5 Moves That Should Happen This NBA Offseason
This NBA offseason will be much different than what we have seen in a while.
We have been coddled by big-time free agent moves summer after summer, but it seems that won’t be the case this year. The only big-time free agent that could swing the landscape of the NBA is Anthony Davis and he is all but sure to resign with the Los Angeles Lakers, who are coming off a championship. Other notable free agents will be Montraez Harrell, Fred VanVleet, Goran Dragic, and possibly Brandon Ingram who is a restricted free agent and will most likely resign with the New Orleans Pelicans. Other than those players, the free-agent pool looks a little bland. But that doesn’t mean some big-time moves can’t take place to get teams to the promised land: a championship.
Here are five moves that need to happen this offseason:
5. Clippers get a point guard
The L.A. Clippers are in desperate need of a point guard. If they are going to compete for a championship this year, they need someone not named Kawhi Leonard to be able to create shots for other players and run the offense. And even though he has improved as a passer this past season, averaging a career-best 4.9 assists, no one is comparing his playmaking to the likes of his L.A. rival LeBron James. No knock against current starting point guard Patrick Beverly but he is primarily just a defensive piece, not really known for his scoring, and that is what the Clippers need at the position. And it seems like Leonard knows this as well as First Take’s Stephen A. Smith talked about how Leonard has privately asked the Clippers for a point guard this offseason saying “They clearly need a point guard. Everybody knows it, and Kawhi Leonard privately has clamored for one.”
Luckily for the Clippers, there are two names in free agency that will do the trick for them: Fred VanVleet or Goran Dragic. VanVleet might be the hardest of the two to get. He’s coming off a season where he averaged 17.6 points and 6.6 assists per game, so he is likely looking for a big deal. If he’s indeed available for them, VanVleet is the best move for the Clippers as he was pivotal in the Raptors championship run in 2019 where he played with Leonard before. Dragic on the other hand is coming off an excellent post-season where he was the leading scorer for the Miami Heat. He’s a proven point guard capable of running a team’s offense and is a good defender so he will fit alongside Leonard nicely. Other than those two, a miracle run at Chris Paul could be the answer, but like I said it will be a miracle run with Paul’s contract.
4. Brad Beal to the Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are coming off a disappointing postseason where the franchise player Giannis Antetokounmpo got injured. Before the injury, the Bucks were getting thoroughly outplayed by the Heat so they can’t use that as an excuse as to why they failed again. They will always be favorites to come out of the East because of Giannis but it is clear to me that he needs another running mate. Khris Middleton is a very good player but he is not the second-best player on a championship team material as he has shown when Giannis went out this year and in postseasons before. All signs point to the Bucks needing the Point God (Chris Paul) to take them to the next level and pairing with Giannis and Middleton but I believe they need to go a different direction. Giannis is Shaq in this equation and he needs his Kobe, and that’s none other than Bradley Beal.
Beal would be a great fit for the Bucks. He is an excellent scorer, averaging 30.5 points this past season. He can also play make for others at the guard position. Most importantly, I don’t think he will shy away from big moments as Middleton has in spots before. Since John Wall has been out these past few years, Beal has taken the mantle as the guy in Washington and has come up big for them. It hasn’t translated to wins but he’s in a situation he can’t control with the Wizards with the talent around him. Put him on a winning team with Giannis and see how he flourishes. He is very capable of being that second man and taking pressure off of Giannis with his scoring. They could be the deadliest 1-2 punch in the East next to Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
3. Lakers sign Carmelo Anthony
It’s a shame Carmelo Anthony wasn’t on this Lakers championship team as he was available in the early part of the season. The Portland Trailblazers decided to take a chance on Melo and it paid off big for them as he helped that depleted team sneak into the playoffs and was pivotal in some bubble games giving them another scoring option. After a nice run with Blazers, he will now be a free agent but he has said he would like to return to them. But if I’m Anthony at this point, winning a championship is most important and there’s no better place to do that than with the Lakers and his long-time friend LeBron.
This move makes perfect sense to me as the Lakers role players often struggled in spots for them during the regular season and the playoffs. Anthony still has some good basketball left in him and can play a big role for the Lakers’ next championship run coming off the bench. And if needed he can be count on to hit big shots for them too as he did for the Blazers to secure that play-in seed.
More moves need to be made for the Lake Show but securing a capable sixth-man should be their first. And quite frankly, I would love to see Anthony get a ring before his career ends as Dwight Howard was able to.
2. Break up the Philadelphia 76ers
It is a new era in Philadelphia with head coach Brett Brown finally being relieved of his duties. He’s done a lot to get this organization where it is now but now it is up to Doc Rivers to propel them forward. The problem is there is a lot of accountability issues going on in Philly. Ben Simmons still refuses to shoot the ball and help spread the floor and Joel Embiid doesn’t play up to his potential every game and settling for jumpers. Well, what better way to change that problem than with a drastic move like breaking up the duo and showing this ain’t going to be the same regime.
Now you may ask why break up the duo? GM Elton Brand has publicly said that he’s not interested in trading either, but he seriously needs to consider it. They clearly have spacing problems when they are on the floor together and the two superstars both haven’t made the steps to remedy that. They also have declined in their efficiency every season together since the 2017 season when the Sixers made the jump back to the playoffs. It’s clear to me that this tandem isn’t going to work and why waste any more years with either superstar knowing their injury history. With that said, there are a lot of different ways Sixers can go with moving either Simmons or Embiid. I believe to get the best out of Simmons you need to trade Embiid for some shooters to surround him around as the Bucks did for Giannis. Another theory I saw from Yahoo Sports Chase Hughes that makes sense is to trade Simmons to the Clippers for Paul George and Landry Shamet. Pairing Embiid with better shooters will hopefully give him the space he needs to be more effective. Either way, a change needs to be made.
1. Warriors get a big
The Golden State Warriors are in a prime position to return triumphantly back to the Finals. Steph Curry and Klay Thompson were both injured this season and Draymond Green was left to defend the castle by himself which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Now the Warriors have a top-three pick in this year’s draft which they can flip for some valuable assets. Andrew Wiggins is key in this equation as he could be in the Warriors future and be the Harrison Barnes 2.0 or could be used as trade bait. However the Warriors plan it, they need to use their assets to get a big man to battle against Anthony Davis and the Lakers.
One big that intrigues me is Andre Drummond who is serving an NBA career death sentence in Cleveland right now. Warriors could make a deal for him using that top pick to bolster their interior presence. He will be more than capable of battling with Davis and securing boards for the Warriors and he won’t need the ball a lot to be effective. Now if you want another big-floor spacer, on that same team is Kevin Love who could also secure you some rebounds while being able to shoot from the perimeter. One more player that the Warriors need to consider is Myles Turner from the Indiana Pacers. He can give you the same thing as Kevin Love with boards and spreading the floor and with Sabonis elevating himself on that team, Paces might be looking to move him.
Stay tuned for NBA news.
