Golden State Warriors
Needs: Depth
Picks: 2, 48, 51
Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins: all of those guys are back, but it’s a really top heavy roster. Outside of those players, only two (Kevon Looney and Jordan Poole) make over 2 million per year. That helps to illustrate how thin this roster is right now. The team was bad last season because of injuries, and if they get bit by the injury bug again, they could struggle once more. That’s why this offseason is important for them to build out their depth chart and they have the ammunition to make it happen. With the second pick, the Warriors could take somebody such as Anthony Edwards if he were to be available. And if not, it’s widely believed that they would prefer to trade out for an instant impact player or players and a later pick. In most years, the second pick could net a team a very good player. This year, the Warriors have a challenge to come away with a star in the deal. Some names that have been floated are Nikola Vucevic of Orlando and LaMarcus Aldridge (35) of the Spurs, but those deals while fun to consider, are unlikely. If Edwards goes first and the team is unable to make a deal to their liking, some potential options include Obi Toppin, James Wiseman, or Deni Avdija. Wiseman is the player most often linked to their pick, but likely wouldn’t be as good a fit as Toppin, who has more shooting ability and star potential. LaMelo Ball doesn’t appear to be a good fit with their current window of opportunity, culture or roster.
Los Angeles Clippers
Needs: Center, point guard
Picks: 57
Wow, life comes at you fast. It wasn’t very long ago that Paul George was a legit MVP candidate. Now, he’s better known as “Wayoff P” after looking like Patrick Ewing in Space Jam after the Mon-Stars stole his talent. Kawhi was lauded as a low-maintenance superstar and the architect of the newest super team. Now, stories surround the franchise of him getting preferential treatment that angered some teammates. Doc Rivers was seen as a really good coach with championship acumen, and now he’s known as the coach of the 76ers. This was a team that seemed to have the Nuggets dead to rights with a trip to the conference finals on the horizon. Now, they have to figure out how to put enough around Leonard and George to make this team a title contender. Montrezl Harrell underachieved in the postseason after being one of the premiere bench players in the league. Patrick Beverley remains a hard-nosed defender, but the Clippers would benefit from a guard that is able to run the team a bit more fluidly on the offensive end. Instead, their guards are Beverley and scorer Louis Williams – both good players, but not the ideal fit alongside the two Clipper stars. They also need to decide if Ivica Zubac is going to be their center moving forward. There were times in the postseason that he was legitimately unplayable, but the team is in a position where there isn’t much they can do to improve their roster beyond the Mid-Level Exception. I could see them getting a quality player looking to hunt a championship with the exception, but will it be enough to unseat the Lakers as the best team in their city?
Los Angeles Lakers
Needs: Point guard, center, shooting
Picks: 28
The Lakers are the champs and they will be bringing back LeBron James and Anthony Davis. For that reason alone, they will be contenders next season as long as they are healthy. However, a repeat is no sure thing, because the team could lose some very important pieces from that team. Rajon Rondo, Dwight Howard, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope all played significant roles on the path to the title, but are not guaranteed to return to LA for next season. Losing any of those players will hurt the Lakers, losing multiple would be far worse. Now, like the Clippers, they have the Mid-Level Exception and I’m sure there will be really good players begging to take a cheap deal with the Lakers to chase a ring. The Lakers should be fine, but they also can’t just sit back and prop their feet up this offseason. They need to identify their options and see what’s available to them to enhance their team. They also have the 28th pick in the draft, which could net them a player such as Arizona’s Zeke Nnaji, Kentucky’s Immanuel Quickley, Washington’s Isaiah Stewart, or Texas Tech’s Jahmius Ramsey. If they can find a rookie late in the draft that can come in and give them quality minutes off the bench and net a quality veteran in free agency, you have to like their chances at a potential repeat next season.
Phoenix Suns
Needs: Athletic power forward
Picks: 10
What did we witness from this team in the bubble? Like, seriously, where did that come from? As strange as 2020 has been, the Suns suddenly becoming world beaters (and getting absolutely no reward as a result) has got to be among the strangest. Devin Booker showed that he could not only get his, but also lead his team to wins. Now, if that can continue or if it was just an oddity combined with a small sample size is yet to be determined, but it’s got to be encouraging for the Suns. They have their star in Booker, a young, developing big in Deandre Ayton, a secondary scorer in Kelly Oubre, and a serviceable point guard in Ricky Rubio. Now, with the 10th pick, they will look to take a step forward towards becoming a playoff contender and show that the bubble was the new norm in Phoenix. As a team that really struggled to change shots at the rim and doesn’t rebound especially well, the Suns should target an athletic power forward that can help them in those areas without clogging the paint for Ayton. Florida State’s Patrick Williams would also be an excellent fit on this roster. Because both of those players could potentially be gone by the tenth pick, I could see the Suns helping the Warriors facilitate a trade involving the second pick, not by acquiring the pick themselves, but by taking on salary and picking up additional draft capital in the process. Because they aren’t a premiere free agency destination, it could be a wise way to utilize their salary cap space.
Sacramento Kings
Needs: Everything except point guard
Picks: 12, 35, 43, 52
The Kings seem to be a bit stuck at the moment. They have a really good young point guard in De’Aaron Fox, but the roster around him is not what they thought it would be when they put it together. Buddy Hield has been good, but is unhappy in Sacramento, which puts them in the always tough position of dealing from a position of weakness if they do opt to trade him. Marvin Bagley is athletic, but has dealt with injuries and has not produced the way someone with his physical gifts probably should. Bogdan Bogdanovic is a free agent, and Harrison Barnes has been good for them, but makes more than what his production would warrant. The Kings need to hit on their lottery pick if they want to turn it around, because they don’t have the salary cap space (or the allure) to draw a big time difference maker in free agency. With their 12th pick, look for them to target somebody they feel can come in and give them an offensive spark. Some possible options include Aaron Nesmith of Vanderbilt, Jalen Smith of Maryland or Saddiq Bey of Villanova. Ultimately, the Kings aren’t poised to compete for anything truly meaningful this season, so it’s in their best interest to build their roster the right way, because skipping steps will do nothing but prolong their playoff drought.
