The free market is here! ESPN talks about the important tasks of the Western Conference teams: Rockets sign DFS, Lakers grab Loway & Daluo

(The original article was published on June 29, and the author is an NBA expert group on ESPN website. The content of the article does not represent the translator's views)

The free agent market will officially open tomorrow. Which teams will cause the biggest wave? Can the Lakers finally equip Doncic and James with a center who is good at cutting the air? Which teams will chase restricted free agent Kuminga? Will the Pacers renew their contract for center Turner? How will the Nets use their abundant salary space? ESPN's NBA experts Chris Herring, Zach Kram, Bobby Marks and Kevin Pelton will analyze how each team should succeed in the offseason, including the key moves each team should take next. The key to winning the offseason: The contracts of 15 players from the team have been extended to the 2025-26 season. Only one of the top ten rotations in the playoffs (the indispensable Caruso) is over 27 years old, and renewing the contract has become the Thunder's top priority. Homegren and Jaylen Williams are eligible to sign rookie contract extensions, while Alexander can choose to sign a designated veteran's super maximum salary contract extension immediately, or wait until next summer to renew five years. If the contract with these three core players can be successfully renewed, the Thunder will maintain the integrity of the core lineup during the golden period of the championship.

Must-do: Try to convince Alexander, Homegren and Jaylen Williams to accept contracts that are slightly below maximum salary. Of course, the Thunder should provide everyone with a maximum salary when necessary, but striving for a discounted price renewal in the era of the second richest line is crucial to retaining the integrity of the team's substitute lineup. ——Kevin Pelton

Houston Rockets

Offseason win key: It can be said that the Rockets have done it. Within two weeks, the Rockets obtained Durant through a trade and reached a new contract with Van Vreet, Jabbarri Smith Jr., Aaron Holiday, Tate and Jeff Green, and renewed head coach Uduka. The significance of Durant's trade is not only to win a top ten superstar in the league, but also to the fact that the team's depth has almost been affected.

Must-documented measures: This requires a multi-pronged approach. First, he signed Finney Smith for two years and $28 million, who has jumped out of his contract and became a free agent. Van Vreet's contract extension (reducing the $44.9 million team option to about $20 million annual salary) allows the Rockets to flexibly use the full middle class exception without breaking the first tycoon line, but need to cut off the $8 million non-guaranteed contract of Landale. The most important thing is to reach a contract renewal with Durant and Ethan. Ethan can sign a contract before October 20, and Durant can sign a two-year contract renewal before June 30, 2026. ——Bobby Marks

Los Angeles Lakers

Offs win key: In addition to renewing Doncic on August 2, the top priority is to find the next Gafford or Lefly to match the All-Star defender. General Manager Pelinka made a clear statement at the press conference at the end of the season: "Reinforcement of the center position is our primary goal this summer." But the operation is quite difficult: The Lakers only have a mini middle class special of $5.7 million that can be used to sign centers at the middle and lower levels of the free agent market, but they have over $60 million in expiration contracts (Hatumura, Vincent, Kleber and Finney Smith, who has already jumped out of the contract), as well as an unprotected first-round pick in 2031 or 2032, and there are still five first-round swap rights to trade in the next seven years.

Must-made measures: first get the Trail Blazer's Rowe through the trade, and then sign Lopez with the Mini Middle Class Special. Although the move will introduce two starting centers, Rowe has not attended more than 40 games in the past three seasons. Since the Lakers are above the No. 1 rich line, they cannot receive higher salaries in the transaction, any trading plan must be dominated by Vincent, Vanderbilt or Milton. ——Bobby Marks

Denver Nuggets

Offs: The team should follow Jokic's advice. "We definitely need to find ways to increase the depth of the lineup," Jokic said after the Nuggets was eliminated in the second round. "The teams with longer rotations and deeper benches are winning, such as the Pacers, Thunder and Timberwolves." The Nuggets' substitute ranked third from the league in terms of playing time and fourth from the bottom to score, but there are obstacles to strengthening depth: similar to last year's offseason, the Nuggets' selection space is still limited to relying on their own draft players (Watson, Strauser, Pickett, Hunter Tyson and Daron Holmes II), plus a $5.7 million mini middle class special case and a basic salary contract signing free agent. Although the trading market can be explored, the price is likely to be the sacrifice of starting Michael Porter Jr., and since the Nuggets are above the first rich line, higher salaries are not allowed in the transaction.

Must-document measures: First of all, we must not repeat the same mistake and use the 5.7 million mini middle class special case to sign players who cannot enter the rotation. Saric, who signed last year, averaged a career low. Although last year's first-round pick Holmes' return from an Achilles tendon injury can help, finding Jokic's substitute center is still an urgent task. It is recommended that the Nuggets use the Mini Middle Class Special to sign Connet for two years of $11.7 million. The free agent averaged 6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game with the Celtics this season. When he was on the court, the team beat his opponent by 14.3 points per 100 rounds. ——Bobby Marks

Los Angeles Clippers

(Latest news today: Harden will reject the player option and renew a two-year contract of $81.5 million)

Offs season win key: renewal of Harden is the top priority, and then the lineup that is already a strong team needs to be upgraded on the edge. Despite having a top-notch offense and defense core lineup, the Clippers' end rotation depth is insufficient. Considering the team's age structure and injury history, this will become a hidden danger. If Batum (who has rejected the $4.9 million player option) leaves the team, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Derek Jones Jr. will become the only reliable substitutes.

Must-made moves: Sign free agent point guard Chris Paul, reunite with Harden and improve the depth of the backcourt. According to statistics from Cleaning the Glass website, when Harden and Leonard were resting at the same time this season, the Clippers only scored 107.6 points per 100 rounds (14% of the league's final). Even at the age of 40, Paul still has excellent organizational skills and has a deep connection with the Clippers. He just played 82 regular season games for the Spurs this season. ——Zach Kram

Minnesota Timberwolves

(Latest news today: Randall plans to sign a three-year, $100 million contract with the Timberwolves)

Offseason win key: With Naz Reed renewing his contract for five years, $125 million, the Timberwolves face a difficult financial situation, both Randall and Alexander Walker may enter the free agent market, and Randall has the player option. While there is the possibility of retaining all three, this will severely squeeze the payroll space. A more reasonable strategy is to focus on retaining Naz Reed and Randall, and hope that sophomore rookies Dillingham and Terrence Shannon fill Alexander Walker's position.

Must-do: According to the recent proposal by salary expert Bobby Marks, replacing Randall's player option with a "3+1 (fourth-year non-guaranteed)" contract can not only maintain the team's current competitiveness, but also retain flexibility for the future. As one of the league's most stable regular season contributors, Randall has transformed into a key combat power in this year's playoffs. ——Zach Kram

Golden State Warriors

Offs: Although Butler rekinds hope for the championship through trading, it also exposed the problem of insufficient shooting ability in the frontcourt, which requires Butler and Mengmeng Green to equip the shooter. Due to the lack of chips to match salary, unless the complex signing and then exchange involving restricted free agent Kuminga can be planned, the Warriors' best strategy may be to renew Kuminga at a price lower than the second rich line, retaining the flexibility of mid-season trading reinforcement.

Must-do: renew veterans Looney and Payton Jr. with a one-year minimum salary as much as possible. With the qualifications, the basic salary contract benefits of the two are almost the same as those provided by other teams, while the Warriors' salary list only needs to be included in the 2.3 million US dollars. ——Kevin Pelton

Memphis Grizzlies

Offs: After trading the three leaders Bain in the team to the Magic, in exchange for Pope, Kerr Anthony, four first-round picks and one first-round swap, the Grizzlies have completed one of the most important operations in the offseason. The next priority is to reach a contract renewal with star insider Jaren Jackson Jr.

Must-do: Offer a contract extension (including renegotiation) for the former best defensive player or Jaren Jackson Jr. will become a full free agent next summer. The Grizzlies can make more space by trading players such as Conchar, or giving up Kennard and Bagley's free agent bird rights, and reaching a new contract with restricted free agent Aldama will also be the right direction. ——Chris Herring

The key to winning the offseason: Although the outside world is focused on the Kings' lack of pure point guards, their offensive efficiency has risen to 12th in the league after the weekend. The main reason for missing the playoffs for the second time in the past three years is the defensive efficiency of No. 22. When defensive weak defenses such as DeRozan, Raven and Sabonis will occupy the main position of scoring, more high-quality defenders must be equipped. Ideally, players on the front line need to be added so that Keegan Murray can expand his defense from outside.

Must-document: DeRozan is the main body to trade PJ-Washington and draft picks. While the Mavericks have to comply with the rules that receive salaries less than give them increases transaction complexity, the transaction can be facilitated by incorporating Clay or a combination of Marshall and Dwight Powell. ——Kevin Pelton

Dallas Mavericks

Offs: After getting Davis through a trade and choosing Flag with the No. 1 pick, the Mavericks' frontcourt lineup was crowded, but they lacked enough ball-holding points during the recession due to a knee injury. The ideal plan is to use Gafford (although it has been renewed but can still be traded) with forward resources in exchange for defenders who can organize attacks when Irving is absent and play on the wing after a comeback.

Must-do: Zhu Holiday was the best candidate, but his former Celtic teammate Derek White was also suitable. Can the combination of Gafford, PJ-Washington and draft picks impress the Celtics? Although Derek White will be 32 years old by the 2026-27 season, he is more in line with the championship schedule created by General Manager Nick Harrison around Davis and Irving. ——Kevin Pelton

Phoenix Suns

Offseason win key: seeking to reach a buyout agreement with Bill. Even if Bill does not have the right to trade a veto, his total salary of $110 million in the next two seasons will be extremely difficult to deal with. If Bill accepted a $28 million salary cut (equivalent to the full middle class special case amount for two years), the Suns will not only save more than $200 million in expenses, but also avoid the restrictions of the two rich lines, which will allow them to receive more salaries in the transaction and send out the contract in packages.

Must-made moves: sign Chris Paul for $3.6 million a year. The 40-year-old point guard who was used by the Suns to trade Bills can serve as Jaylen Green's mentor and contribute to his immediate combat power (played 82 games this season, and four of the past five seasons averaged at least 7 assists per game). ——Bobby Marks

Portland Trail Blazers

The key to winning the offseason: After exchanging Anthony Simmons for Ju Holiday, the next step is to deal with Grant's stay or leave. The forward has played only two games after March and has actually given way to Avdia and Kamara. Grant's contract with over $100 million in the remaining three years means the Trail Blazers may need to post a draft pick to facilitate the deal.

Must-do: Extend Kamala's contract as much as possible. The Trail Blazers can choose to execute their team option for the minimum salary next season and then renew their contract for three years and 64.5 million yuan, or give up the team option and directly provide 89.2 million yuan for four years. Last year, the Pacers gained a lot after taking similar actions against Nemhard. ——Kevin Pelton

San Antonio Spurs

Offs: Always prepare for Antetokounmpo's trade. While there is no sign that the Bucks star will be traded immediately, the Spurs, which hold multiple future draft picks, have the capital to wait for the time to come. Players who join through trades or sign in full middle class specials this summer must have dual value: they can not only improve their existing combat power (create space for young defenders and Fox), but also become trading chips in the future.

Must-made measures: introduce French national teammate Abussele to Vinban Yama. The complete free agent wants to get a contract above the base salary, the Sixers can only renew their contract using the special terms, which makes it a reachable target for the Spurs. ——Kevin Pelton

New Orleans Pelicans

Offseason win key: Although the trade is not ideal to get Jordan Poole, this move allows the Pelicans to use full middle-class special cases to strengthen the depth of the lineup. Given Zion's injury history, the Pelicans especially need to stock up on multiple power forward players, and such candidates are very scarce in the free agent market.

Must-do: Chase the King's striker Laravia with all his might. Since the Kings signed him after the Grizzlies refused to execute their rookie contract, they could only provide a starting salary of $5.2 million, and the Pelicans could offer a double offer to poach the player in a special situation. ——Kevin Pelton

Utah Jazz

The key to winning the offseason: training Bailey, Clayton, as well as Collier, Cody Williams, Keant George, Sensabo and Taylor Hendrix selected in recent years will directly determine the Jazz's competitiveness next season.

Must-documented measures: Renew Walker Kessler early for $130 million in five years. The Jazz can free up more than 70 million in salary space in 2026, and although there are only $14.6 million in free agent space available, the Jazz can still take radical actions. Kessler, the first player to average at least 2 blocks in the first three seasons of his career since 1997-2000, has also set career highs in three statistics: scoring (11.1), rebounding (12.2), and assisting (1.7) this season, and leads the league with 66.3% shooting. ——Bobby Marks

Summary>>The free market is here! ESPN talks about the important tasks of the Eastern team: The Heat digs Kumingga, 76ers send George away

Original text: NBA Insiders

 

Translated by: Li Taibai

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