These eight teams extended their seasons with a first round playoff series, but their offseason begin sooner than they were hoping following their elimination.

Milwaukee Bucks

The Big Questions:

- Which of their free agent guards do the Bucks want to bring back?

- Which of their free agent guards will give them the best chance to re-sign him?

- How much more do they need to add to a big man rotation with Larry Sanders, Ersan Ilyasova and John Henson?

Notable Free Agents:  Brandon Jennings (Restricted), Monta Ellis (Player Option), JJ Redick (Unrestricted), Samuel Dalembert (Unrestricted), and Mike Dunleavy (Unrestricted)

2013 Draft Picks Held: Own 1st Rounder, Own 2nd Rounder

The Lay of the Land: Having all three main guards in varying levels of free agency puts the Bucks in a strange situation. They have the ability to match with Brandon Jennings, but have to deal with a pure open market for both JJ Redick and Monta Ellis assuming the latter opts out.

I fully expect Jennings to either get a big offer or even sign the one-year tender and have zero idea whether Milwaukee would match even a near-max offer sheet. While Jennings clearly has plenty of talent, it feels like a hard argument to make that he can be the best player on a team that can advance at least one round in the playoffs. Jennings can be a key part of a great team, but likely not as the primary building block. Similarly, Redick and Ellis profile perfectly as players who will get overpaid if money is their primary objective in free agency. I could easily see Redick taking less to go to the right place and Ellis needs to go to an organization that values him and makes sense for his skills long-term. Since we do not know what either wants in their next destination, it feels like a shot in the dark to predict where they end up.

Beyond the guards, I love the core of Sanders, Ilyasova, and Henson particularly considering they all have at least one more season on their current deal. The looming extension for Most Improved candidate SANDERS! puts Milwaukee in a strange situation in terms of future cap space since he will get a meaningful pay raise and there are so many other unknowns in the franchise.

Boston Celtics

The Big Questions:

- How much longer does Kevin Garnett want to play?

- Will we see a full strength Jared Sullinger for most of 2013-14?

- Can Fab Melo become a rotation player for next season?

Notable Free Agents: None

2013 Draft Picks Held: Own 1st Rounder (traded 2nd Rounder to Portland)

The Lay of the Land: With so much money committed to their existing roster, Boston would have to make trades in order to look substantially different next season. The addition of Rajon Rondo at some point will give their depth a boost but the biggest lingering question is how much longer Garnett wants to play. While we have the same question about Paul Pierce, it would be awfully hard for this team to make much noise without Garnett until they get a talent infusion because of how their talent is structured.

Fortunately, Boston has a compelling group of young-ish players that can make this team much deeper if they are healthy and improve. Players like Fab Melo and Jared Sullinger can combine with Jordan Crawford and Avery Bradley to make teams sweat and give the elder statesmen some much-needed support. We will just have to see if they can deliver, especially before Rondo returns.

Atlanta Hawks

The Big Questions:

- Can they figure out a way to get Dwight Howard?

- Should they give Josh Smith the contract some team will be dumb enough to offer him?

- Will Jeff Teague get a surprising offer from Atlanta or anyone else?

Notable Free Agents: Josh Smith (Unrestricted), Jeff Teague (Restricted), Ivan Johnson (Unrestricted), Devin Harris (Unrestricted), Kyle Korver (Unrestricted), and Zaza Pachulia (Unrestricted)

2013 Draft Picks Held: Own 1st Rounder, Houston’s 1st Rounder, Own 2nd Rounder, Houston’s 2nd Rounder

The Lay of the Land: Despite having Al Horford and Louis Williams on the books long-term, Atlanta may have the potential for the most major turnover in the entire league. Even though Dwight Howard did not look like himself this year and we have to have some trepidation that the new normal for him will be lower than it was before his back injury, he would be a franchise-changing addition. Assuming he ends up elsewhere, the Hawks have tough decisions with both Josh Smith and Jeff Teague. Each has talent and can be a nice player on a good team but could also be offered far too much to make them worth keeping. Since Horford is a good player on a fair contract, Atlanta can be patient if the market gets too crazy on their free agents.

Atlanta did a nice job playing the RFA market to get Josh Smith on his current deal, but it feels unlikely that they will be able to repeat that success with Teague. Utah in particular could end up with cap space and a glaring need at the position that Jeff can use to leverage a nice offer. On Smoove, we just have to find out if any team is dumb enough to offer him the money he wants.

Brooklyn Nets

The Big Questions:

- Can they find a taker for Kris Humphries’ soon to be expiring contract?

- Will Andray Blatche take a pay cut to stay in Brooklyn?

- Will CJ Watson pick up his player option?

Notable Free Agents: Andray Blatche (Unrestricted) and CJ Watson (Player Option)

2013 Draft Picks Held: Own 1st Rounder (own 2nd Rounder traded to Minnesota)

The Lay of the Land: With the huge amount of money the Nets spent last offseaosn to build their team, this one will be one built on smaller moves that could still have a major effect on the team’s ceiling. Even though Kris Humphries is overpaid and plays a non-pivotal position, we could see a team take him to shed a longer-term deal because of the quality free agent class in 2014 or the huge luxury tax consequences of the repeater tax. Assuming Prokorov is willing to foot the huge bill, adding another starter to this team would be a gigantic boon for their potential to be a factor in the East for years to come.

On the depth side, both CJ Watson and Andray Blatche played last season on minimum salaries and have a chance to get paid more elsewhere. While the team has Tyshawn Taylor as a potential Watson replacement, no one stands out as a good fit to get Blatche’s role should he head for greener pastures. His statements seem to indicate a willingness to stick it out with Brooklyn, but we will have to see if that turns out to be the case when the money is on the table.

Houston Rockets

The Big Questions:

- Can they get another max talent to join the team?

- If not, do they keep their cap space for 2014 or improve the team now?

- Even without getting a better talent at the position, would the team move Jeremy Lin for a reasonable offer?

Notable Free Agents: Francisco Garcia (Team Option)

2013 Draft Picks Held: Phoenix’s 2nd Rounder (Own 1st and 2nd Rounders held by Atlanta)

The Lay of the Land: Houston has 15 players under contract for next season and still has plenty of cap space to make a major impact. Furthermore, each and every player they have signed presently has a contract that makes them more of an asset than a liability. That kind of flexibility means Daryl Morey could make some unbalanced trades in terms of salary, talent or both. Unfortunately, the five dimes for a dollar trades are some of the hardest to make in the entire league because the exchange rate for elite talent is often much higher than that.

On top of everything else, the Rockets' front office can elect to roll over their money to next summer by either standing largely pat or by using their space to pick up assets from teams looking to get under the cap or tax for next year. With so many resources and an insane amount of flexibility, now should be the time for Houston to move up a few notches in the Western Conference pecking order.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Big Questions:

- Will Dwight Howard re-sign?

- Will Metta World Peace take a pay cut to stay on the team?

- Can they retain Earl Clark?

Notable Free Agents: Dwight Howard (Unrestricted), Earl Clark (Unrestricted), Devin Ebanks (Unrestricted), Metta World Peace (Player Option), and Darius Morris (Unrestricted)

2013 Draft Picks Held: Own 2nd Rounder (own 1st Rounder held by Cleveland)

The Lay of the Land: Dwight Howard and the uncertainty that constantly surrounds him like Pigpen on Peanuts has another chance to choose his home for the next few seasons. While the Lakers are the best option financially and promotionally, the age and inflexibility of the Lake Show could make him consider other options or even the maddening possibility of a one-year deal to become part of the 2014 free agent class. Without any insight into his decision-making process, I know better than to speculate on what Dwight will do.

Contrary to what some members of the media have written or said recently, all amnesty decisions for the 2013 offseason must be made in the first week after the end of the July moratorium. That means the Lakers' brass will not have enough time to know about Kobe Bryant’s status for next season with any meaningful clarity.

With that in mind, the only other reasonable option for the amnesty provision is Metta World Peace. While that makes sense because of the luxury tax burden on top of his salary, I could see the Lakers telling World Peace that picking up his player option means the end of his time with the Lakers due to the potential amnesty and indicating that the only way he sticks with the team would be to take a pay cut but a longer deal. I have no idea if he would take that or roll the dice on the amnesty waiver process (where a return to Houston would be a possibility) so that stands out as another unanswerable question. 

Los Angeles Clippers

The Big Questions:

- Will Chris Paul stay with the Clippers?

- Is there any chance we see CP3 take a one-year deal?

- Will Chauncey Billups return for another run with the team?

Notable Free Agents: Chris Paul (Unrestricted), Chauncey Billups (Unrestricted), Lamar Odom (Unrestricted), Matt Barnes (Unrestricted), Ronny Turiaf (Unrestricted), and Ryan Hollins (Unrestricted)

2013 Draft Picks Held: Own 1st Rounder (own 2nd Rounder held by Detroit)

The Lay of the Land: No single decision affects the future of a franchise more than Chris Paul’s. As the best player to ever play for the organization and a key recruiter of their potent depth, losing Paul would decimate the team until Donald Sterling sells. After Paul makes his choice, the team will have a chance to figure out what they want to do with Eric Bledsoe. He could be a key piece on a deep run next season, but the Clippers will not have the financial flexibility to retain both Bledsoe and Paul. The trade market would contain many suitors though I am sure they will try to use the fact that the team cannot retain both as leverage to lower the asking price.

Beyond those two, the Clippers actually have most of their key players locked up for next season. The only main cogs of A Tribe Called Bench up in the air are Matt Barnes, Lamar Odom and Chauncey Billups. Each would be nice to retain but also are replaceable as long as CP3 stays in town. I fully expect Lamar Odom to re-sign considering the rough go he had the last time he left Los Angeles.

Denver Nuggets

The Big Questions:

- What does Andre Iguodala want long-term? Will he opt out?

- Will Denver retain Corey Brewer or fill his niche with one of their young players?

- Do the Nuggets want to combine any assets to build a smaller, stronger core?

Notable Free Agents: Andre Iguodala (Player Option), Corey Brewer (Unrestricted), and Timofey Mozgov (Unrestricted)

2013 Draft Picks Held: Own 1st Rounder (own 2nd Rounder held by Phoenix)

The Lay of the Land: After the devastating series loss to Golden State, there will be plenty of pressure for the Nuggets to make bigger structural moves if possible. Thanks to the contracts inked with JaVale McGee and Ty Lawson in 2012, Denver does not have a ton of long-term cap space even if Andre Iguodala opts out and heads elsewhere. Iguodala still stands as a key piece since his perimeter defense can really help this team while they do not always need big offensive nights from him in order to win. Thankfully for the Nuggets, McGee, Lawson, Koufos, Gallinari, Chandler, Miller, Fournier and Faried are all signed for at least two more seasons so they will be a deep and potent team for years to come. However, that depth could also be used to try and add a higher level player who can make Denver a more dangerous team in crunch time and the playoffs. Since that likely would come in a trade, we will have to wait and see what the market would be for players like Wilson Chandler and Evan Fournier.

MILWAUKEE – As the final hour of the NBA trade deadline ended, Josh Smith released himself of the anticipation, the anxiety over where he’ll finish this season. The only team he’s played for in his career, the Atlanta Hawks, had sought trade offers for Smith, and a deal seemed inevitable. Their decision to keep Smith in the end resonated with him, but both sides know the flexibility that awaits now.

“I knew that they always liked me as far as being with this team long-term,” Smith told RealGM. “But this is my last year on my contract so it was an attraction for a lot of teams to be able to call and reach out to see what they could to do persuade the [Hawks]. But the Hawks showed me that they believed in me, showed the fans that they appreciate everything that I do on and off the court.

“I’m an Atlanta Hawk and I’m going to focus on getting more wins in these last [28] games left.”

Smith has had his best month of the season amid all the speculation, averaging almost 19 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in nine games. He heard his name in rumors headed here or there – the Bucks or Brooklyn Nets, the Phoenix Suns or San Antonio Spurs, the Dallas Mavericks or wherever – and yet he’s led the Hawks to winning five of the last seven games.

As talented as Smith is, the Hawks chose to shop him to get value in return before the 27-year-old hits unrestricted free agency. Smith has continually grown as an all-around forward this season, and he’s one of two players in the NBA currently putting up at least 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists per game. LeBron James is the other guy. And add at least one block per game to those categories, and Smith stands alone in the league.

Some team is bound to throw big money, perhaps a max contract, at Smith this summer in free agency. Nevertheless, the Hawks still value Smith moving forward. Before pulling out Thursday afternoon, Atlanta had secured the framework of potential trades with the Bucks and multiple other teams that will pursue Smith this offseason, a league source told RealGM.

“I didn’t really know what was going to happen in that last hour or so, so it was definitely anxious times for me,” Smith said.

For Smith, experience has brought elevated value in simply making winning plays: The critical pass, critical block, critical shot or critical defensive rotation. Yes, Smith can make silly plays at times – such as shooting an arrant jumper or having lapses on the court.

Yet when the Hawks need a playmaker on offense, they tend to put the ball in his hands. Struggling with his shot all night, Smith stepped up just when the Hawks had to continue their late surge in Saturday’s 103-102 win over the Bucks. Smith had missed 13 of 18 shots before hitting a three-pointer and then breaking down the Bucks’ defense to throw a sleek alley-oop pass to Al Horford for a dunk – capitalizing an 8-0 run that gave the Hawks a 101-100 lead with one minute, 28 seconds left.

“I work extremely hard in the offseason, I work hard during the regular season, and with age, you get better,” Smith said. “If you work hard on your game and you study film and watch yourself and your opponents, you’ll definitely get better. … I can only just play my game and maybe I do [get taken for granted]. But that’s not up for me to decide. I can only just play my game and let it speak for myself.

“And I’ve been doing that and trying to keep getting better as far as being a leader and keep talking to veteran Hall of Famers that have been in my shoes before.”

Indeed, Smith has cultivated relationships with Hakeem Olajuwon and Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo and Rudy Gay. He first started training with Olajuwon in 2006 and has worked out with the Hall of Fame big man for a few summers since. And it was Smith who turned on Dwight Howard to working out with Olajuwon in the offseason.

“Just being a sponge whenever those guys give me positive advice,” Smith said. “I listen to my father as well. I just listen to people that make impacts in this league. We definitely have a lot of dialogue and it’s definitely beneficial.”

There’s continuity between Smith and the Hawks that perhaps gets taken for granted sometimes, and nine seasons together could very well be the end. Still, Smith is taking a simple approach, one game at a time, and sees a clear shot in the Eastern Conference when he looks toward the standings.

“If we catch a stride like we can as far as stringing wins together and finding that chemistry that we need on a consistent basis,” Smith said, “I feel we have a shot at doing something special.”

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MILWAUKEE – Kyle Korver still misses elements of his two seasons with the Chicago Bulls, the team camaraderie, the cohesive goal toward winning, and even the relentless Tom Thibodeau. He’s adjusted smoothly so far in his first season with the Atlanta Hawks, playing the most minutes since his third season while shooting and passing freely.

There’s less control over every little detail that Korver enjoys now. He learned immensely from Thibodeau – gaining sharp techniques defensively and fitting into a systematic offense – but has enjoyed more minutes and assuming more of a leadership role.

The Bulls traded Korver last offseason to save money toward the salary cap, a move that sent away their best three-point shooter who easily clicked with Derrick Rose. Ranking sixth-worst in three-point shooting percentage, Chicago has badly missed Korver.

All along, Korver felt a trade out of Chicago could come, and when he left last year, it was on good terms. Korver will be a free agent this offseason, and there’s little doubt that the Bulls will at least make a pitch to sign him – just like many other NBA teams. And should he receive that call from the Bulls, Korver made clear he would consider returning.

“Totally, I would,” Korver told RealGM on Saturday night. “That’s a great organization, that’s an awesome jersey to put on. Great fans, good team. You only get to be a free agent so many times in a career, so I’ll definitely see what’s all there. But I would absolutely listen to what they’ve got to say.”

Just one game in the win column separates the Bulls and Hawks, and Korver knows the threat his former team poses. For his part, Rose was an advocate of Korver over the past two seasons, both guards benefiting from the facets of their repertories that capitalizes each other best – dribble penetration and outside shooting. As much as anyone, Rose would have loved for Korver to stay with the Bulls.

Before the two teams played each other earlier this month, Korver and Rose caught up on their recently born children – Rose’s son, Korver’s daughter – and the 2011 MVP’s torn ACL rehabilitation. Korver is confident that Rose will return at some point this season but understands the tempering of expectations needed for it to be a seamless comeback.

“Especially where the Bulls are at right now, there’s no need for him to rush back,” Korver said. “To catch an extra five games? It’s just about him being mentally confident and then having some court time and going into the playoffs to see what happens.”

Rose recently said he won’t return until he is 110 percent, hinting toward the prospect of missing the entire season. In Korver’s mind, progress toward return from Rose had been expected too much, too soon, and there’s a solidified plan in place to ensure that 110 percent mark.

“He’s got some good voices around him and the organization has supported him with whatever he needs,” Korver said. “He’s going to make sure he’s 110 percent before he comes back.

“There’s a lot of buildup for when he’s coming back and it creates a lot of pressure. I think all he was saying was, ‘I’m going to make sure that I’m 110 percent.’ He’s not trying to make a big deal about anything … just wants to wait until he’s 110 percent. And he should.”

Through new teammates and a new environment, Korver has shown versatility in playing two different systems. More minutes have led to increased production, and he’s tried to lead in the Hawks’ locker room this season, being the oldest player on the roster at 31. “I’m the oldest guy on our team, so I try to share when I can, things that you’ve picked up over the years,” he said.

When the Eastern Conference standings comes up, Korver knows the Hawks have the opportunity not only to make the playoffs, but also further elevate their seeding.

With the Bulls, Korver had always seen his team as on the Miami Heat’s level. Now, he’s just in the mix of teams – including those Bulls – jockeying for stature behind the Heat.

“There’s a nice little cluster after Miami,” Korver said. “You want to be playing your best basketball by the end of the season and I think over the course of the last couple months, we’re seeing who we have to be to be successful. So I think it’ll be good for us these last 28 games to find a rhythm and establish a brand of basketball.”

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