What will the offseason look like?
This article brings us from draft night to the opening night rosters for the following 2020-21 regular season including the draft, every free agent signing, and every trade that I see coming. The final rosters do not include the two-way contracts as those are so unrealistic to even predict, but the final 15-man rosters are provided.
The biggest thing to remember is I’m using a $109.14 million salary cap and $139 million luxury tax threshold which assumes a cap smoothing is agreed to. I took into account where each team is and where they will be looking to improve based on their direction this offseason.
This isn’t to just make the best team possible for all 30 teams or even what I think each team SHOULD do this offseason. This is more so what I expect to see each team do. I hope you enjoy the 2020 offseason.
See NBA Draft: https://thesportscrazy.com/2020/09/05/2020-mock-off-season-nba-draft/
See Southeast Division: https://thesportscrazy.com/2020/09/11/southeast-division-mock-off-season/
Boston Celtics
Roster
Onyeka Okongwu
Cassius Stanley
Trey Lyles
Kemba Walker
Gordon Hayward
Marcus Smart
Jayson Tatum
Jaylen Brown
Daniel Theis
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
Carsen Edwards
Robert Williams
Grant Williams
Bismack Biyombo
Who they re-signed:
None
Who they signed in FA:
Boston Celtics sign Trey Lyles to 1 year, league minimum contract
Boston Celtics sign Rondae Hollis-Jefferson to 1 year, league minimum contract
Boston Celtics sign Bismack Biyombo to 1 year, league minimum contract
Trades they made:
Boston Celtics trade 14th Overall Draft Pick, 26th Overall Draft Pick and 30th Overall Draft Pick to the Washington Wizards for 9th Overall Draft Pick
Boston Celtics trade Enes Kanter and Romeo Langford to the Charlotte Hornets for Top 55 protected second round draft pick
Who they drafted:
Onyeka Okongwu (9th)
Cassius Stanley (47th)
Other moves:
Jayson Tatum re-signed to MAX Extension
Stretch-waive Vincent Poirier
Summary:
The Celtics manage to get out of the luxury tax and still upgrade on defense with savvy veteran signings and moving up to get a near perfect fit in the draft out of Onyeka Okongwu. The biggest concern here, though, is getting outright below the luxury tax as you will see is kind of a theme here. Boston just needs to develop mostly into the team we expect them to. An off-season without many significant changes reflects that.
Brooklyn Nets
Roster
Jalen Smith
Kevin Durant
Kyrie Irving
Spencer Dinwiddie
DeAndre Jordan
Taurean Prince
Caris LeVert
Jarrett Allen
Dzanan Musa
Rodions Kurucs
Nicolas Claxton
Jahmi’us Ramsey
Skal Labissiere
Isaiah Thomas
Who they re-signed:
None
Who they signed in FA:
Brooklyn Nets sign Skal Labissiere to 1 year, league minimum contract
Brooklyn Nets sign Isaiah Thomas to 1 year, league minimum contract
Trades they made:
Brooklyn Nets trade 55th Overall Draft Pick, 2021 Atlanta Hawks Second Round Draft Pick and Cash to the Washington Wizards for the 35th Overall Draft Pick
Who they drafted:
Jalen Smith (19)
Jahmi’us Ramsey (35)
Other moves:
None
Summary:
The Nets do lose Joe Harris, but I think the Hawks priced them out with an offer just big enough to outweigh the difference he makes. Similar to how the Celtics above biggest thing is development, the Nets decide to go with an inside approach as well and hoping for health. They stay below the luxury tax outright which is huge for flexibility next off-season if they can get creative to add talent. This team healthy is a lot more talented than people realize.
New York Knicks
Roster
Devin Vassell
Paul Reed Jr.
Chris Paul
R.J. Barrett
Frank Ntilikina
Tony Snell
Derrick Rose
Mitchell Robinson
Theo Pinson
Ignas Brazdeikis
Nemanja Bjelica
Carmelo Anthony
Taj Gibson
Harry Giles
Tre Jones
Who they re-signed:
New York Knicks re-sign Taj Gibson to 1 year, league minimum contract
Who they signed in FA:
New York Knicks sign Carmelo Anthony to 1 year, $3.3 Million contract
New York Knicks sign Harry Giles to 1 year, Cap MLE
Trades they made:
New York Knicks trade Kevin Knox and Dennis Smith Jr. to the Detroit Pistons for Tony Snell and Derrick Rose
New York Knicks trade Julius Randle and 2021 Dallas Mavericks First Round Draft Pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Chris Paul
New York Knicks trade 2021 Detroit Pistons Second Round Draft Pick and 2021 Charlotte Hornets Second Round Draft Pick to the Sacramento Kings for Nemanja Bjelica
Who they drafted:
Devin Vassell (8)
Paul Reed Jr. (27)
Tre Jones (38)
Other moves:
Waived Taj Gibson
Waived Elfrid Payton
Waive Wayne Ellington
Waive Reggie Bullock
Summary:
The Knicks don’t lose a ton of assets here, but in the process become a team that could do well now. I think tanking for the right pick is a bad idea in general and the Knicks take a try to get the young kids playoff experience. Replacing Randle with Chris Paul is a big deal for the development of Barrett and Robinson especially under a coach upgrade. They draft solid tough players that Thibodeau could develop as well. Kicking the tires on Harry Giles comes with little risk and bringing back Carmelo Anthony to join Chris Paul in developing pride among the young talent gives a lot of leadership. Derrick Rose, Tony Snell and Nemanja Bjelica all provide skills that could help develop the young guys.
Philadelphia 76ers
Roster
Jaden McDaniels
Tobias Harris
Terry Rozier
Joel Embiid
Josh Richardson
Ben Simmons
Matisse Thybulle
Furkan Korkmaz
Shake Milton
Norvel Pelle
Elijah Hughes
Yves Pons
Reggie Perry
Elfrid Payton
Willie Cauley-Stein
Who they re-signed:
None
Who they signed in FA:
Philadelphia 76ers sign Elfrid Payton to 1 year, $4.25 Million contrract
Philadelphia 76ers sign Willie Cauley-Stein to 1 year, league minimum contract
Trades they made:
Philadelphia 76ers trade Zhaire Smith, Mike Scott, 34th Overall Draft Pick and 36th Overall Draft Pick to the Atlanta Hawks for Cash
Philadelphia 76ers trade 2021 New York Knicks Second Round Draft Pick and Cash to the Memphis Grizzlies for the 40th Overall Draft Pick
Philadelphia 76ers trade Al Horford and Top 20 Protected 2021 Philadelphia 76ers First Round Draft Pick (becomes 2 second if not conveyed) to the Golden State Warriors for Terry Rozier in a multi-team deal involving the Charlotte Hornets
Who they drafted:
Jaden McDaniels (21)
Elijah Hughes (40)
Reggie Perry (49)
Yves Pons (58)
Other moves:
None
Summary:
Another team that stays below the luxury tax in the Atlantic Division, but also finds better fits around Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons including Terry Rozier who could spread the floor a bit and keep defenses a bit more honest around Simmons’ lack of shooting. Elfrid Payton was solid this season and could help add some defensive ability off the bench. The 76ers picks provide depth in areas of need and Cauley-Stein could hopefully handle some minutes at center.
Toronto Raptors
Roster
Daniel Oturu
Kyle Lowry
Norman Powell
Patrick McCaw
Stanley Johnson
Pascal Siakam
OG Anunoby
Dewan Hernandez
Terence Davis
Matt Thomas
Serge Ibaka
Fred VanVleet
Marc Gasol
Chris Boucher
Isaiah Joe
Who they re-signed:
Toronto Raptors re-sign Fred VanVleet 4 year, $98.5 Million contract
Toronto Raptors re-sign Serge Ibaka to 3 year, 34.5 Million contract with Team Option on Year 3
Toronto Raptors re-sign Marc Gasol to 1 year, $13.5 Million contract
Toronto Raptors re-sign Chris Boucher to 2 year, $8 Million contract
Who they signed in FA:
None
Trades they made:
Toronto Raptors trade 59th Overall Draft Pick and Cash to the Atlanta Hawks for the 51st Overall Draft Pick
Who they drafted:
Daniel Oturu (29)
Isaiah Joe (51)
Other moves:
None
Summary:
Toronto runs it back basically and hopes they can catch better breaks and develop further next season without totally killing their future cap flexibility. The Raptors are yet another team that stays below the luxury tax in this scenario. The Raptors could probably figure out ways to get creative next off-season if getting Giannis became real without sacrificing next season in doing so.
