It has been an amazing display of perseverance and talent throughout the entire 2nd round and in the Conference Finals in this year’s NBA Playoffs.
And with the NBA Finals set between the Oklahoma City Thunder going up against the Indiana Pacers, let’s make a quick suggestion on what the other eliminated teams can do this off-season.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Despite finishing the 1st seed in the East with a record of 64-18 and sweeping the Miami Heat during the 1st round, the Cavs lost in a gentleman sweep against the Pacers.
The solution to their problem appears to be very simple: find a superstar small forward. Yes, De’Andre Hunter was a fantastic pick for them, but in the series against Indiana, he couldn’t do much, and his numbers have decreased compared to his regular-season statline.
Aside from upgrading their starting forward spot, De’Andre Hunter shows potential to develop into a solid sixth man off the bench. They might want to find a better three-point shooter in exchange for Max Strus and Sam Merrill. They may try to find a solid 3rd center that can help both Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley while they are on the bench.
Golden State Warriors
Warriors fans know how painful it is to accept this reality, especially since many expected this assessment to come sooner after the team acquired Jimmy Butler.
Still on the topic of Jimmy Butler, his scoring isn’t what it used to be. Yes, his defense is still at an elite level even at the age of 35 years old, but what the Warriors this off-season is a big man that can score in all areas of the floor.
Nikola Vucevic? Kristaps Porzingis? Nic Claxton? Brook Lopez?
Thankfully, Jonathan Kuminga has increased his market value in the last 4 games against the Minnesota Timberwolves, so the Warriors can do a “sign and trade” for him. They could also include Moses Moody in the package.
Whoever they choose, there are a lot of options to come on July 6 during the NBA Free Agent Signing.
Boston Celtics
There wouldn’t be any banner number #19 for the Boston Celtics as they failed to do a repeat.
I mean, many people can make a case that they could have won it in seven games with a healthy Jayson Tatum, but the issue is deeper than that.
They should get rid of both Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, and Sam Hauser this off-season. Luke Kornet could very much be their starting center since he has proved he’s more useful than Kristaps. Jrue, similar to Butler, is still an elite-level defender, but at his age, the Celtics may want to look at the available talent they can have for a better, younger defender.
Jacob Poeltl? Bruce Brown? Hmm?
They can include Sam Hauser in exchange for a couple of 1st or 2nd round picks.
Denver Nuggets
The 2023 NBA Champs had to endure two Game 7 series before getting eliminated in the 2nd round by the hands of OKC.
Their top priority this off-season is to get rid of Michael Porter Jr. His three-point shooting had become an eye sore for them in the series against the Thunder. For sure, there are some quality forwards that have their contracts have expired that they can try and sign.
I do think that having Russell Westbrook is actually a great thing for them. In all of the teams that Russ went after his stint in OKC, it was the Denver Nuggets where it looked like he was a great fit of all.
They may also try to look for a solid 6th man off the bench in exchange for Peyton Watson and Julian Strawther.
Jordan Clarkson, maybe? Cam Johnson?
Minnesota Timberwolves
After upsetting LeBron James and the rest of the LA Lakers in 5 games, as well as Jimmy Butler and the entire Golden State. Anthony Edwards got a taste of his own medicine when OKC beat them in 5.
It appears that one of the areas they might want to explore is adding players to their rotation. Thankfully, Terrence Shanon Jr. has shown that he can hoop in the world’s best basketball league.
So, trade him for a solid star player off the bench, along with some good rotational players and high draft picks.
My suggestion, try and get Kevin Durant out of his “complex” situation at the Phoenix Suns.
New York Knicks
After 25 years, the Knicks got back in the Eastern Conference Finals, only to be eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in 6 games.
There’s no doubt that Coach Tom Thibodeau is the right man for the job, but one major flaw that he has is not utilizing his bench well enough to give his starters enough rest. Players like Laundry Shamet, Delon Wright, and Precious Achua can turn into like…
Khris Middleton, Marcus Smart, CJ McCollum, or even DeAndre Ayton could be potential names they can get off the bench.
The truth of the matter is, a team simply cannot win an NBA championship using only 7 players throughout an entire 48 minutes of basketball.
