One move every NBA non-playoff team should make this offseason

While the NBA playoffs are heating up, fans of 14 teams will ponder what their franchises will do to get their teams back into the postseason. The additional time to strategize and plan should give front offices ample time to think about their next moves. We’ll suggest one action each of these teams should take. All statistics are sourced from Basketball Reference.

The Pistons have been interested in acquiring centers who haven’t panned out in other stops. The Detroit Free Press has joked about this preference. Marvin Bagley, James Wiseman, and the continuing leash Isaiah Stewart has comes to mind. Detroit dealt Bagley at the deadline, and should consider different types of versatile players in their frontcourt to play with Jalen Duren.

Bleacher Report wrote that Kuzma rejected a trade to the Dallas Mavericks at the deadline this year to stay in Washington. Unfortunately, that decision kept Washington in limbo with regard to properly rebuilding their franchise. The Wizards will need to try harder to get Kuzma to accept a deal that brings the franchise young assets or draft capital in return.

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GiveMeSport has talked about how well Brandon Miller played in his first NBA season. Charlotte should continue to build around the small forward, but should take steps to ensure he plays with a true table-setter. LaMelo Ball would be that player, but has only suited up in 58 games over the last two years. The Hornets should target an affordable veteran point guard as insurance.

Sports Illustrated has already reported that Billups will be returning to coach the Blazers for a fourth season in 2024-2025. While he had a tremendous career as a player, Billups has won just 32 percent of his games leading the Blazers. Portland didn’t have success with Billups when Damian Lillard was running the show, and their young players didn’t quite jump off the page this year, either.

Yahoo Sports and Sporting News have delved into whether Victor Wembanyama had one of the greatest rookie seasons ever. The fact that this is being discussed means that San Antonio shouldn’t wait too long to put significant pieces around the French prodigy. Bringing in a star point guard like Garland to pair with Wembanyama should be a priority this offseason.

The Raptors’ roster changed noticeably during the 2023-2024 campaign, as general manager Masai Ujiri wanted to change the direction Toronto was headed in. Their team now has a few intriguing young pieces, such as Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, and R.J. Barrett. Bringing in a veteran that knows his role to fit in around and lead this bunch would be a good idea.

The Grizzlies were snake-bite by injuries this season, and never really got a chance to see what their team would look like. Memphis shouldn’t make any drastic changes in the offseason, but bringing in an experienced center could help round out their team. Someone like Andre Drummond or Isaiah Hartenstein could fit nicely, especially if the latter’s asking price isn’t too high.

KSL Sports wondered in February 2023 whether the Jazz could build a dynasty with draft picks. That remains to be seen, but trading Clarkson for additional bites at the draft apple would make a lot of sense. The guard is one of the better heat-check options in the NBA, who would be better served to provide a spark off the bench for a contender.

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It’s not one move per se, but it’s a philosophy that Brooklyn should embrace. Bleacher Report believes the Nets should go after Donovan Mitchell, while Sports Illustrated thinks they should target Trae Young. Neither of these players would make a franchise-altering difference, so Brooklyn should continue to collect draft capital and develop from within.

While the previous suggestion for Brooklyn admonished trading for Young, Atlanta should look to move their All-Star guard. His skills are hard to ignore, but his fit on a winning team is tough to visualize, despite the Hawks making an Eastern Conference Finals run in 2021. CBS Sports believes the time to trade Young is now.

The Bulls have been mired in mediocrity for the last few seasons. Nikola Vucevic and DeMar DeRozan are solid players in their own right, but have shown that they aren’t going to get Chicago into playoff contention. Sports Illustrated posited in January whether it would make sense for the Bulls to trade DeRozan to the Golden State Warriors.

The Rockets are in an interesting spot. They have a boatload of young talent on the roster, all of whom warrant playing time. However, Houston may have performed better than expected this season, and may want to take a bolder step in order to be a playoff team in 2024-2025. The Rockets were towards the bottom of the NBA in three-point percentage, so adding a shooter makes sense here.

The Warriors are going to have to make some tough decisions this offseason. They’ll have to look long and hard at retaining or relinquishing Klay Thompson, and/or moving on from Green. According to Bleacher Report, Green’s tantrums have gotten tiresome with Golden State. The Warriors could use Green as an asset to acquire a couple of rotational pieces.

The Kings and Grizzlies might target the same type of player this offseason. Sacramento has had success going somewhat small with Keegan Murray playing at power forward and Domantas Sabonis starting at center, but it would be ideal for them to have more size at their disposal. Sports Illustrated urged the franchise to find a player of that ilk before the season started.

What other moves do you think the non-playoff teams should make? Let us know in the comments section!

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