As the dust settles on 2024 NBA free agency, we're left with some rosters that look unfinished and in disarray.
There are too few people in some positions, too many in others, and the demolition is only half done — in each case, you're left asking yourself, “Wait a minute, is the work really done here?”
It's not easy coming off July with a team fully prepared and ready to go, and there's always a testing phase early in the season, a period of exploration where coaches have the chance to see what their theoretical lineup looks like in practice.
But it's especially hard to overlook the flaws and imbalances when it comes to the teams here. Forget how things play out in practice, it's hard to even understand the theory of how these teams work, from their on-court rotations to their broader organizational direction.
Let’s hope for their sake that the offseason work isn’t done.
After years of resistance, the Chicago Bulls are finally starting to rebuild this offseason, trading for Alex Caruso and DeMar DeRozan.
Before we point out the flaws in their altered roster, let's agree that they should be applauded for coming to their senses: chasing the No. 8 seed is not the way to survive, especially when you're one of the more traditional franchises in a major-market league.
Bulls fans deserve better than what they've been getting lately, but they're not going to get it just yet. This roster is still filled with players who just don't belong on the team.
Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic are still around because their market value is in the red. The Bulls' dismantling wouldn't be complete until they're gone. The problem is, Chicago isn't in a position to spend draft picks to get out of those trades.
Lonzo Ball has missed two seasons, making him even trickier as a trade candidate.
The best bet may be to focus on all three early in the season and hope they play well enough to restore trade value, which could stunt the development of Chicago's young players, but the payoff in a trade to balance the roster could be worth it.
Beyond the veterans, the roster is a bit odd. Josh Giddey was the only one brought back in the Caruso trade, but he's a flawed shooter and will need to get closer to the ball. That could mean fewer touches for last season's breakout star, Coby White. And Ayo Dosunmu, another strong performer from last season, will be even thinner.
That would all be fine if Guidi were to operate in a larger role than he did with the Oklahoma City Thunder, but it seems just as likely he will continue to be ignored as a 3-point shooter and struggle defensively.
The odd guard rotation would be an issue, as would a suboptimal mix of veterans and young players, plus LaVine, Booch and maybe even Ball would know they're only here until the team receives a big enough offer to move them, and the atmosphere could be uncomfortable on top of everything else.
The Golden State Warriors had about a dozen rotation-caliber players last season but no clear second star behind Stephen Curry, and that could be the case next year, barring a blockbuster trade or the full emergence of fourth-year forward Jonathan Kuminga.
It's a larger-scale problem that stems from a few niche personnel issues, the first of which is the team's difficulty getting all of its projected top-five players on the court.
The Warriors might feel more confident about their future if Draymond Green can play 30 minutes per game at center (and avoid a suspension that would sideline him for weeks), but outside of a few Finals games a few years ago, Green has never played significant minutes at the No. 5. Unfortunately, that's the only realistic way to keep Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga (who head coach Steve Kerr has always viewed as a No. 4) on the court at the same time.
Well, there is another way, but it involves an oversized look with Wiggins dropping to shooting guard in place of Brandin Podziemski and putting Trayce Jackson-Davis at center. The quintet of Curry, Wiggins, Kuminga, Green and TJD has the length and athleticism but doesn't have enough shooting power to prevent defenses from occupying the paint and doubling Curry.
A spacing four like Lauri Markkanen, for example, would make it easier to put Green at the five. Markkanen might not be a big deterrent on the inside, but he's a 7-footer who can rebound or spread out on the other side. Swap him into Jackson-Davis' spot in the lineup above and things get a little more interesting. That is, of course, barring Kuminga, who is moving to Utah.
New additions De'Anthony Melton, Buddy Hield and Kyle Anderson all deserve to be in the rotation. Melton could start if Golden State wants to use Podziemski in the second unit. Add in Moses Moody, who hasn't had enough time to show his potential, and the minutes issue gets even tougher. Gary Payton II is still here.
After all, the Warriors spent all of last season searching for a lineup with enough size, athleticism, secondary creativity and shooting ability to center around Curry. In the end, they never found that lineup, and they're projected to have a similar lineup in 2024-25 barring a consolidation trade or Kuminga's leap.
There's a good reason why the New Orleans Pelicans roster seems lacking something: With only centers Daniel Theis and 21st pick Yves Missy and Brandon Ingram's future unclear, New Orleans has one of the most obviously unfinished personnel groups in the league.
That's why a deal sending Ingram to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Jarrett Allen remains popular in the fake trade economy.
Ingram is at his best with the ball in his hands and doesn't have the ability to take on tough wings defensively, so while he may not be an ideal trio between the Cavs' two undersized backcourt (Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland) and two bigger frontcourt (Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen), he seems unlikely to play long for the Pelicans.
Whether it's for Allen or another big man, Ingram, whose contract is currently set to expire after next season, is one of the most logical trade candidates.
Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III would be better support players next to Zion Williamson, who functions best as the primary ball-handler with 3-pointers and defensive spacers around him. Jones and Murphy attempted more 3-pointers per 36 minutes last year than Ingram, and both were better shots from deep.
With Dejounte Murray joining the team as both a secondary ball-handler and (if he's back on track) a third high-end defensive piece around Zion, Ingram's best abilities — individual shot creation and mid-range sniping — are more of a misfit than ever.
The Pelicans lost Jonas Valanciunas, Larry Nance Jr., Dyson Daniels and Naji Marshall in early July, but the addition of Murray makes them a more talented team. But they are also unbalanced, something that clearly needs to be addressed through trades.
Would they start with the four centers on the roster, only one of whom (rookie Donovan Clingan) is actually in the Portland Trail Blazers' overall plans, or would they be better off focusing on the backcourt, where 2023 No. 3 overall pick Scoot Henderson might find himself battling for playing time off the bench due to overlapping skill sets?
The Blazers' rebuild is in limbo. They're overloaded with veterans on a roster that needs to develop young players and keep veterans playing frequently to boost trade value. As currently constructed, Portland can't accomplish both of those conflicting goals.
In addition to Clingan, the center crowd includes Duop Rees, Robert Williams III and Deandre Ayton, the last two of whom were questionable long-term contenders before Portland selected Clingan with the No. 7 pick. On either side, a combination of those two big men sharing the court just doesn't make sense.
Meanwhile, Anfernee Simons is too good to be benched, even if he's the best prospect for a second-unit scorer, and too valuable as a trade candidate to be slotted behind Henderson and Shaydon Sharpe, which is a good illustration of the odd fit here: Simmons may end up in the best role, but it's hard to use.
Henderson needs to play because he's so important to the team's future. Simmons needs minutes for other reasons, too. Assuming he's not a core player, the Blazers need to use him. Playing those two with Sharpe would push one to the sidelines and put all three at risk defensively.
And what is Jeremy Grant still doing here?
The 30-year-old, owed $132 million over the next four years, is a high-end two-way starter but just not a good fit for a team of needs in Portland.
When the Sacramento Kings put five of their most talented players on the court to close out games, there may only be one talented defender in that group in Keegan Murray. That's a problem for a team that hasn't finished higher than 18th in defense since 2006.
That may not be an issue if De'Aaron Fox, Malik Monk and sign-and-trade acquisitions DeMar DeRozan and Domantas Sabonis can help Sacramento's offense return to the lofty levels it reached in 2022-23, but it's hard to shake concerns that DeRozan might not be an ideal fit from an offensive standpoint.
DeRozan, who takes fewer 3-pointers and needs to have the ball in his hands to get to the isolation bag, likely won't fill the role vacated by Harrison Barnes, who was primarily in the corner. And if DeRozan does handle the ball, what will the handoff game be between Sabonis and Fox? This could become a “crowded three” situation, where the one who is out of the running between Fox, Sabonis and DeRozan will not be involved in the main action and will instead try to attract attention as a spacer.
Fox is the highest-paid star with a history of All-NBA nominations; it would be a mistake to underestimate him. DeRozan is the shining star. So does that mean Sabonis, a low-usage third option who offers little value and contributes very little defensively, is going to be the most marginalized?
The Kings were forced to improve their overall lineup. After finishing ninth last year, the West just got tougher for them, with two teams that finished further back in the division, the Houston Rockets and the Memphis Grizzlies, poised to join an already crowded playoff field.
DeRozan is probably the best player left on a thin market, and Sacramento was right to take a calculated risk in acquiring him. He, Fox and Sabonis may have the skill set to fix things, but there's also a future where Sacramento's offense is struggling, its defense is faltering and it's 12 teams ahead of its Western division rivals in the standings.
Stats provided by NBA.com, Basketball Reference and Cleaning the Glass. Salary information provided by Spotrac.
Grant Hughes covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on X (Good Hughes),and Hardwood Knox On the podcast, Bleacher Report Dan Favell.
