster is only going to get more expensive, and that will limit Minnesota in adding outside talent. With Towns and Gobert signed long-term, and Edwards likely to join them soon, this isn’t the time to lose the complementary players that can keep the Timberwolves in playoff contention for years to come.

Monday, October 17 is a key day on the NBA calendar. Not only must teams get into roster compliance (up to 15 players on standard contracts, two players on Two-Way contracts), but it’s also the final day for two sets of players to sign contracts extensions.

We covered the players from the 2019 NBA Draft class who are eligible to sign their first extensions here. Those players have until 6:00 PM ET on Monday, October 17 to ink an extension. If no deal is reached, those players will be eligible for restricted free agency next summer.

The other group of players facing a deadline on Monday are extension-eligible veterans with two or more years left on their contracts.

Extension-eligible vets on an expiring deal can sign their extensions all the way up to June 30 (the final day of the league year). This is true, even though free agent negotiations now open at 6:00 PM ET on June 30. This caused a somewhat confusing situation where players like Gary Harris (Orlando Magic), Taurean Prince (Minnesota Timberwolves) and Thaddeus Young (Toronto Raptors) all signed extensions while news of free agents agreeing to deals was being reported.

We’ll handle that group of expiring players down the line. None of them are pressed to sign an extension in the next few days. For now, we’re going to go team-by-team through the players facing a deadline of Monday to get a deal done. Otherwise, those players will have to wait until the offseason to sign a new contract. And in some cases, they may push things further down the line until they are free agents.

Atlanta Hawks

Bogdan Bogdanovic

Bogdanovic is in a bit of a weird spot. He could extend his ability to…well…extend until June 30. In order to do so, he’d have to decline his player option for 2023-24. Then, he could sign an extension as an expiring player. Bogdanovic could also sign an extension right now. The challenge, he’s coming off at least a semi-serious knee injury. Something like a three-year, $45 million extension would be good for him and the Hawks. That lowers his number a bit in the future, when Atlanta has major tax concerns, but allows Bogdanovic to lock in some long-term money.

Prediction: No extension. Hawks and Bogdanovic let things play out for now. They’ll reconnect next summer on what’s best for both sides.

Dejounte Murray

This one is pretty simple. Murray isn’t signing an extension. Right now, he’s limited to signing for just one year because he was so recently traded. Even if Murray hadn’t been so recently traded he could only lock in for a three-year, $68.9 million extension (120% of his current salary with 8% raises), That’s not nearly enough for an All-Star level point guard.

Prediction: No extension. Murray isn’t signing another undervalue extension. He did that once. He’ll play out his current deal and be a free agent in 2024. That means no extension next summer either.

Boston Celtics

Jaylen Brown

We covered Brown in depth here.

Prediction: No extension. Brown makes more than Dejounte Murray does, but the reasons are the same. As outlined in the piece linked above, Brown could also make All-NBA this season and qualify for a “super max extension” next summer.

Brooklyn Nets

Joe Harris

Harris is in an interesting spot. He’s not underpaid like Dejounte Murray or Jaylen Brown. But like Bogdan Bogdanovic, he’s coming off an injury. The Nets roster is also in a bit of flux. They have several players who extension-eligible through the end of the league year or they’ll hit free agency in the summer. Again, something like three-years, $45 million (with the final season guaranteed for $10 million-ish) would make sense for both Harris and the Nets. But Brooklyn may prefer to wait things out.

Prediction: No extension. There’s too much happening with the Nets roster right now for them to lock in long-term money for a role player, albeit a very good one.

Ben Simmons

This one is also very easy. Simmons has to make it through this season before the Nets will even considering extending him.

Prediction: No extension. For now, the focus just needs to be on Simmons actually playing basketball again. That’s all that matters for this season.

Charlotte Hornets

Gordon Hayward

The Hornets have to regret giving Hayward the $120 million they already gave him. It hasn’t worked out as hoped, for either party.

Prediction: No extension. Charlotte can’t commit even more money to player who hasn’t shown he can stay healthy.

Chicago Bulls

No applicable players

Cleveland Cavaliers

No applicable players

Dallas Mavericks

No applicable players

Denver Nuggets

Jamal Murray

The Nuggets have been proactive about signing their players to extensions when they can. Murray will probably be no different…just not yet. Coming off a torn ACL with three seasons left under contract, there is no rush to get to that next deal for Denver.

Prediction: No extension. If Murray is back to his normal self, he may get extended next summer. It’s just too early right now for the Nuggets to consider adding a couple of years to his deal.

Detroit Pistons

No applicable players

Golden State Warriors

Draymond Green

This one might have changed in a major way over the last week. There’s no way to truly know if Green would have extended if he hadn’t punched Jordan Poole, but it seems completely unlikely to happen now. Like Bogdan Bogdanovic, if things smooth out, Green could decline his player option for next summer and then extend. His first-year salary would have to start at the $27.6 million he declined in his player option, if he went this route.

Prediction: No extension. This one seems fairly obvious. Everyone needs to let things settle down before a new deal for Green can be broache.

Klay Thompson

It’s unlikely Thompson will get extended. He’s only played in 32 games over the last three seasons. Even though he was a huge part of the Warriors winning the 2022 NBA Finals, Thompson still has nearly $84 million left on his deal. That’s enough for now.

Prediction: No extension. If Thompson plays well this year, and stays healthy, he might get extended next summer. By then, the Warriors will also have clarity on Draymond Green, Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins, and an ever-increasing tax bill.

Houston Rockets

Eric Gordon

Gordon isn’t getting extended. With his 2023-24 likely to end up fully non-guaranteed, it’s more likely Gordon is traded than extended.

Prediction: No extension. The Rockets are fully in the midst of a youth movement. Gordon might be there for few months this year to shepherd along the kids, but he’ll likely be traded by the deadline. At that point, his new team will have to wait until the summer to figure out Gordon’s next deal.

K.J. Martin

Martin made a trade request from the Rockets crowded frontcourt. That hasn’t happened, but it’s unlikely he or Houston are in a rush to extend either.

Prediction: No extension. Because Martin has a team option for 2022-23, the Rockets (or another team if he’s traded) could decline that team option and then sign him to an extension before June 30. That might happen, but an extension with Houston is likely off the table.

Indiana Pacers

Buddy Hield

This one is tricky. The Pacers are rebuilding around kids, but Hield is a valuable player. It seems more likely that Indiana will trade Hield than extend him.

Prediction: No extension. Indiana has a surplus of interesting players at the two-guard position. That makes Hield expendable. That means no extension, but trade rumors will drag on until Hield is moved.

LA Clippers

Marcus Morris

At his age, it’s unlikely the Clippers will want to tack more money on than the $33.5 million they owe him through next season. LA has also stockpiled depth over the past few years at the forward position.

Prediction: No extension. The Clippers at some point need to move towards playing some of their younger guys a bit more. It covers them for the eventuality of players aging out. Morris is a key rotation guy, but probably only for two more years. (He’s also a sneaky trade candidate, but that’s for another time.)

Los Angeles Lakers

No applicable players

Memphis Grizzlies

Xavier Tillman Sr.

Tillman is in the same spot as K.J. Martin, minus the trade request. Everything else is basically the same.

Prediction: No extension. The Grizzlies have a frontcourt loaded with players. They also have to figure out a potential extension for Brandon Clarke. Even as aggressive as Memphis has been with retaining their own players, it doesn’t seem like a new deal is coming for Tillman until maybe next summer.

Miami Heat

No applicable players

Milwaukee Bucks

Khris Middleton

Middleton is a really interesting early extension candidate. He’s already locked in for more money through 2023-24 (if he picks up his player option) than he’d probably get per season on a new deal. While still a very productive player, Middleton is now 31 years old. And he’s had some serious injuries in recent years. But Middleton remains a key member of the Bucks. If he could add three seasons at around $30-35 million per year on average annual value, that would be a win for him and the Bucks.

Prediction: No extension. But this is one to watch. It would make a lot of sense for Milwaukee and Middleton to get something done now. It would also clarify the team’s future books and might make some other roster decisions easier. But both sides may prefer to play this out to free agency and to make sure Middleton is healthy.

Minnesota Timberwolves

No applicable players

New Orleans Pelicans

No applicable players

New York Knicks

No applicable players

Oklahoma City Thunder

No applicable players

Orlando Magic

Markelle Fultz

Fultz signed what looked like a really team-friendly deal for Orlando a couple of years ago. That contract is even very lightly guaranteed for next season. Unfortunately, Fultz hasn’t been able to stay healthy since re-signing. He needs to have a big “prove it” season this year.

Prediction: No extension. The injury history is simply too vast for the Magic to lock into any further money for Fultz. If he gets, and stays, healthy and has a good year, Orlando can consider an extension again next summer.

Philadelphia 76ers

Tobias Harris

Harris is going to look a lot better as the Sixers third or fourth option on offense this season, than the miscast second option he’s been the last couple of years. But that doesn’t mean Philly is ready to hand him more money.

Prediction: No extension. Harris is owed $76.9 million through 2023-24. The 76ers aren’t going to add on to that when they need to re-sign James Harden next summer, extend Tyrese Maxey and continue to work on building depth.

De’Anthony Melton

Melton just got to Philadelphia and he should be a perfect third-guard with James Harden and Tyrese Maxey. If he was willing to extend for $10 million or less per season, something could get done before the deadline.

Prediction: No extension. Melton isn’t likely to extend for what will be less that MLE money right now. Because of that, this one might play out a year. Or even two, as his deal doesn’t expire until 2024.

Phoenix Suns

No applicable players

Portland Trail Blazers

No applicable players

Sacramento Kings

Domantas Sabonis

We can put Sabonis in the Jaylen Brown/Dejounte Murray category. He’s underpaid for what he is as an All-Star. Because of the limits of the veteran extension rules, it makes no sense for Sabonis to extend now. He’d get a maximum of three-years, $75.4 million. That’s not enough for an established All-Star.

Prediction: No extension. Because Sabonis was traded to the Kings, he can’t sign a super max deal either, even if he made All-NBA. That’s only available to players with their original team, or acquired while still on their rookie scale contract. It’s not likely he’ll extend next summer either. Like Murray, Sabonis will wait until 2024 free agency to cash in.

San Antonio Spurs

No applicable players

Toronto Raptors

Pascal Siakam

We covered all the options for Siakam in depth here.

Prediction: No extension. Siakam will bet on himself, try for another All-NBA season and then he’d be eligible for a super max deal.

Fred VanVleet

VanVleet is a bit in the Jaylen Brown/Dejounte Murray/Domantas Sabonis camp. He’s limited to extending for three-years, $88.7 million right now. He does have a player option for 2023-24 that he could decline, but the first-year salary would have to start at $22.8 million he’d be declining. That makes it even less likely VanVleet would extend.

Prediction: No extension. VanVleet has done just fine betting on himself to this point. He’ll continue to do so for at least one more year. If he turns in another big season, VanVleet will opt out and cash in as a free agent this summer.

Utah Jazz

Malik Beasley

Beasley is in that team option boat like K.J. Martin and Xavier Tillman Sr., but on a much larger deal. However, Utah isn’t extending Beasley. He’s not going to be long-term part of the roster Utah is working towards as they rebuild.

Prediction: No extension. Beasley is far more likely to be traded than extended. He’s also far more valuable as a pseudo-expiring contract than he would be already locked into an extension. It’ll be a surprised if Beasley is still in Utah after the trade deadline.

Jordan Clarkson

Clarkson is sort of in the same boat as Beasley. Does he really have a long-term future in Utah? The difference is Clarkson has some history with the Jazz and he’s a fan favorite. That could see him get an extension.

Prediction: No extension. It just doesn’t make much sense for the Jazz, who are rebuilding, to extend a bench scorer. That’s a luxury on a rebuilding team, sort of like having a good closer on a bad baseball team. It’s more likely Clarkson is traded than extended.

Washington Wizards

Vernon Carey Jr.

Carey is in the team option boat like K.J. Martin and Xavier Tillman Sr. The difference is Carey hasn’t shown nearly as much promise as either Martin or Tillman have.

Prediction: No extension. Carey is more likely to be waived than he is to be extended. He’s not a part of the future in Washington.

Kyle Kuzma

Kuzma signed a very team-friendly extension of three-years, $39 million with the Los Angeles Lakers a couple of years ago. He’d be extremely limited in what he could extend for, which makes it very unlikely.

Prediction: No extension. Kuzma stands to make in excess of $20 million per season as a free agent. He won’t extend. Instead, Kuzma will opt out and be a free agent in the summer of 2023. He’ll get paid by Washington or someone else in July.

Kristaps Porzingis

Porzingis is in that player option situation like a few others. What would make the most sense for the oft-injured big man is to opt out of next season, and to sign a four-year extension for something around $100 million. Or he could add three years and bring his total money owed up to around $100 million. That’s potentially less in the immediate years than he stands to make by opting in, but it would give him long-term money that he may not get as a free agent.

Prediction: No extension. Porzingis doesn’t lack in confidence. He’s probably thinking far bigger than the proposals above. If he can turn in a healthy and productive season, Porzingis might be one of the better free agents available next summer. That could see him blow way past the $100 million mark in new money.

When Pascal Siakam inked a rookie scale extension with the Toronto Raptors for the maximum over four years, some were a little unsure if he’d deliver on that deal. Two years in, Siakam has delivered in spades.

Immediately after signing the extension, Siakam turned his first All-NBA season during the 2019-20 season. Two years later, Siakam was named All-NBA again in 2021-22.

Now, the Raptors star is poised to cash in again on his next deal.

Unlike Jaylen Brown, who we covered in our most recent entry of the Next Contract Series, Siakam has already proven he can meet the criteria for a so-called “super max” extension. But we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves.

First, let’s understand what Siakam has left on his current deal with Toronto:

• 2022-23: $35,448,672
• 2023-24: $37,893,408

Both years are fully guaranteed with no options for Siakam.

The 6-foot-9 forward’s current four-year extension was a good example of player and team meeting the middle on a deal. Toronto bet Siakam would live up to max money, but didn’t extend all the way to the five-year max. In part, to pay the team’s faith back, Siakam didn’t insist upon a player option on Year 4 of the deal.

Now, the sixth-year player is extension eligible again. But it’s not quite as cut-and-dried as handing Siakam another max deal.

The Designated Veteran Extension

Because Siakam already has two All-NBA nods on his resume, he may be best served to wait until after this current season before inking a new deal. Due to only having six years of service, Siakam isn’t eligible yet to sign the “super max” extension for 35% of the salary cap. However, should he repeat his All-NBA performance season (or if he wins MVP or Defensive Player of the Year), Siakam could sign the Designated Veteran Extension next offseason.

Here's what that projected extension would look like for Siakam:

• 2024-25: $50,050,000
• 2025-26: $54,054,000
• 2026-27: $58,058,000
• 2027-28: $62,062,000
• 2028-29: $66,066,000
• Total: Five years, $290,290,000

That’s 35% of the $143 million projected cap for 2024-25 with 8% raises on subsequent seasons. Given his status as a then three-time All-NBA player, it’s likely Siakam would negotiate a player option on the final season, as well as a maximum 15% trade bonus.

It’s also important to note that this extension is only available to Siakam from the Raptors. If he was traded, he would not be eligible to sign a Designated Veteran Extension (or Designated Veteran Contract, which we’ll cover next!). These deals are only available to players who re-sign with their original team, or with a team that acquired them during the first four years of their career.

Because Siakam would have just one year left on his current deal, he’d be able to add five years via extension. If you add the nearly $38 million he’s already owed on the final year of his current deal, Siakam would be locked in for nearly $330 million for a six-year period.

The kicker? Siakam has to wait and bet on himself to have another big year in this coming season.

The Designated Veteran Contract

Let’s say Siakam doesn’t meet the criteria for the Designated Veteran Extension, but he still believes he’s an All-NBA guy. He could forego an extension entirely and play out his current deal. Then, if Siakam was named All-NBA for the 2023-24 season (or if he won MVP or Defensive Player of the Year), he’d be eligible to sign a Designated Veteran Contract in the summer of 2024.

In that case, the deal looks exactly the same as above. 35% of the projected $143 million cap, along with 8% raises. Once again, Siakam should be in position to demand a player option and a 15% trade bonus as well.

Just like with the Designated Veteran Extension, this deal is only available to Siakam from the Raptors.

There is one other fun wrinkle. Because this would be a new contract, as opposed to an extension, Siakam and Toronto could agree to add a “no trade clause” to this deal. Because Siakam would have eight years of service upon signing, and four years with the Raptors, he’s eligible for the fairly rare negotiated no trade clause.

Last note: Upon signing either a Designated Veteran Extension or Designated Veteran Contract, Siakam would be ineligible to be traded for one year.

The Veteran Extension

If Pascal Siakam wanted to get an extension done today, he could do that. As of October 1, he was eligible to sign the standard Veteran Extension. That contract would look like this:

• 2024-25: $42,900,000
• 2025-26: $46,332,000
• 2026-27: $49,764,000
• Total: Three years, $138,996,000

In a standard Veteran Extension, a player is allowed to sign for 120% of the prior year’s salary, with a cap of their own maximum salary for that season. For Siakam, that limits him to a projected first-year salary of $42,900,000, because that is 30% of the projected $143 million cap for the 2024-25 season.

In addition, at the moment, Siakam would only be able to add three seasons to his deal, because he’s still got two seasons left on his current contract. The deadline for signing this three-year extension is October 17.

If Siakam didn’t make All-NBA this coming season, he could choose to ink a four-year Veteran Extension in the summer of 2023. That would look like this:

• 2024-25: $42,900,000
• 2025-26: $46,332,000
• 2026-27: $49,764,000
• 2027-28: $53,196,000
• Total: Four years, $192,192,000

It’s the same first three years as above, but because Siakam would only have one year left on his current deal next summer, he could add four new years via extension.

Re-signing with Toronto as a free agent in 2024

Let’s say Siakam doesn’t sign any form of extension and he doesn’t qualify for the Designated Veteran Contract. He can still re-sign with the Raptors as an unrestricted free agent in 2024. He’d be eligible for a five-year contract then, but at 30% of the salary cap.

That deal would like this:

• 2024-25: $42,900,000
• 2025-26: $46,332,000
• 2026-27: $49,764,000
• 2027-28: $53,196,000
• 2028-29: $56,628,000
• Total: Five years, $248,820,000

That’s 30% of the cap, with 8% raises. Like with the other deals, Siakam should be in position to negotiate a player option on the final year, a 15% trade bonus and possibly a no trade clause. The NTC would be available, because this would again be a new contract vs an extension.

Signing with another team as a free agent in 2024

If Siakam wanted to leave Toronto, or the Raptors didn’t want to re-sign him, he’d be eligible for to sign a four-year deal with another team. That max deal projects to look like this:

• 2024-25: $42,900,000
• 2025-26: $45,045,000
• 2026-27: $47,190,000
• 2027-28: $49,335,000
• Total: Four years, $184,470,000

That deal starts at the same 30% of the projected $143 million cap. However, this deal is limited to 5% raises and only four years.

When comparing it to the standard four-year Veteran Extension, Siakam would be giving up over $7.7 million over the life of the deal. And, he’d be giving up significant money compared to straight re-signing with the Raptors, if you factor in the potential fifth year of a deal.

Summary

It’s unlikely Pascal Siakam will sign a standard Veteran Extension before the October 17 deadline. As someone who has made All-NBA in two of the last three seasons, it’s best for Siakam to bet on himself to make All-NBA in either 2023 or 2024. In that case, the versatile forward would be eligible for the super max deal.

If we compare the five-year Designated Veteran Extension or Designated Veteran Contract to straight re-signing with the Raptors, it’s a difference of roughly $41.5 million. That’s enough of a difference to bet on yourself, especially with Siakam’s previous All-NBA selections.

By delaying to signing a Designated Veteran Contract in the summer of 2024 vs a Designated Veteran Extension in the summer of 2023, Siakam would be able to add a no trade clause into his deal. However, it’s unlikely he’d pass up locking in the guaranteed money as soon as he can, even if it’s at the expense of adding a no trade clause. It’s simply to risky. Instead, Siakam can get a 15% trade bonus, should the Raptors want to trade their star.

There are two other things to factor in for Siakam, as well as other players, on his level: The new CBA and the looming cap spike. The NBA is going to have a new CBA, likely as soon as next season. Both the NBA and NBPA have opt-out that they can exercise when this season ends.

While the cap continues to go up, it’s expected to spike again, possibly as soon as 2025 free agency. That’s the year that the new television contracts will kick in. Most teams are preparing for a cap during the 2025-26 league year to be north of $150 million and possibly as high as $160-$165 million.

Both the new CBA (and potential new contract and extension rules) and the cap spike (which will raise new contracts exponentially), will have an impact on what players are willing to sign for over the course of the next year. We may see some players, especially All-NBA-level ones like Pascal Siakam take shorter deals, or eschew extensions entirely, in hopes of cashing in on a bigger payday in a whole new cap environment.

The 2022-23 NBA season hasn’t started yet, but already teams are positioning themselves for the 2023 offseason. While the 2022 free agent class was considered to be weak in terms of star power, the 2023 class is setting up to be a good one.

In addition to some All-Star level players looking like they’ll be available, multiple teams are positioned to have cap space this upcoming offseason. Between 10 and 13 teams project to have cap space. On the high end, teams like the Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers project to have between $50 and $70 million to spend. Other teams are down in the range of $20 million. In total, Spotrac projects there to be well over $450 million to spend in free agency.

With that much spending power potentially available, here’s who teams may be spending that cap space on. This list is current before any veteran extensions are signed. Extensions have become more and more popular in recent years, which has taken a lot of talent off the free agent board before free agency even opens. In other words: don’t be surprised if a handful of the names on this list never make it to 2023 free agency.

With all that in mind, here are the Top 50 potential 2023 free agents:

1. James Harden – Philadelphia 76ers – unrestricted free agent – player option
2. Kyrie Irving – Brooklyn Nets – unrestricted free agent
3. Draymond Green – Golden State Warriors – unrestricted free agent – player option
4. Khris Middleton – Milwaukee Bucks – unrestricted free agent – player option
5. Fred VanVleet – Toronto Raptors – unrestricted free agent – player option
6. Andrew Wiggins – Golden State Warriors – unrestricted free agent
7. Tyler Herro – Miami Heat – restricted free agent
8. Kristaps Porzingis – Washington Wizards – unrestricted free agent – player option
9. Jordan Poole – Golden State Warriors – restricted free agent
10. Myles Turner – Indiana Pacers – unrestricted free agent
11. Nikola Vucevic – Chicago Bulls – unrestricted free agent
12. Bogdan Bogdanovic – Atlanta Hawks – unrestricted free agent – player option
13. Kevin Porter Jr. – Houston Rockets – restricted free agent
14. D’Angelo Russell – Minnesota Timberwolves – unrestricted free agent
15. Bojan Bogdanovic – Utah Jazz – unrestricted free agent
16. Harrison Barnes – Sacramento Kings – unrestricted free agent
17. Jerami Grant – Portland Trail Blazers – unrestricted free agent
18. Al Horford – Boston Celtics – unrestricted free agent
19. Christian Wood – Dallas Mavericks – unrestricted free agent
20. Kyle Kuzma – Washington Wizards – unrestricted free agent – player option
21. Herb Jones – New Orleans Pelicans – restricted free agent – team option
22. Will Barton – Washington Wizards – unrestricted free agent
23. Jakob Poeltl – San Antonio Spurs – unrestricted free agent
24. Dillon Brooks – Memphis Grizzlies – unrestricted free agent
25. Kevin Love – Cleveland Cavaliers – unrestricted free agent
26. Brook Lopez – Milwaukee Bucks – unrestricted free agent
27. Bruce Brown Jr. – Denver Nuggets – unrestricted free agent – player option
28. De’Andre Hunter – Atlanta Hawks – restricted free agent
29. Josh Hart – Portland Trail Blazers – unrestricted free agent – player option
30. Gary Trent Jr. – Toronto Raptors – unrestricted free agent – player option
31. Reggie Jackson – LA Clippers – unrestricted free agent
32. Patrick Beverley – Los Angeles Lakers – unrestricted free agent
33. P.J. Washington – Charlotte Hornets – restricted free agent
34. Steven Adams – Memphis Grizzlies – unrestricted free agent
35. Cameron Johnson – Phoenix Suns – restricted free agent
36. Seth Curry – Brooklyn Nets – unrestricted free agent
37. Caris LeVert – Cleveland Cavaliers – unrestricted free agent
38. Jae Crowder – Phoenix Suns – unrestricted free agent
39. Malik Beasley – Utah Jazz– unrestricted free agent – team option
40. Nassir Little – Portland Trail Blazers – restricted free agent
41. Mason Plumlee – Charlotte Hornets – unrestricted free agent
42. Max Strus – Miami Heat – unrestricted free agent
43. Matisse Thybulle – Philadelphia 76ers – restricted free agent
44. Russell Westbrook – Los Angeles Lakers – unrestricted free agent
45. Larry Nance Jr. – New Orleans Pelicans – unrestricted free agent
46. Grant Williams – Boston Celtics – restricted free agent
47. Otto Porter Jr. – Toronto Raptors – unrestricted free agent – player option
48. Kelly Oubre Jr. – Charlotte Hornets – unrestricted free agent
49. Brandon Clarke – Memphis Grizzlies – restricted free agent
50. Josh Richardson – San Antonio Spurs – unrestricted free agent

Related:

2023 NBA Free Agent Tracker

Danny Ainge took over running the Boston Celtics front office on May 9, 2003. It took Ainge about a month-and-half to make his first trade. He hasn’t stopped making trades since.

Ainge’s persistence in making trades earned him the moniker “Trader Danny” while in Boston. When he joined the Utah Jazz, Ainge’s role was initially as an advisor. Anyone who has followed Ainge knew that would only last for so long. He’s not the type to sit on the sidelines. It’s not in his nature.

It took a bit, but Ainge is now bringing the same tried-and-true approach to Utah that he used in Boston. Ainge believes that if you aren’t a title contender, you should be rebuilding and stockpiling assets to aid in becoming a title contender. There’s little gray in his basketball world. It’s best to be really good. But it’s better to be bad than it is to be average or just sort of good.

It’s important to remember Ainge famously told Red Auerbach in the 1990s that the Celtics should trade away Larry Bird and Kevin McHale. Ainge’s thinking was Boston was stuck as a good team, but not a real contender and that the veterans were starting to deteriorate.

Ainge’s thought back when he was a player has stayed with him as a front office executive. You want to build a contender, but more importantly, a sustainable contender. That involves churning the roster from time to time, and occasionally, it necessitates a full teardown.

In the middle of his first season running the Celtics in 2003-04, Ainge traded Antoine Walker and Tony Delk in a then controversial deal that brought Raef LaFrentz and a 2004 first round pick to Boston. By that trade deadline, Ainge had shipped off a couple more veterans for an additional 2004 first round pick.

That summer, with his team ready for a rebuild around a still-young Paul Pierce, Ainge hired Doc Rivers. Rivers was then still seen as a young, but somewhat unproven head coach. He’d had four good, but never great seasons with the Orlando Magic before getting fired early in Year 5.

The Celtics then used three first round picks in the 2004 NBA Draft to select Al Jefferson, Delonte West and Tony Allen. The plan was that those three would pair with Pierce to form the nucleus of the Celtics next contender. If not, Ainge would keep moving vets to find the right guys to help Boston raise another banner.

Later that summer, Ainge would add Gary Payton to run the Celtics offense. By the 2005 trade deadline, Boston was playing pretty well. That spurred Ainge to trade a future Boston first round pick in a deal to bring back old friend Antoine Walker.

Let’s pause there for a minute.

There’s this impression of Ainge that he’s like a venture capitalist, corporate raider type that comes in, strips things down and then sells when he’s finally gotten things back into the black on the balance sheet.

That’s not really true.

Yes, it’s fair to say Ainge hoards his draft picks. He does do that…to an extent. But Ainge has also repeatedly traded picks when he’s found the right deal. Sure, he’s “close” to making trades a lot, but part of that comes from Ainge’s willingness to be candid with the media about trade talks. He doesn’t guard trade talks like state secrets that should never get out. He’s more open about what happens during the trade process than most of his peers.

The point is, Ainge is a master of the teardown. He’ll collect assets left and right. But he’s not unwilling to flip those assets to build his teams back up.

Back to the break-down and build-up process Ainge has undertaken over the years.

That 2004-05 Celtics team fell short and lost in the first round. As is his nature, Ainge didn’t sit still. Walker’s second go-around in Boston was a short one. That summer Walker was sent to the Miami Heat as a part of the largest trade in NBA history: a five-team, 13-player, two-pick deal.

By January, Ainge was back at it again. He swung a seven-player deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves where Boston acquired another first round pick. Ainge had begun his second teardown in Boston.

The summer of 2006 saw moves towards a rebuild. On a busy 2006 Draft night, Ainge picked up Rajon Rondo’s draft rights and swapped LaFrentz and a pick for Theo Ratliff (really his contract) and Sebastian Telfair.

All that happened while Ainge held tight with Paul Piece. The 2006-07 season was a mess for the Celtics. Pierce got injured, the kids were kids and Boston lost. A lot. But everyone accepted all the losing because Boston had the second-most ping pong balls in the 2007 NBA Draft Lottery. Boston felt confident they’d come away with Greg Oden or Kevin Durant to put next to Pierce and the kids.

Then disaster struck.

The Portland Trail Blazers, Seattle SuperSonics and Atlanta Hawks all jumped up in the draft and Boston fell from the second pick to the fifth pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.

But Ainge was ready. He had kids and some extra picks and he started building back up again. This time around, he hit on every move.

At the 2007 NBA Draft, Boston swapped that fifth pick, former first rounder Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak for Ray Allen and 2007 second rounder Glen “Big Baby” Davis. That set the stage for the big move a month later.

Ainge competed the transformation by trading former first rounders Al Jefferson and Gerald Green along with two 2009 first round picks (one of them going back home), Ratliff’s contract and a couple of vets for Kevin Garnett.

A year later, Boston had raised Banner 17.

If you needed proof Ainge could tear a team down and then push his assets in to build back up, that was it. If you were still a skeptic, he did it again a few years later.

After a five-year run of title contention, Ainge harkened back to that 1990s conversation with Red Auerbach. Instead of Larry Bird and Kevin McHale, Ainge had Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett as his aging vets. He knew Boston had already dragged an extra year or two of their best basketball out of the veteran duo.

Ainge didn’t hesitate and he pulled the trigger on another teardown. Being just sort of good wasn’t good enough.

At the 2013 NBA Draft, Ainge agreed to dealing Pierce and Garnett, along with Jason Terry and a 2017 first round pick to the Brooklyn Nets for a package of veteran players and three first-round picks and a pick swap.

Before that deal, Ainge agreed to let Doc Rivers go to the LA Clippers in exchange for the Clips’ 2015 first rounder. At the 2013 Draft, Ainge traded up a few picks to select Kelly Olynyk.

During the moratorium period between the draft and making the Brooklyn trade official, Ainge pulled off a true surprise by hiring Brad Stevens. For a second time, Ainge was handing his sideline to a young, unproven head coach, just as a rebuild was starting.

Oh, and Ainge wasn’t done trading either. He’d swing three more trades, all of which brought Boston young players and/or draft picks.

During the 2014-15 season, Ainge amped up his trading to a whole new level. The Celtics facility might as well have had a revolving door, as player came and went at a staggering pace.

Ainge picked up Tyler Zeller and a first round pick from the Cleveland Cavaliers to help them clear cap space go bring LeBron James home.

Ainge then helped Cleveland clear some space by eating a handful of contracts to pick up two future second round picks. That deal happened right as training camp was starting, but Ainge was far from done.

On the eve of the season, Ainge swapped Joel Anthony for Will Bynum to help the Detroit Piston clear some salary, while giving Boston a guard. But Ainge still wasn’t done.

In the month-long period from January 18, 2015 through the trade deadline on February 19, 2015, Ainge swung a whopping six trades. This including acquiring and re-trading all of Jameer Nelson, Brandan Wright and Austin Rivers during that month-long span.

But you know what else happened? The Celtics were playing better than expected. This thrown-together, wear-a-nametag group was winning enough to hang around the playoff picture.

That made Ainge’s last deal of the period a masterstroke. In a three-team deal with the Pistons (remember the favor from the eve of the season?) and the Phoenix Suns, Ainge acquired Isaiah Thomas, Gigi Datome and Jonas Jerebko, and somehow another first round pick.

The Celtics made the playoffs in 2015 and haven’t missed out on the postseason since.

It was in the seasons immediately following that one where Ainge developed the reputation as a pick hoarder. He steadfastly refused to include the Brooklyn picks that eventually became Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum (after a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers) in deals for players like Jimmy Butler and Paul George. It turns out, he was right to keep those picks.

But what gets overlooked is Ainge was prioritizing development of Stevens’ young roster, along with preserving cap space. In back-to-back summers, notoriously not-a-free-agent-destination Boston landed Al Horford and Gordon Hayward in free agency. And then Ainge made a deal that should have punted the “he won’t trade picks to buy vets” reputation into the sun.

In August of 2017, Ainge traded the beloved, but deteriorating Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder (who was going to be replaced by the combination of Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and newly signed Gordon Hayward) and the last of his precious Nets picks for Kyrie Irving.

Ainge had built a title contender by trading veterans and picks for a second time. Or so we thought.

That Celtics group lead by Irving and Hayward never came together. Injuries and unhappiness sunk that team before they even got started. So, Ainge did what he does and he pivoted again.

Faced with losing Irving and Horford in the same summer, Ainge worked a double sign-and-trade to bring in Kemba Walker for Terry Rozier. Walker would team with the rapidly emerging Brown and Tatum, and a healthy Hayward to get Boston to the Eastern Conference Finals. Unfortunately, Hayward got hurt again and Walker was never the same after a midseason knee injury.

If all the other moves of his Boston tenure weren’t enough to shed this idea that Ainge could build a team back up and will trade picks, his last few moves sacrificed draft capital just to give Boston a chance at making moves down the line. He worked a sign-and-trade to help Hayward join the Charlotte Hornets by giving up two second round picks to just to create a trade exception. Then he gave up more draft picks to bring Evan Fournier in via that trade exception.

Then Ainge retired and left Boston. 18 seasons, 15 playoff appearances. Three different teardowns and rebuilds. All resulting in teams that ranged from good to great.

Now, Ainge looks to be repeating the process in Utah. Only this time he’s starting from a place of better leverage.

Instead of trading aging veterans for nice collection of draft picks, Ainge traded two in-their-primes All-Stars for a haul of future drafts picks and young players unlike any we’ve seen before.

In two moves, Ainge has added five unprotected first round draft picks from the Minnesota Timberwolves and Cleveland Cavaliers. He’s also picked up lightly-protected first round pick and three years of unprotected pick swaps.

If you add in 2023 first rounders Ochai Agbaji and Walker Kessler, that’s a total of 11 additional first round picks the Jazz now largely have control of through 2029.

Just like he did with the Celtics, trading the stars is only the start. Ainge will now begin the process of moving veterans like Bojan Bogdanovic, Mike Conley, Jordan Clarkson, Rudy Gay and Malik Beasley. He’s already flipped Patrick Beverley, who came over in the Gobert deal, to take a flyer on talented youngster Talen Horton-Tucker.

It’s a good bet that Ainge will turn at least a couple of those players into another first round pick or two. And he’ll probably take on some veterans in the process and flip them in subsequent trades. Helpful advice: If you’re traded to the Jazz in the next couple of years, rent instead of buying. You might not be there long.

It’s a tried-and-true process that has worked for Ainge three times before. But it’s not just about tearing a roster down to the studs and collecting assets. That’s just step one. Step two is hiring a young, but talented head coach. Step three is using those assets to build the team back up for his handpicked coach.

Danny Ainge can break a team down, identify a coach and then build that team back up. He’s already done it. Three different times in Boston, in fact.

And now he’s doing it again in Utah. He’s torn the team down and hired Will Hardy as the head coach. The building up process will eventually come. Take a breath, give it a little time and enjoy watching a team-building genius do what he does best.

The NBA offseason is basically behind us. Rosters are largely finished, despite the Utah Jazz still talking trades for Donovan Mitchell and most of the vets on their roster.

Teams are mostly adding camp players and angling for Affiliate Player rights to get them to their G League teams. A few notable free agents remain unsigned, but the vast majority of potential rotation players have been signed.

Now, it’s time to start looking towards the start of the 2022-23 season. With training camps opening in approximately one month, let’s start by looking back at what changes the 2022 offseason brought.

The Northwest Division is in transition. The Denver Nuggets are title contenders. The Minnesota Timberwolves made a big bet that going big will pay off big. The Portland Trail Blazers should be healthier and should compete for a playoff spot. The Oklahoma City Thunder are still working their back after kicking off a full-scale rebuild. And then there the Jazz. After years of being good, but never quite good enough, Utah appears poised to kick off a complete teardown and restart.

Denver Nuggets

Additions: Christian Braun (2022 NBA Draft), Bruce Brown Jr. (free agency), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (trade), DeAndre Jordan (free agency), Ish Smith (trade), Peyton Watson (2022 NBA Draft), Collin Gillespie (Two-Way), Jack White (Two-Way)

Subtractions: Will Barton (Wizards via trade), Facundo Campazzo (unrestricted free agent), DeMarcus Cousins (unrestricted free agent), Bryn Forbes (Timberwolves via free agency), JaMychal Green (Thunder via trade (since waived), Monte Morris (Wizards via trade), Austin Rivers (Timberwolves via free agency), Markus Howard (Spain via free agency)

Remaining Acquisition Tools: $9.1 million Traded Player Exception, $3.5 million Traded Player Exception

Analysis: The Nuggets are betting on the combination of better health and the development of young players to take the franchise to new heights. Denver is starting the year with perhaps the best team they’ve ever had, in addition to the most expectations they’ve had too.

The Nuggets big move was to swap mainstays Will Barton and Monte Morris to the Wizards for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith. Denver hopes that adding Caldwell-Pope, along with another free agent addition, will help clean up the team’s leaky perimeter defense. Caldwell-Pope is also excellent playing off the ball, so he should fit in nicely in an offense built around Nikola Jokic’s passing skills.

The free agent addition to help with the above was Bruce Brown. Brown is rugged defender who can hold his own 1-3. He’s also a terrific cutter and small-ball screen-and-roll man. If his 40% three-point shooting from last year, Brown will be a perfect addition for Denver.

While not truly “additions”, the Nuggets will be thrilled to have Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. back in the fold. Murray missed the entire season, while Porter missed the vast majority of it. Both will be an immediate boon to the team’s offense. Their returns will take a lot of the pressure off Jokic to create so many of the scoring opportunities.

As for the young players, Denver will be counting on Bones Hyland and Zeke Nnaji to take on bigger roles this season. Both seem capable and ready. To open the year, Hyland may play the bigger role as Murray’s backup. The Nuggets seem likely to be cautious with Murray, at least to open the season. Nnaji will team with veteran Jeff Green to handle the backup big minutes. If Nnaji can handle 15-20 minutes per game, it will allow Denver to keep Jokic fresh throughout the year.

The Nuggets have everything in place to make a deep playoff run. They have the two-time MVP in Jokic (who also inked an extension that should keep him with the Nuggets for years to come), plenty of scoring, lineup versatility and they seem to have shored up their defense. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Denver was in the Western Conference Finals or even the 2023 NBA Finals.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Additions: Kyle Anderson (free agency), Bryn Forbes (free agency), Rudy Gobert (trade), Josh Minott (2022 NBA Draft), Wendell Moore Jr. (2022 NBA Draft), Austin Rivers (free agency), A.J. Lawson (Two-Way), Eric Paschall (Two-Way)

Subtractions: Malik Beasley (Jazz via trade), Patrick Beverley (Jazz via trade (since traded to the Lakers)), Leandro Bolmaro (Jazz via trade), Jake Layman (unrestricted free agent), Greg Monroe (unrestricted free agent), Josh Okogie (Suns via free agency), Jarred Vanderbilt (Jazz via trade), McKinley Wright (Mavericks via free agency)

Remaining Acquisition Tools: $4.1 million Bi-Annual Exception

Analysis: Minnesota made the biggest move of the offseason, both literally and figuratively. The Timberwolves traded for Rudy Gobert by sending the Jazz a package that included multiple players and several years of draft picks. The hope is that Gobert will fix the interior defense issues that have plagued the Wolves for years and that his offensive limitations will be masked by a talented scoring group.

The big question (no pun intended) is: Can Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns play together? Offensively, it doesn’t seem to be a challenge. Towns is perfectly comfortable and capable on the perimeter. On defense, Towns will have to step out and defend on the perimeter more than ever. Gobert will be at the rim to clean things up when drivers slip by Towns, but getting out to shooters on a regular basis will be a new experience.

Trading so many players for Gobert meant that new front office leader Tim Connelly had to rebuild some depth on the fly. All things considered, Connelly did a solid job filling out the rotation.

Kyle Anderson was poached from the Grizzlies and he’ll be a great fit coming off the bench. Anderson can back up both forward spots and he can start if necessary. His passing will be a boon to a frontcourt that features mostly finishers vs passers.

Bryn Forbes came over to be a designated shooter off the bench. On the nights where he’s rolling, Forbes will play. When he’s not, he won’t see many minutes. Austin Rivers was also brought in to add depth and a little defense to the backcourt.

If Gobert and Towns mesh, the Wolves have a chance to be very good. Anthony Edwards is ready to break out as a super star. D’Angelo Russell isn’t perfect, but he’s better than most give him credit for. Taurean Prince was extended for some additional frontcourt depth, and his contract looks like a nice potential trade chip. And keep an eye on Jaden McDaniels. He’s got a ton of potential and could be the team’s starting small forward in a lineup that would be absolutely enormous.

The Wolves have made the playoffs just twice since Kevin Garnett was traded 15 years ago. This group appears set to break that string with multiple appearances. The real question: Can Minnesota do more than just make the playoffs? That depends on the big guys and Edwards all hitting the top end of their potential.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Additions: Ousmane Dieng (2022 NBA Draft), Chet Holmgren (2022 NBA Draft), Jalen Williams (2022 NBA Draft), Jaylin Williams (2022 NBA Draft), Eugene Omoruyi (Two-Way)

Subtractions: Isaiah Roby (Spurs via waiver claim), Melvin Frazier Jr. (unrestricted free agent)

Remaining Acquisition Tools: $8.5 million of Non-Taxpayer MLE, $4.1 million Bi-Annual Exception

Analysis: It felt like this season the Thunder would start to take steps forward in their rebuild. Then one injury seems to have them back several steps.

Chet Holmgren, the second overall pick, will miss the entire season after a Lisfranc fracture suffered over the summer. That’s a blow to a team that was going to be mixing and matching in their frontcourt to figure out who fits together with Holmgren. Now, a year of on-court development is gone.

On the plus side, all of the Thunder’s other young pieces are ready to go. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey and Lu Dort (freshly re-signed to a five-year deal) are all over their injuries and ready to start the season. First rounder Jalen Williams will add to that mix, along with holdover Tre Mann to give Mark Daigneault a lot of options to play with in his backcourt.

Up front, despite Holmgren being out, Daigneault will attempt to work draft picks Ousmane Dieng and Jaylin Williams into a group that features a bunch of question marks. Darius Bazley is the most accomplished of the bunch and he’s still very much a question mark heading into Year 4. Aleksej Pokusevski has potential, but it’s mostly unrealized. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Aaron Wiggins both flashed as rookies, but need a lot more work. And Kenrich Williams was extended as the veteran of the group at the ripe old age of…27. But that’s a good thing, as Williams is an underrated player.

Oklahoma City was going to be bad again, but it was going to the kind of bad with a purpose. Now, part of that purpose is hard to define with Holmgren out. But the Thunder and Sam Presti are pretty good at making lemonades out of lemons.

There are a ton of minutes available in OKC and a lot of interesting young players competing for them. The competition for roster spots in the preseason should be pretty fierce. Even with Holmgren out, that’s a positive. Another year of development and likely another high draft pick are coming, and then maybe the Thunder start stepping forward in 2023.

Portland Trail Blazers

Additions: Drew Eubanks (free agency), Jerami Grant (trade), Gary Payton II (free agency), Shaedon Sharpe (2022 NBA Draft), Jabari Walker (2022 NBA Draft)

Subtractions: Eric Bledsoe (waived), C.J. Elleby (Timberwolves via free agency), Elijah Hughes (unrestricted free agent), Joe Ingles (Bucks via free agency), Didi Louzada (waived), Ben McLemore (unrestricted free agent), Keljin Blevins (unrestricted free agent)

Remaining Acquisition Tools: $6.5 million Traded Player Exception, $4.1 million Bi-Annual Exception

Analysis: The Trail Blazers season went off the rails last year. A rash of injuries sunk the team before they had a chance to really get started. That snapped a string of eight straight playoff appearances. If Portland has their way, that will be a one-year thing.

The Blazers acquired Jerami Grant to help shore up the team’s forward position. Grant can play both forward spots and should give Portland the best athlete they’ve had with Damian Lillard (who extended and added a couple more years to his deal through 2026-27) in a while. He wants a contract extension, but that seems to be in wait-and-see mode for the time being.

Portland also added Gary Payton II from the Warriors to improve the perimeter defense. Payton should fit in perfectly in a three-guard rotation with Lillard and Anfernee Simons. He can play with either guy and will defend the opponent’s best perimeter scorer on a nightly basis.

Speaking of Simons, he was one of two big re-signings by the Blazers. One of the primary beneficiaries of last season’s injuries, Simons took advantage of his extra minutes. He’s an incredibly talented offensive player who should fill the role C.J. McCollum held down for nearly a decade.

Jusuf Nurkic was the other key re-signing. Portland had no real way of replacing Nurkic if he had left, and they don’t have another player ready to step in for him. That meant the Blazers overpaid to re-sign him, but it’s hardly a cap-crippling deal. Plus, Nurkic has great chemistry with Lillard and that’s worth a good amount on its own.

Shaedon Sharpe was the “man of mystery” at the draft. The Blazers are betting he’ll pop in a similar way to Simons. It might take a year or two, but Sharpe has a ton of natural talent.

Overall, Portland looks to have a solid roster. If healthy, they’ll be in the playoff mix. But outside of a team or two unexpectedly slipping, it’s hard to see a path where the Trail Blazers aren’t having to make their way through the Play-In Tournament to start a new playoff streak.

Utah Jazz

Additions: Malik Beasley (trade), Patrick Beverley (trade (since traded to Lakers), Leandro Bolmaro (trade), Simone Fontecchio (free agency), Talen Horton-Tucker (trade), Stanley Johnson (trade), Walker Kessler (2022 NBA Draft rights trade), Jarred Vanderbilt (trade), Johnny Juzang (Two-Way)

Subtractions: Trent Forrest (Hawks via free agency), Rudy Gobert (Timberwolves via trade), Juancho Hernangomez (waived), Danuel House Jr. (76ers via free agency), Royce O’Neal (Nets via trade), Eric Paschall (Timberwolves via trade), Hassan Whiteside (unrestricted free agent)

Remaining Acquisition Tools: $9.7 million Traded Player Exception, $9.2 million Traded Player Exception, $7.3 million of Non-Taxpayer MLE, $4.1 million Bi-Annual Exception

Analysis: When he was running the Boston Celtics, Danny Ainge was tabbed with the moniker “Trader Danny” and he’s living up to that nickname with the Jazz. Ainge has kicked off a reset or rebuild for Utah. What will determine that designation is what happens with Donovan Mitchell.

Ainge traded two starters away already by sending Rudy Gobert to Minnesota and Royce O’Neale to Brooklyn. Gobert netted Utah a massive return of players and future draft picks, while O’Neale brought over another first round pick.

Now, Ainge has his eyes on trading Mitchell for another huge haul. The New York Knicks have been keen on adding Mitchell, and have picks and young players to offer. So far, the Knicks have held firm on not giving Utah the additional draft pick or picks and all the young players they seem to want. Still, most expect a deal to eventually get done because it makes too much sense for both parties.

The Jazz also flipped Patrick Beverley to the Los Angeles Lakers to take a flyer on Talen Horton-Tucker. The versatile guard has shown a ton of potential, but was blocked from getting more minutes in LA. That problem shouldn’t exist in Utah…eventually.

Once Ainge is able to trade Mitchell, he can focus on finding homes for a slew of veterans who have no place on a rebuilding team. Bojan Bogdanovic, Mike Conley, Jordan Clarkson, Rudy Gay and maybe even recently-acquired Malik Beasley could all have new homes before training camp starts. That’ll open up minutes for the younger players the Jazz will be evaluating all season.

This is the playbook Ainge used to rebuild the Celtics after trading away Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. He amassed draft picks in the initial trade and then kept adding to the hoard by flipping useful veterans for more picks.

It’s hard to fully evaluate the Utah roster, because everything feels unfinished. If Mitchell and the vets are still with the Jazz to start the season, they’ll be a competitive team towards the bottom of the Play-In mix. But that’s not what anyone in Utah wants.

The goal here is to bottom out and start over around kids and an overflowing treasure chest of draft picks. And if one of those picks turns out to be Victor Wembanyama or Scoot Henderson, so much the better. The years of being a solid playoff team, but no better, are gone in Utah. The Jazz are taking a big step backwards in hopes of eventually taking the biggest step forward they’ve ever taken.

The NBA offseason is basically behind us. Rosters are largely finished, despite a potential Donovan Mitchell trade still hanging around.

Teams are mostly adding camp players and angling for Affiliate Player rights to get them to their G League teams. A few notable free agents remain unsigned, but the vast majority of potential rotation players have been signed.

Now, it’s time to start looking towards the start of the 2022-23 season. With training camps opening in approximately one month, let’s start by looking back at what changes the 2022 offseason brought.

The Atlantic Division has a couple of title contenders, a solid playoff team, another that could be a solid playoff team and the most confusing team in the NBA. The Boston Celtics made the 2022 NBA Finals and hope that their additions will allow them finish the job this time around. The Philadelphia 76ers have added depth and defense around their star duo in hopes of finally finding playoff success. The Toronto Raptors have resisted breaking up their core and will be firmly in the playoff mix. In New York, the Knicks are still pushing for a Donovan Mitchell deal to supplement what was already a solid offseason. And then there are the Brooklyn Nets. The talent is there for a deep playoff run, but how long will it all hold together after a season and summer marked by absences and unhappiness?

Boston Celtics

Additions: Malcom Brogdon (trade), Danilo Gallinari (free agency), J.D. Davison (Two-Way), Mfiondu Kabengele (Two-Way)

Subtractions: Malik Fitts (Pacers via trade (since waived)), Juwan Morgan (Pacers via trade (since waived)), Aaron Nesmith (Pacers via trade), Nik Stauskas (Pacers via trade (since waived)), Daniel Theis (Pacers via trade), Matt Ryan (unrestricted free agent), Brodric Thomas (unrestricted free agent)

Remaining Acquisition Tools: Veteran Minimum Contracts, $6.9 million Traded Player Exception, $5.9 million Traded Player Exception

Analysis: The Celtics made only a couple of additions, but they were big ones that Boston hopes will help them get back to, and win, the NBA Finals. And with several roster spots still open, there is still some work left to do too.

Boston traded for Malcolm Brogdon in an attempt to clean up some of the ballhandling issues that infected the team during the playoffs. Brogdon’s ability to play on and off-ball, as well as his willingness to come off the bench, are also big for the team. And, Boston parted with no key rotation players to get Brogdon. Aaron Nesmith was stuck without enough time to develop on a contender, and Daniel Theis was only a semi-regular in the rotation.

In free agency, the Celtics signed Danilo Gallinari. The hope is that Gallinari, paired with Brogdon, will give Boston the bench scoring they lacked as they got deeper into the playoffs. An offseason meniscus injury has Gallinari’s availability somewhat in doubt, but the hope is he won’t miss much time.

Beyond that, the Eastern Conference champs are basically running it back. There are a slew of veterans reportedly joining Boston in a training camp battle for regular season roster spots. Someone out of the group of Bruno Caboclo, Noah Vonleh, Denzel Valentine and possibly Brodric Thomas and Matt Ryan, will emerge to snag a spot on the regular season roster.

Boston could use another big. Maybe they need another big wing if Gallinari is out for a while. But for now, that will all play itself out during camp and the early part of the regular season.

The Celtics still have some tradable assets available to them, if needed. They can match salary with relative ease in a deal for a high-salary player, or they can ship off a combination of young players in a deal with a rebuilding team. But, for now at least, Boston’s roster seems relatively set. They’ve added depth around their rotation mainstays and will start their title push with the group they’ve got.

Brooklyn Nets

Additions: Markieff Morris (free agency), Royce O’Neale (trade), Edmond Sumner (free agency), T.J. Warren (free agency), Alondes Williams (Two-Way)

Subtractions: LaMarcus Aldridge (unrestricted free agent), Bruce Brown Jr. (Nuggets via free agency), Goran Dragic (Bulls via free agency), Andre Drummond (Bulls via free agency), Blake Griffin (unrestricted free agent), David Duke Jr. (restricted free agent)

Remaining Acquisition Tools: $6.5 million Taxpayer MLE

Analysis: “Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing” is a line from Macbeth, but Shakespeare could have just as easily been writing about the Brooklyn Nets over the last year.

It’s not that the Nets did nothing, because Brooklyn made some solid pickups. But for the most part, after a lot of noise and speculation, the main news is that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are back in the fold and ready to go.

For months, Durant’s trade request, made in the moments just before free agency opened, lingered over the NBA. Some players and teams were paralyzed while waiting on a Durant deal to develop. A similar, but less impactful, process played out with Irving.

Now, both superstars are back in Brooklyn. For how long? That’s anyone’s guess.

With Durant and Irving, and a hopefully healthy Ben Simmons, the Nets have a solid nucleus for the upcoming season. There are availability questions, as all three have missed considerable time with injuries over the years, but it’s as a good a starting point as any team in the league.

Brooklyn re-signed Nic Claxton, Patty Mills and Kessler Edwards to start rounding out the rotation. Claxton has a clear runway to the starting center spot, while Mills should revert back to the high-end backup role he was always intended to play. The Nets will also welcome back Seth Curry and a healthy Joe Harris, which allows Steve Nash to put plenty of shooting around his All-Star trio.

Royce O’Neale was added to help upgrade the team’s wing defense. O’Neale slipped some while with the Jazz last year, but if he can find his form again, he’ll play plenty as one of the team’s better big wing defenders.

The Nets took a chance on a pair of former Pacers by signing T.J. Warren and Edmond Sumner. Both are coming off seasons that were lost to injury, but have shown plenty in the past. Warren will give the team some frontcourt scoring punch off the bench, assuming he can stay healthy. Sumner could be a bigger option for a backcourt that is comprised of mostly smaller players.

Perhaps because of waiting out the Durant trade request, Brooklyn’s roster feels a little unfinished. They added Markieff Morris as a veteran frontcourt option, but the Nets could still use more depth up front. They don’t have anything resembling a proven backup center option, and that’s a hole given Claxton is a first-time starter.

If everything comes, and holds, together, the Nets are title contenders. But they’ve got to get past a summer of unhappiness, while incorporating a lot of new faces. And then they have to stay healthy. That’s a lot of “ifs”, but the collection of talent can’t be overlooked in Brooklyn.

New York Knicks

Additions: Jalen Brunson (free agency), Isaiah Hartenstein (free agency), Trevor Keels (Two-Way)

Subtractions: Ryan Arcidiacono (unrestricted free agent), Alec Burks (Pistons via trade), Taj Gibson (Wizards via free agency), Nerlens Noel (Pistons via trade), Kemba Walker (Pistons via trade)

Remaining Acquisition Tools: $5.4 million Room Exception

Analysis: Roster changes weren’t numerous for the Knicks, but they were as impactful as any team in the NBA. New York rapidly moved on from previous free agent additions while upgrading at both point guard and center.

The offseason centered around adding Jalen Brunson. New York will probably get punished for tampering with the former Mavericks guard, but they’ll happily pay a second pick in exchange for Brunson leading the backcourt moving forward.

If Brunson looks like the player he was for a lot of last season but especially in the playoffs, no one will bat an eye at his $26 million average annual salary. Brunson is that good. And he fills a spot that’s been a long-term issue for the Knicks.

Up front, New York added Isaiah Hartenstein on one of the best value deals of the summer. Hartenstein is one of the better rim protectors in the league, and his offensive game has continued to develop. He’ll pair with a re-signed (if slightly overpaid) Mitchell Robinson to give the Knicks 48 minutes of quality center play.

To clear the space for Brunson and Hartenstein, New York salary-dumped the trio of Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel and Kemba Walker into the Detroit Pistons cap space. Injury and age-related issues made it unlikely any of the three would be major contributors for the Knicks this season. Essentially, New York didn’t lose much of anything in moving on here to make two major upgrades.

The next big decision was to ink RJ Barrett to a reported four-year, $120 million extension. While many are screaming about $30 million per season for Barrett, that lacks context. With the salary cap going up, that’s going to be the going rate for an All-Star level of player. And that’s exactly what Barrett should become over the next couple of seasons.

And, of course, the Knicks are still trying to get a Donovan Mitchell trade done. Most around the NBA expect this to happen, but it will have to wait until both New York ups their offer a bit, while the Utah Jazz simultaneously bring down their asking price a bit.

Assuming a Mitchell deal happens, New York will be in the mix for a top-six spot and an assured playoff spot. Without Mitchell, the Knicks are part of a pretty big group that will be fighting to make it through the Play-In Tournament. That’s the difference adding Mitchell will make in taking this from a pretty good offseason to an excellent one.

Philadelphia 76ers

Additions: Danuel House Jr. (free agency), De’Anthony Melton (trade), Trevelin Queen (free agency), P.J. Tucker (free agency), Julian Champagnie (Two-Way)

Subtractions: Danny Green (Grizzlies via trade), DeAndre Jordan (Nuggets via free agency), Paul Millsap (unrestricted free agent), Myles Powell (China via free agency)

Remaining Acquisition Tools: Veteran Minimum Contracts

Analysis: The Sixers are making a title run by shoring up their defense and depth in the front court and on the wing. And Daryl Morey turned to some familiar faces to do so.

P.J. Tucker was coaxed over from the Miami Heat with a three-year deal for the full Non-Taxpayer MLE. That deal could look a little sketchy in a year or two, but Tucker should hold his value for at least the next season. He’ll give Philadelphia a solid backup 4/5 or he could start at the 4 if Doc Rivers goes a little bigger to open games. Tucker has slipped just a bit against quicker perimeter players, but he can hold up against anyone else.

Danuel House was brought in to help defend the bigger wings that often gave the 76ers trouble. He got the Bi-Annual Exception, which is more than fair value for what House can do as a 3&D player. Trevelin Queen was also added as a bit of a flyer to do similar work to House. He flashed potential with the Houston Rockets while on a Two-Way last season, so Queen is someone to keep an eye on.

In the backcourt/wing mix, Philadelphia swapped Danny Green and a first-round pick to bring in De’Anthony Melton. Melton immediately becomes the team’s backup combo guard behind James Harden and Tyrese Maxey. He should be an upgrade over Shake Milton, who was previously tasked with that role.

All of these additions were made possible by James Harden opting out and taking significantly less in a new deal. That freed up the necessary cap and tax flexibility for Morey to add to the roster. Harden signed a two-year, $68.6 million contract, but everyone expects he’ll opt out and then sign a long-term deal for max money next summer.

None of the players Philadelphia lost will likely have much of an impact. The team didn’t replace DeAndre Jordan with another veteran center, and that’s one of the few holes the Sixers still have to fill. Given Joel Embiid’s injury history, you’d like to have a proven veteran behind him. That’s something Morey can address down the line, if necessary.

It remains to be seen if Harden’s sacrifice will be worth it or not, but this is the best roster Philadelphia has taken into a season in a while. Everyone is healthy and hungry to advance beyond the second round. If Harden is back near his MVP form, the 76ers are title contenders. If not, they’re capped as a good, but not great playoff team.

Toronto Raptors

Additions: Juancho Hernangomez (free agency), Christian Koloko (2022 NBA Draft), Otto Porter Jr. (free agency), D.J. Wilson (free agency), Jeff Dowtin (Two-Way), Ron Harper Jr. (Two-Way)

Subtractions: Isaac Bonga (Germany via free agency), Armoni Brooks (waived), Svi Mykhailiuk (waived), Yuta Watanabe (Nets via free agency), David Johnson (restricted free agent)

Remaining Acquisition Tools: $2.99 million of Non-Taxpayer MLE, $4.1 million Bi-Annual Exception, $5.25 million Traded Player Exception

Analysis: Toronto had an eventful offseason, but is mostly running back the same squad as last year’s talented team. Team president Masai Ujiri waded into trade talks for a couple of superstars, but held firm on keeping players the Raptors have put a high value on.

Scottie Barnes was deemed off limits in trade talks after he won 2022 Rookie of the Year. That’s a reasonable, and likely prudent, decision. Barnes is already good and still overflowing with potential to be better. Toronto has put a less firm, but still solid, stake in the ground on not trading OG Anunoby either.

Barnes and Anunoby, alongside veterans Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr give the Raptors a tough, versatile starting group on both ends of the floor. Behind them, Ujiri has done a good job giving Nick Nurse options to play both big and small, depending on what matchups call for.

The Raptors signed Thaddeus Young to a two-year extension, but left the second season most non-guaranteed should Young age out faster than expected. The team also re-signed Chris Boucher for additional frontcourt depth. Boucher has been a little all over the map, but if he can find consistency with his shot, he’ll be well worth the three-year, $35 million deal he got.

The most important new face is Toronto adding Otto Porter Jr. to their never-ending collection of forwards. How Porter fits in a crowded group at the forward spot is something Nurse will have to work out, but he’s on an excellent value contract.

Ujiri may not have swung a deal for Kevin Durant or Donovan Mitchell or Rudy Gobert, but that doesn’t mean he’s not working on something. The Raptors are set to trade from a position of strength, especially at the 3-5 spots. When it’s time to go all in for a star, Ujiri will be able put together a solid package, while still leaving Toronto with plenty of depth.

Until then, the Raptors are a really good team. They’re a tier below the best teams in the Eastern Conference, but it won’t take much to make the step up. If Barnes develops, or they make a big trade, Toronto will be in the mix to make a deep playoff run.

The NBA offseason is basically behind us. Rosters are largely finished, despite the Los Angeles Lakers making a late push to rebuild their roster ahead of training camp and a Donovan Mitchell trade still floating around.

Teams are mostly adding camp players and angling for Affiliate Player rights to get them to their G League teams. A few notable free agents remain unsigned, but the vast majority of potential rotation players have been signed.

Now, it’s time to start looking towards the start of the 2022-23 season. With training camps opening in approximately one month, let’s start by looking back at what changes the 2022 offseason brought.

The Pacific Division is the home of the defending champions, the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors got fully back on track with a mostly-healthy season and won their fourth title in the last eight years. The champs fully intend to contend again this coming season. The Phoenix Suns slid back to the pack just a bit and missed out on a second straight Finals berth, but they’ll be back as contenders. The LA Clippers have to be healthier this season. If so, the Clips have the deepest roster in the NBA, and give the division a third title contender. The Los Angeles Lakers are less deep, but any team with LeBron James and Anthony Davis is starting from a good place. And if they can swing another late deal, they’ll be positioned to contend again. And then we have the Sacramento Kings. They aren’t quite on par with the rest of the division, but Sacramento isn’t a laughingstock anymore either. They’ve got a talented roster that is hungry is to win.

Golden State Warriors

Additions: Patrick Baldwin Jr. (2022 NBA Draft), Donte DiVincenzo (free agency), JaMychal Green (free agency), Ryan Rollins (2022 NBA Draft), Lester Quinones (Two-Way)

Subtractions: Nemanja Bjelica (Turkey via free agency), Andre Iguodala (unrestricted free agent), Damion Lee (Suns via free agency), Gary Payton II (Trail Blazers via free agency), Otto Porter Jr. (Raptors via free agency), Juan Toscano-Anderson (Lakers via free agency), Chris Chiozza (unrestricted free agent)

Remaining Acquisition Tools: Veteran Minimum Contracts

Analysis: The Warriors mainstays are all back. Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson are back to make another run at a fifth title. Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole have grown into All-Star level players and are also back. In addition, Golden State re-signed Kevon Looney. That’s the top-six players in the rotation that are all returning.

It’s after that where things will look different. The Warriors lost key rotation players in Gary Payton II and Otto Porter Jr. They also lost some of their deeper bench players who have all had moments in Damion Lee, Juan Toscano-Anderson and Nemanja Bjelica.

The only major additions Golden State brought in were Donte DiVincenzo and JaMychal Green. In effect, they’ll replace Payton and Porter. DiVincenzo was finding his way with the Bucks before an injury caused him to miss Milwaukee’s title run and a large chunk of last season. If healthy, he’ll be a shooting and playmaking weapon alongside Poole in the Warriors backcourt. Green is starting to slow down, but he’ll give the team a solid 10-15 minutes a night at the 4 or the 5.

The main difference for the Warriors this year is that their kids like James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody should have a runway to more minutes. If one of two of them pop, Golden State will have added depth for this upcoming season and a bridge to the post-Curry/Green/Thompson years.

This is a key year for Golden State. Ownership has made waves about curbing some of the record spending that occurs every year. That could see major roster upheaval happen next summer. But for this season, the Warriors should be right back in the mix for another championship.

LA Clippers

Additions: John Wall (free agency), Moussa Diabate (Two-Way)

Subtractions: Isaiah Hartenstein (Knicks via free agency), Rodney Hood (unrestricted free agent), Jay Scrubb (waived)

Remaining Acquisition Tools: Veteran Minimum Contracts

Analysis: The Clippers offseason didn’t involve a lot of roster changes. But that doesn’t mean they’ll look like the same team next season.

John Wall finally worked a buyout with the Houston Rockets and he signed on with LA. Wall will likely back up Reggie Jackson initially, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Wall eventually take over the starting role. He reportedly looks healthy and feels good. Wall’s a candidate for a bounce-back season.

The team’s lone loss in free agency was a big one. When the Clips committed the Taxpayer MLE to Wall, Isaiah Hartenstein left for a bigger deal from the New York Knicks. That leaves LA shorthanded at the center spot behind Ivica Zubac. That’s something the team may eventually need to address beyond camp signing Moses Brown.

Speaking of Zubac, he was one of four Clippers veterans to land a new contract. Joining Zubac in reupping in Los Angeles were Nic Batum, Amir Coffey and Robert Covington. That foursome, along with the return of some injured stars gives Ty Lue the deepest roster in the NBA.

With Kawhi Leonard set to return and Paul George healthy after an injury-plagued season, the Clippers have star power and depth. There are at least 12 legitimate NBA players on this roster. Lue will have his work cut out for him to keep everyone happy with enough minutes. But LA will likely liberally rest players, making that an easier task than it seems.

The goal for the Clippers is to win the franchise’s first title. With a such a deep roster, anything but a Finals run will be a disappointment.

Los Angeles Lakers

Additions: Patrick Beverley (trade), Troy Brown Jr. (free agency), Thomas Bryant (free agency), Max Christie (2022 NBA Draft), Damian Jones (free agency), Juan Toscano-Anderson (free agency), Lonnie Walker IV (free agency), Scotty Pippen Jr. (Two-Way), Cole Swider (Two-Way)

Subtractions: Carmelo Anthony (unrestricted free agent), D.J. Augustin (unrestricted free agent), Kent Bazemore (Kings via free agency), Avery Bradley (unrestricted free agent), Wayne Ellington (unrestricted free agent), Talen Horton-Tucker (Jazz via trade), Dwight Howard (unrestricted free agent), Stanley Johnson (Jazz via trade), Mason Jones (unrestricted free agent), Mac McClung (Warriors via free agency), Malik Monk (Kings via free agency)

Remaining Acquisition Tools: Veteran Minimum Contracts

Analysis: The Lakers continued their quest to build another title team around LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Yes, Russell Westbrook is still in Los Angeles, but just about everyone else is gone.

After signing a bunch of veterans to one-year contracts a year ago, the Lakers let most of those same players leave this summer. In their places, LA went younger and more versatile. That alone should be an upgrade.

Leading the new-look Lakers will be Darvin Ham. After years of being an assistant to watch, Ham finally landed his first head coaching gig. It seems long overdue, as Ham appears to be more than ready for the bright lights of Los Angeles.

To this point, the biggest on-court addition for the Lakers was their most recent one. After a deal for Kyrie Irving never came together, Rob Pelinka traded for Patrick Beverley to give them team some additional guard depth. Beverley is easily the best perimeter defender on the roster, and he’s a good off-ball player as a cutter and shooter.

The Lakers had to give up Talen Horton-Tucker, but there wasn’t room or a fit for him in the team’s rotation. He was an on-ball creator on a team that already features several of those. Stanley Johnson was the best wing defender the Lakers have, but he was poised to be supplanted in the rotation anyway.

Of the free agent additions, they can be lumped into two categories: wings and centers.

The Lakers added Lonnie Walker IV to give the team the scoring punch they lost when Malik Monk headed to the Kings. Juan Toscano-Anderson should replace Johnson as the team’s energetic wing defender. And Troy Brown Jr. has talent, but he’s never put it all together. If he can just focus on getting out and filling lanes on the break and finding shooting space, Brown might finally pop.

Up front, Los Angeles went younger and more skilled by bringing back a couple of familiar faces. Thomas Bryant and Damian Jones are solid, if unspectacular centers. Bryant brings a good offensive game, but he’s not much of a defender. Jones has been a decent rim protector and rebounder. Overall, they should make a productive platoon.

Still, you get the sense this roster isn’t finished. Westbrook is still very available in trade. The Lakers have recently made it known they’re willing to trade both of their tradable first round picks in 2027 and 2029 if they can get back rotation upgrades. That’ll probably continue to drag on until the trade deadline, if Westbrook isn’t moved.

As is, the Lakers aren’t title contenders. In a deep Western Conference, it’ll be a fight for them to even make the playoffs. If they can flip Westbrook and bring back a couple of rotation players, then they’ll have the depth to make a run at a top-six spot and an assured playoff spot. If they do that and stay healthy, Los Angeles could even make a run at the Finals.

Phoenix Suns

Additions: Jock Landale (trade), Damion Lee (free agency), Josh Okogie (free agency), Duane Washington Jr. (Two-Way)

Subtractions: Aaron Holiday (Hawks via free agency), Gabriel Lundberg (Italy via free agency), JaVale McGee (Mavericks via free agency)

Remaining Acquisition Tools: $6.5 million Taxpayer MLE

Analysis: Phoenix didn’t change much. They were a perplexing Game 7 blowout loss from making it back to the Western Conference Finals. Despite some drama with Deandre Ayton, the Suns are basically running it back with the group that made the 2021 NBA Finals.

Ayton’s restricted free agency hung over the summer longer than most expected. Phoenix held firm that they would give Ayton a four-year max deal, but wouldn’t go to a five-year deal. The Suns also said they’d match any offer sheets Ayton signed, and that’s exactly what they did. Now, Phoenix has Ayton on a slightly less expensive four-year deal after matching the Indiana Pacers offer sheet, than they would have from paying Ayton outright.

Still, keeping Ayton was the correct move. He’s not perfect, but Ayton fits in well with Chris Paul and Devin Booker and is one of the better scoring/rebounding centers in the league. Phoenix should be happy they’ve still got the young big man in the fold.

The Suns re-signed Bismack Biyombo to back up Ayton, while letting JaVale McGee walk for more money in free agency. Biyombo had a career resurgence last season, and he’ll be fine for 10-15 minutes a night behind Ayton.

Returning to the frontcourt mix this season should be Dario Saric. He missed the entirety of last season after tearing his ACL in the 2021 NBA Finals. If healthy, Saric gives Monty Williams a versatile offensive player to throw in the frontcourt mix.

Phoenix brought in Damion Lee, fresh off a title with the Golden State Warriors, and Josh Okogie to give the team some additional wing depth. At times, injuries caused Williams to play imbalanced lineups last season. Lee and Okogie should provide some decent depth, should that issue arise again.

There really isn’t much else to say. If healthy, the Suns are title contenders. They’ve got all the ingredients a championship team needs. And they’ve got enough tradable contracts to address any holes that crop up during the year. The title window might not stay open long in Phoenix, but they seem to be making the most of it while it is open.

Sacramento Kings

Additions: Kent Bazemore (free agency), Quinn Cook (free agency), Matthew Dellavedova (free agency), Kevin Huerter (trade), Sam Merrill (free agency), Chima Moneke (free agency), Malik Monk (free agency), Keegan Murray (2022 NBA Draft), KZ Okpala (free agency), Keon Ellis (Two-Way)

Subtractions: Donte DiVincenzo (Warriors via free agency), Maurice Harkless (Hawks via trade), Justin Holiday (Hawks via trade), Josh Jackson (unrestricted free agent), Damian Jones (Lakers via free agency), Jeremy Lamb (unrestricted free agent)

Remaining Acquisition Tools: $4.1 million of Bi-Annual Exception

Analysis: Sacramento isn’t content with being the “same old Kings” anymore. They might not make the playoffs this season, but it won’t be for lack of trying.

The Kings added several rotation upgrades this summer that should make them a more competitive squad all the way through the regular season. And they didn’t sacrifice much in terms of future flexibility to do it either.

Keegan Murray landed in Sacramento at the draft and he already looks like a keeper. Murray can shoot, score and rebound at the forward position. He’s got the ideal player to learn from alongside him in Harris Barnes. Early on, Murray looks like a draft win for the Kings.

Sacramento upgraded their shooting and wing scoring by signing Malik Monk and trading for Kevin Huerter. Monk is the best shooter on the roster, and after a year playing with LeBron James, Monk knows how to get open to find his shots.

Huerter should be an ideal fit next to De’Aaron Fox in the backcourt. He’s got great size, he’s a better defender than most think, and Huerter is a good passer too. Like Monk, he’s also become adept at playing off-ball and drifting into spots where playmakers can find him for shots.

The Kings are going to get a full season with Domantas Sabonis, after last year’s deadline deal brought the All-Star big man to Sacramento. Sabonis’ passing and scoring should allow new head coach Mike Brown and staff to get creative with their offensive sets. They can run the offense through Sabonis or Fox, while players like Huerter, Barnes, Murray and Monk can play the role of secondary creators.

Brown should also bring better organization to the Kings defense. Sacramento isn’t flush with good defenders yet, but they should execute better with some sound schemes. It’s a start and one that should be miles better than what we’ve seen recently.

The playoff drought might not be quite ready to end, but this Kings squad should be firmly in the mix all year. If a team or two stumbles, and things come together quickly in Sacramento, a trip to the Play-In Tournament should be in the offing. That would be a good step forward for a franchise that hasn’t seen the postseason in any form in nearly two decades.