The Raptors have two starters and two of their top reserves becoming free agents. Without viable backups ready to step in behind them, that puts added pressure on Masai Ujiri to retain each player. Read more »

Without some unforeseen development in athletic ability or creativity, Luke Kennard will need to translate his elite-level shot making or perhaps even improve on it in the pros to justify how high he'll be drafted. Read more »

The long, arduous decline of Dwight Howard continued with the Hawks trading him to the Hornets, which wasn't even one of the 10 biggest NBA stories of the day. Read more »

While the Lakers did well to clear salary for 2018, the Nets used their unique financial position to buy low on a point guard who can shoot well, pass well and may still become an All-Star. Read more »

Losing David Griffin doesn't mean LeBron James is going to leave Cleveland next summer, but step one was getting rid of an executive who made sure the Cavs were as talented as they could possibly be every year. Read more »

Donovan Mitchell's statistical profile is not particularly impressive but he's risen up the boards during workout season because he is the sort of prospect teams can more easily dream reaching the highest of highs. Read more »

The Clippers are in a situation where they'll have to embrace a full rebuild if either Chris Paul or Blake Griffin decide to leave. Read more »

Losing a player like Paul George is difficult for any franchise, but at least now the Pacers can definitively focus on what they can get for him instead of whether or not they should move him. Read more »

Of all the prospects expected to be drafted in the top 10, Jonathan Isaac was the one given the smallest chance to showcase his skill-set on offense. His length and potential on offense is that enticing. Read more »

The Bulls are stuck between inadequately building around Jimmy Butler and trading him away for a full fledged rebuild. Read more »

If there's any two teams most likely to meet in multiple Eastern Conference Finals over the next decade, it's the Celtics and 76ers, and that potential rivalry becomes intertwined with the biggest draft week trade since the early nineties. Read more »

For a franchise that fancies themselves as Spurs East, the challenge facing Travis Schlenk is taking the Hawks from good to great. And that jump is often a lot harder than making the leap from bad to good. Read more »

Lauri Markkanen enrolled at Arizona as a highly touted pro prospect after playing on the FIBA circuit and he had one of the most remarkable shooting seasons in NCAA history. Read more »

While the current run of success has established the Grizzlies as a clear playoff team, it seems to have also put a cap on the upper bounds of their abilities. The roster is expensive and old, which is a dangerous combination for a team that is short of being a title contender. Read more »

There are a lot of ways to explain the why and how of the Warriors' dominance, but the most striking thing about them, as they occasionally toiled but mostly calmly outgunned the Cavaliers, was the wearying totality of their talent. Read more »

Outside of possibly re-signing Taj Gibson and Andre Roberson, Oklahoma City is likely to add veterans on minimum deals and will look similar to how they looked at the end of last season. Read more »

Dennis Smith, Jr.'s stock fell playing for a bad N.C. State team but he was able to showcase his game against a higher level of competition. Read more »

Outside of Jabari Parker's recovery, the new GM walks into a spot where the Bucks are as well positioned as any young team in the league. Read more »

Damian Lillard is a star and CJ McCollum is on his way, but the rest of the Blazers' roster is limited to high-performing role players, which makes their cap situation all the more problematic. Read more »

The Warriors put themselves on a cross, then clambered down and picked up a machine gun. They don't cut the figure they think they do, but nor do they care. Read more »