Each Team's Top Potential Free-Agent Target After the 2017 NBA Draft

It's official: You are now free to do your "The NBA draft is over, so bring on free agency before the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors drain the mystery from another regular season" happy dance.

A lot has changed about every team's top potential target over the past couple of months. Heck, a lot has changed period over the past couple of weeks. 

Indirect trade demands have been made. Other trades have actually gone down. Draft picks have turned into real live people with names and faces and tailored suits. Next year's salary-cap projection has fallen by $3 million, to $99 million, as first reported by NBA.com's David Aldridge.

Each team's best possible free-agency option will be updated with all of this in mind. Like usual, we will not scheme around wholesale changes that affect offseason approaches unless we know for a fact those roster-defining tweaks are inevitable.

Rumors, cap situations and depth-chart gaps take precedence in choosing every target, but the suggested player must also account for future plans—i.e. one team's intention to be more of an offseason player next year.

Finding a free agent for the Atlanta Hawks to focus on was hard enough. Then they traded Dwight Howard to the Charlotte Hornets, further hamstringing our capacity to speculate.

Are they rebuilding? Do they just think they'll be better without Howard? Are they trying to clear the decks beyond next season so Tim Hardaway Jr.'s eight-figure salary doesn't sting as much? 

Answers to every single question lie with Paul Millsap. Keep him, and the Hawks won't have cap space. Let him walk for nothing, and they'll have money to burn. 

It's safe to bet Millsap is gone. New general manager Travis Schlenk doesn't seem keen on paying him market value, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Chris Vivlamore, and the Hawks are expected to explore sign-and-trade offers for their lone All-Star, according to ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst.

JaMychal Green looms as a good replacement if Millsap bolts outright. He's like a Millsap-Draymond Green lightweight. He switches everything on defense and doesn't need the ball to be effective on offense. 

Signing 27-year-olds to pricey pacts isn't usually high on a transitioning squad's list of priorities, but the Hawks are unique. They aren't going to bottom out. They'll attempt to restructure while remaining a postseason steppingstone. Green's timeline fits nicely within that approach if, and only if, Millsap winds up elsewhere.

Gordon Hayward has been synonymous with the Boston Celtics' offseason plans all year, and nothing has changed. There remains "plenty of belief within the league" that they'll go hard after the combo forward, according K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. 

Connecting these dots isn't hard. Celtics head honcho Brad Stevens coached Hayward at Butler. The Utah Jazz are good, but Boston is set up to be better for longer.

Even after clearing the $29.7 million it'll take to get Hayward, there will be enough leftover assets to broker a trade for Paul George. Worst-case scenario, the Celtics let Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and next year's Brooklyn Nets pick marinate while plopping Hayward atop a 53-win nucleus.

That open-ended window speaks to players. Future assets factored into Al Horford's decision last summer, and Hayward must think along those same lines if he's jumping ship amid insurmountable runs from the Warriors and LeBron James.

Plus, a starting five of Hayward, Horford, Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder and Isaiah Thomas projects as the best in the Eastern Conference. And with Brown, Tatum, Terry Rozier, Marcus Smart and a cheapo big coming off the bench, the Celtics would be more than just Conference Finals fodder for the Cavaliers to chew up and spit out.

Getting D'Angelo Russell was a stroke of brilliance by the Nets. Footing the bill on the final three years of Timofey Mozgov's contract is nothing for them, and they can now roll out a Russell-Jeremy Lin-Caris LeVert-Rondae Hollis-Jefferson quartet that sends opposing defenses into a state of confusion.

Offering a max deal to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope feels like overkill as a result of that perimeter rotation. It's not. Russell's arrival should change nothing about Brooklyn's purported interest in the 6'6" swingman.

Lin has a player option after next season. Hollis-Jefferson and Russell will be extension-eligible. Sean Kilpatrick is ticketed for free agency. This excess is not forever, and head coach Kenny Atkinson can never have too many cross-position wings capable of burying catch-and-fire threes and initiating pick-and-rolls.

Besides, the Nets have a clear path to more than $25 million in room despite declining salary-cap projections. That money should be used on swing-for-the-fences youngsters with high ceilings.

The Detroit Pistons will match whatever the Nets offer, but they're more likely to cut Caldwell-Pope loose than the Washington Wizards are to balk at max bids for Otto Porter. General manager Sean Marks might as well try to poach the 24-year-old before putting his team on the receiving end of incentivized salary dumps.

Can we talk about how damn lucky the Charlotte Hornets are for a second?

Grabbing Malik Monk at No. 11 is huge. He's the sweet-shooting detonator they need, and with a little grooming, he should be able to fill part of the playmaking void behind Nicolas Batum and Kemba Walker.

Running pick-and-rolls with Dwight Howard is so easy Tim Hardaway Jr. can do it. Monk's handles at least permit him to do that much, which frees up the Hornets to scour the market for another wing to replace Marco Belinelli and buoy the defense.

Luc Mbah a Moute is a perfect fit. He proved to be a viable catch-and-shoot marksman with the Los Angeles Clippers, and his defensive range is deeper than advertised. He holds his own in one-on-one situations and will be able to pick up some point guards and power forwards. Pairing him with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist at the 3-4 slots should return head coach Steve Clifford's defense to its previous glory.

Prying Mbah a Moute out of Los Angeles is more about price point than anything. The Hornets need to dangle the full mid-level exception—which, as of now, is set for $8.4 million—to get a seat at the bargaining table. 

Another team could easily outbid them, but the Clippers aren't one of them. That bodes well for their pursuit. Mbah a Moute is 30, and most squads won't have filled out their roster enough to fling the entire mid-level exception at one player.

Before you say anything, know this: Otto Porter is a pie-in-the-sky option for the Chicago Bulls...and that's the point.

“What we’ve done tonight is set a direction,” Bulls vice president John Paxson said after trading Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves, per USA Today's Michael Singer. “We’ve decided to make the change and rebuild this roster. We’re going to do it with young players we believe can play a system Fred [Hoiberg] is comfortable with.”

Chicago shouldn't be pursuing anything other than home-run long shots this early into its impromptu rebuild—sub-25-year-old transcendents who fit their vision and undefined timeline.

Porter is the lone free agent who fits that description, and as of now, the Bulls cannot afford him. They have a little more than $10 million in spending money and need about $24.8 million to offer Porter a max deal. And they can get there.

Waiving Rajon Rondo's non-guaranteed salary saves them more than $10 million. From there, they'll be around $2.6 million shy of Porter's max—a difference they can erase, and then some, by renouncing the rights to restricted free agent Michael Carter-Williams.

None of which will matter. The Wizards will match the Bulls' offer. And that's fine. You take a stab at Porter, even if it's futile, because he's the combo forward you don't have, and because you're preparing to nosedive anyway.

The Cavaliers need a high-priced three-and-D wing to close the distance between them and the Warriors before "Inevitable NBA Finals Matchup, Part IV" comes to a theater near you next June. But they can't afford one.

Trade exceptions and the taxpayer's mid-level are all they have to work with, neither of which is landing them anyone special. Finding a third, and potentially fourth team to facilitate a Paul George dice roll is still their best shot at making the ideal addition. 

Well that, or the San Antonio Spurs need to accept a fire-sale return for Danny Green.

Beefing up the backup point guard minutes is a more realistic offseason endeavor. The Deron Williams experiment was fun for a while, but then the NBA Finals rolled around and he went ice cold, which is a significant issue when he provides nothing on the defensive end.

Shelvin Mack should make the Cavaliers miss Matthew Dellavedova a little less. His shooting touch is wild, but he'll probably post a 40-percent clip from downtown in Cleveland. (Because: LeBron James.) His topsy-turvy on-ball decision-making isn't a concern either. The Cavaliers have more than enough offensive talent. They need a bigger guard to rough up Stephen Curry opposing backcourts.

A 6'3" Mack is the closest they'll come with the resources they have.

Free-agent point guards have lost all kinds of leverage in recent weeks. Among the many culprits contributing to this influential dip: The Dallas Mavericks.

Drafting N.C. State's Dennis Smith Jr. erases the need to pay a top-flight floor general. They can still invest in a veteran if they're worried about a rookie being responsible for their offense, but they won't. General manager Donnie Nelson said so, per ESPN.com's Tim MacMahon.

This shift in focus won't result in a full-fledged rebuild. The Mavericks employ a host of win-now talent and can manufacture more than $20 million in spending power by waiving Devin Harris after having already declined Dirk Nowitzki's $25 million team option. The full extent of their financial flexibility depends on how much less Nowitzki takes as a free agent, but he's been prepared to re-sign at a steep discount since last summer.

With so many ball-dominant talents in tow, Dallas needs another Wesley Matthews—a defensive do-gooder who doesn't need touches on the offensive side.

C.J. Miles is that guy. Nearly 60 percent of his field-goal attempts were spot-up threes last year, and the Indiana Pacers matched him up against shooting guards, small forwards and power forwards. He gives Dallas a fighting chance defensively when trotting out Dirk-at-the-5 combinations without compromising the offense's appeal.

Paying top dollar for a 30-year-old doesn't perfectly align with Mavericks' timeline. But...do they even have a timeline? They're trying to make the most out of Nowitzki's twilight, gave Harrison Barnes $94 million last summer and might give Nerlens Noel more than that this time around. They're closer to win-now mode than the see-you-later" setting.

Targeting Miles to be a super-sub solidifies their spot amid the playoff hopefuls and does nothing to curtail Smith's debut-year minutes—a balancing act the forever-juggling Mavericks should be ecstatic to explore.

Please don't be mad Paul Millsap isn't listed here. He was, but then basic logic kicked in.

The Denver Nuggets have approximately 16 jillion options at power forward. Bringing in Millsap only tracks when acquiring him as part of a sign-and-trade that sends out Kenneth Faried—which, according to ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst, is a distinct possibility.

But that trade can happen independently of other free-agent moves, after the Nuggets have dug through all their other options. And Kyle Lowry should be among their most serious considerations.

ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported back in May the All-Star floor general will contemplate moving west. (Props to LeBron James for scaring people into preferring to go through the Warriors.) But his inter-conference options are on life support.

Two of Lowry's possible suitors, the Mavericks and Sacramento Kings, drafted cornerstone point guards. The Nuggets don't have to worry about crimping an integral youngster's development. Gary Harris and Jamal Murray are combo guards, and Emmanuel Mudiay is better off piloting second units.

Carving out the cap space to sign him will cost Danilo Gallinari, but he might be gone anyway. Lowry upgrades the point guard position at both ends of the floor while playing off the ball enough to let Nikola Jokic do his thing. Add him, and the Nuggets are playoff locks with the assets to complete a blockbuster trade that slingshots them into the part of the NBA pecking order that wins playoff series.

Short of unloading two bloated contracts without receiving salary in return, the Pistons won't come close to having cap space. They'll be lucky to duck the luxury tax after bankrolling Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's next deal, substantially diminishing the likelihood of them opening up the full mid-level exception.

On the bright side, the Pistons don't have many holes to plug. Next year is about their incumbent talent—namely Andre Drummond, Reggie Jackson and Stanley Johnson—being more consistent (and, in Jackson's case, healthy).

Head coach and president Stan Van Gundy has only one objective, failing any blockbuster trades: Get. More. Shooters.

Selecting Duke's Luke Kennard approaches the root of the problem, but the Pistons placed 28th in three-point accuracy out of the All-Star break. The search for floor-spacers doesn't end with one rookie marksman.

Anthony Morrow is Detroit's best and maybe only option of deepening the roster's offensive range. He shot just 30.8 percent from distance this past year, but is a career 41.7 percent long-range sniper. Detroit would be lucky to stash him at the end of the bench—particularly if restricted free agent Reggie Bullock hits the peace-out button.

Speaking of free-agency scenarios that are unofficially official, we have Vince Carter and the Warriors.

"I’m open for it," he said on ESPN's The Jump when asked about joining Golden State (h/t SLAM). "I want to win when I play. I want to do somewhat what Kevin Durant did. I want to do for my team. I want to go out there and play and provide and show that I can still play this game.”

So should we book this now or labor through the formality of waiting until after July 1?

Carter was pretty adamant that he wants to play, and minutes will be hard to come by on the Warriors. But the 40-year-old can still hoop, so maybe not. He'll shoot roughly 99 percent from deep in the Warriors offense and won't get obliterated on the defensive end against most 2s and 3s.

Any combination of Ian Clark, Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston could leave in free agency. Golden State may end up needing wings. Carter isn't down for being classified as a ring-chaser, but there's no shame in trading your current digs for comfier ones.

Just ask Durant. Or David West. Or Zaza Pachulia. Or—well, you get the picture.

"We are used to long odds," Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey told ESPN.com's Zach Lowe. "If Golden State makes the odds longer, we might up our risk profile and get even more aggressive. We have something up our sleeve."

Overpaying Joe Ingles most definitely isn't what Morey has in mind. He wants another superstar. Blake Griffin, Kyle Lowry, Paul Millsap and Chris Paul are atop his wish list, and he's prepared to unload Ryan Anderson, Patrick Beverley and Lou Williams to get one of them, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein.

There is value in adding another playmaker beside James Harden. He was, without question, gassed by season's end. But Lowry and Paul don't move the needle enough if Beverley's feisty defense becomes collateral damage. And Griffin doesn't diversity the offense enough to offset what he doesn't do on defense. 

If the Rockets can hammer out a sign-and-trade for Millsap that gets rid of Anderson's contract, Morey should pull the trigger. Otherwise, the focus should be maintaining the team's role-player depth while simplifying Harden's offensive existence.

Joe Ingles won't cost nearly much as the Rockets' other targets—even if they have to overpay so the Jazz won't match their offer. He will defend everyone from power forwards to point guards without ceding ground, his 44.1 percent success rate from three speaks for itself and Utah relied on him at times to direct the offense.

Pushing 30, there's some concern about the end of Ingles' next contract. But his performance isn't prided on quickness or explosion. He's all brains. And the Rockets need only offload one contract—ideally Williams' expiring deal—to afford him.

Coming up with free-agency options for the Indiana Pacers is a lot like throwing wet paper towels to the wall and hoping they stick. Think along the lines of the Bulls' situation, only more awkward. The Pacers' best player is gone, only he's still in town, and trading him isn't a decision they've come to on their own.

"It couldn't have come at a worse time," team president Kevin Pritchard said, per ESPN.com's Mike Wells. "If we would have known this a few months ago, I think we could have been more prepared. Becoming public was a big issue."

First thing's first: The only way Pritchard and friends couldn't have known George had both feet out the door and planted inside a chartered jet to Hollywood is if they've been sporting pro-grade ear plugs and blindfolds for the past year.

Regardless, George has put the Pacers in a tricky situation. They'll have truckloads of cap space once they let C.J. Miles and Jeff Teague walk, but there aren't an abundance of youthful building blocks worth semi-lucrative contracts on the open market.

Chasing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Otto Porter is a fool's errand when more appealing suitors will be involved, and when there's a non-zero chance their incumbent teams cut them loose. Andre Roberson is more gettable, because the Oklahoma City Thunder cannot afford to go buck-for-buck for anyone at the moment.

Shaky jump shooting is all that separates Roberson from max-contract territory. He is a defensive upgrade over George, and at 25, his window coincides with the Pacers' new reality. A Roberson-Myles Turner pairing expedites the path toward elite-level status on one side of the floor, and if one of them breaks out on the offensive end, it won't be long before Indiana returns to the middle of the Eastern Conference pack.

If we assume the Los Angeles Clippers' will re-sign all their core free agents, they have no money to court anyone of consequence.

If we plan as if they'll lose one or two of Blake Griffin, Luc Mbah a Moute, Chris Paul and J.J. Redick, then they...still don't have the space to make a splash.

See the problem?

The Clippers need to keep the band together, even if it's to trade everyone later. And with a cap sheet buried under extra zeroes, they'll need to peruse the bargain bin for supporting castmates.

Convincing Nene to latch on as DeAndre Jordan's backup is the taxed-out team's version of a coup. The torn left adductor he suffered during the playoffs is unsettling, but he was otherwise in fantastic shape with the Rockets. He fits the Clippers' pick-and-roll attack and can create his own shot in the post as a last resort. He doesn't jack threes, but unlike Marreese Speights, he'll pack a measurable defensive punch.

Best of all, with the Rockets expected to be in the mix for available superstars, Nene could find himself in need of a new home.

Star-starved Los Angeles Lakers fans should appreciate this pick. 

Randy Foye isn't the flashy choice, but he fits with the team vision of remaining flexible for future free-agency classes. As general manager Rob Pelinka said, per ESPN.com's Baxter Holmes: 

"We know the goal here is to compete for championships. That's what we want to do. I think with the leading teams in the league today, we felt like, to be able to look them in the eye and challenge them, we need two superstar players to come here and join this platform and join our core group of players we now have. That's our plan, and we're going to put all of our energy and all of our hard work toward that."

One of those two outside stars might be coming soon. Kevin Pritchard said plenty of teams have made offers for Paul George, per the Indianapolis Star's Gregg Doyel, and you know the Lakers are one of them.

Beyond that, they don't profile as major offseason players. Team president Magic Johnson has his sights set on next year, when LeBron James, Russell Westbrook (player option) and George himself will all be up for grabs, per the Los Angeles Times' Tania Ganguli.

Until then, the Lakers need a strong veteran presence in the backcourt. The Nets brought in Randy Foye to be that voice last season, and Kenny Atkinson will tell you it worked out. He'll be a steadying influence on Lonzo Ball and, assuming he's not traded, Jordan Clarkson.

Los Angeles could always pivot into a more aggressive stance. Johnson and Pelinka have the cap space to squeeze out a big name. But they'll have more than $35 million in 2018 if they don't add long-term money now. Sweeten the pot enough to move Luol Deng's deal while parting ways with Clarkson or Julius Randle, and that number soars past $65 million—enough for the Lakers to entertain adding two max talents.

Barring any roster-rattling salary dumps, the Memphis Grizzlies won't have much money to shell out in free agency. The full use of the mid-level exception is the best they can hope for, and even that's a stretch if they want to retain Tony Allen, Vince Carter, JaMychal Green and Zach Randolph.

Nick Young should still fall right in their financial wheelhouse. He left around $5.7 million on the table by declining his player option—about $500,000 more than the taxpayer's mid-level exception. 

Offer him $5 million per year for three or four seasons, and he might bite. He's coming off a campaign in which he swished more than 40 percent of his triples, but teams know the Nick Young Experience is a tumultuous one.

Figure out a way to operate under the tax line, and the Grizzlies should contemplate throwing Young a larger contract. Head coach David Fizdale has them launching more threes, but they continue to need shooters. 

Young will throw up junk every once in a while, but he's not a ball-dominant disruptor. Almost half of his total looks were spot-up triples last season, on which he shot a blistering 43.9 percent. He'd be a solid addition whether the Grizzlies view him as a finishing touch or minutes replacement for Allen or Carter.

The temptation to spit out Blake Griffin here is much too real. 

Imagine an on-court dynamic similar to the one Griffin shares with DeAndre Jordan and Chris Paul. And then imagine what it'd be like if the team housing that trio has the means and know-how to flesh out a supporting cast consisting mostly of unearthed gems and reasonably priced contracts. That's what Griffin would have with the Miami Heat next to Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside.

Creating that troika, though, cuts through most of the Heat's breathing room, and team president Pat Riley has been much too inconsistent with his offseason messages to know what's what. Sources told ESPN.com's Zach Lowe Miami is "loading up" to pursue Gordon Hayward. Yet, on the flip side, Riley says things like this, per the Sun-Sentinel's Ira Winderman:

"We have a plan. We have a Plan A. And we have a Plan B. There's no D, E, F or G. We feel good about the plan. You never know what's going to happen in free agency. We have great respect for the two guys, three guys, four guys that we have that are free agents. But we'll see what happens on July 1."

Thanks for clearing up absolutely nothing, Pat.

Danilo Gallinari is the spectacular middle ground amid Miami's annual offseason tug-of-war. He isn't the passer or defender Hayward has become, but he can man both forward positions and play on or off the action. He wrapped 2016-17 with the fifth-highest free-throw rate among non-bigs yet also splashed in 40 percent of his catch-and-heave threes.

Household(ish) names don't get much easier to incorporate, and Gallinari's price tag lets the Heat re-sign one of James Johnson or Dion Waiters. Riley should give him a long, hard look, even if Griffin and Hayward are genuine options.

Greg Monroe's decision to play out the final year of his deal will be met with mixed emotions inside the Milwaukee Bucks organization.

Non-unicorns shouldn't be making close to $17.9 million in today's league. That money would be better spent on a more rangy contributor. But Monroe has also become the blueprint of success for those non-unicorns. He hasn't merely bought into his role off the bench; he's owned it. He spent all of 2016-17 setting screens, mastering his cuts toward the basket, pitching quick passes and honing his ability to make defensive plays outside the paint.

Would the Bucks rather have cap space? Sure. But they won't bristle at his return. They're not that desperate. They'll have the full mid-level exception to sign another multiposition wing who doubles as insurance for Tony Snell's foray into restricted free agency.

Thabo Sefolosha is 33 and was plagued by groin injuries last season, but he reached full strength by the end of the year. His absence from the Hawks' playoff rotation was more logistical than a referendum on his health.

Milwaukee can slot him on some of the toughest defensive assignments knowing he won't be torched off the dribble. Opponents shot under 40 percent against him in one-on-one situations, and he finished fifth in defensive points saved among wings behind should-be teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Andre Roberson, according to NBA Math. 

Sefolosha's three-point stroke can be erratic, but he hits enough of his open and wide-open threes (36.6 percent) to stay on the court and unlock nifty small-ball combinations. And if the idea of playing him beside Antetokounmpo, Malcolm Brogdon, Thon Maker and Khris Middleton doesn't get the Bucks going, they should sit out free agency altogether.

Prioritizing a volume three-point shooter to enrich Jimmy Butler's arrival is a perfectly reasonable play for the Timberwolves. It's the expected move. The smart move. The safe move.

Eff that.

Sources told The Vertical's Shams Charania that Andre Iguodala will consider ditching the reigning-champion Warriors over the summer. And when you have an opportunity to construct a defensive beast headlined by Butler and Iggy-Not-Pop, you do it.

The Timberwolves were initially cited as a possible landing spot, and the Butler trade needn't stop them. They'll have heaps of cap space, and as a squad that doesn't typically woo notable free agents, they can tender an offer that makes Iguodala think twice about staying in Golden State.

Three years and $58 million should do the trick. And yes, it's an overpay—a demonstrative one. But three years isn't that long. The Timberwolves see the light at the end of the tunnel from the moment he puts pen to paper. 

Two of those three seasons probably prove worth it. Iguodala, at 33, continues to shimmy between four positions on defense and seamlessly transitions into point forward duty whenever called upon. He has no bones about coming off the bench, as we've seen for the past three years, and his 35.4 percent hit rate on threes since joining the Warriors qualifies as an outside asset.

Make no mistake: There is an air of recklessness to this pursuit. But the Timberwolves don't have time to waste. They need to sell Butler, a free agent in 2019, on happily ever after. And let's face it: The NBA needs a Butler-Iggy-Ricky Rubio-Andrew Wiggins-Karl-Anthony Towns lineup.

Two syllables will shape the New Orleans Pelicans' entire offseason: Shoot-ing.

Unfortunately for them, they aren't entering free agency with many options. Keeping Jrue Holiday on the books leaves them without any meaningful cap space. And letting him walk isn't a realistic option. They don't have anyone else to run point after trading Tim Frazier to the Wizards, and the resulting flexibility isn't worth losing one of this summer's 10 best free agents.

Things change quickly and for the worst if Holiday leaves by his own hand. But he's among the many point guards who have lost leverage in the aftermath of the draft. His return is closer to a formality than not—especially if, as Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler reported in February, the Pelicans plan to give him near-max money.

Such an investment comes with the added bonus of a direct line to Jrue's brother, Justin Holiday. The two want to play on the same team, and Justin shouldn't command more than the mid-level exception. 

This wouldn't be a flawless addition. Justin isn't always able to get around broad bodies on defense, and his offensive impact comes and goes. But he has improved his three-point percentage through each of his first four seasons; sparingly orchestrated pick-and-rolls with the New York Knicks; and enjoys a wingspan north of 7'0".

Sticking him within a rotation that features three star-level players accentuates the best parts of his game—upside appealing enough for the Pelicans to try hosting a Holiday family reunion.

Drafting Frank Ntilikina does not remove the Knicks from the point guard hunt. It just shifts their focus a little bit.

Ntilikina isn't ready to captain an NBA offense. He doesn't turn 19 until the end of July and has spent a lot of his career playing off the ball as a tertiary playmaker.

Signing someone with similar experience to help steer the ship without cramping Ntilikina's development should be a pressing priority. And Derrick Rose isn't that someone. New York has the means to create $15-plus million in cap space and can set its sights higher.

Patty Mills is a justifiable investment given the state of the Knicks: rebuilding, but not really. He doesn't dominate the ball, so he works within the confines of the triangle offense, and his presence doesn't prevent them from bottoming out. (Kristaps Porzingis being too good on the other hand...) He's not young, but he's not old. He'll be 29 at the start of next season. A three- or four-year deal takes him through the sweet spot of his prime.

Convincing Mills to leave his comfy gig in San Antonio for the tire fire in New York might be impossible. But he could become collateral damage of the Spurs' own free-agency ambitions. And if he's shopping around come July 1, the Knicks need to be the first team in his ear. 

Russell Westbrook received about 13.4 minutes of rest per game during the regular season. Victor Oladipo should have been on the court for every single one of them. 

He wasn't.

Thunder head coach Billy Donovan didn't embrace staggering the minutes of his two best playmakers. Oladipo, on average, played 8.3 of the 13.4 minutes Westbrook sat on the bench. Five minutes doesn't seem like a lot, but it is. Oklahoma City's first-round exit is lasting proof.

Continuing this pattern demands the Thunder get better second-string point guards. Norris Cole and Semaj Christon aren't going to do it. Darren Collison will.

Acquiring him could cost most, if not all, of the mid-level exception. There's no guarantee the Thunder have access to that much cash. It'll take a miracle for them to avoid the luxury tax if they keep one or both of Taj Gibson and Andre Roberson.

Still, there's a dearth of starting jobs for free-agent point guards. Collison will be looking at a return to bench duty unless he wants to be a one-year stopgap. Depending on his market, along with their willingness to float a payroll well into nine figures, the Thunder might have the tools to make a competitive offer.

Let us take a moment to commend the Orlando Magic for drafting Jonathan Isaac at No. 6. He fell to them, and they had the guts to take him, and now they have the decked-out version of Patrick Patterson—a do-everything combo forward with the height and size to soak up spot minutes at the 5.

Selecting Isaac should technically take the Magic out of the running for Tony Snell. Isaac will have to play some 3 with Aaron Gordon in town, and neither Evan Fournier nor Terrence Ross is going anywhere. 

Then again, former Bucks general manager John Hammond is now in Orlando. He's largely responsible for building a length-loaded wing-fest in Milwaukee—the Snell acquisition included.

"He's an outstanding guy and a guy we want to have as part of our team moving forward," Hammond told reporters before leaving for the Magic. "He’s about the right things. I think Tony wants to be here. We're hoping to bring him back. We're planning on him being with us next season."

Out of 109 players to clear 2,000 minutes in 2016-17, Snell joined Trevor Ariza, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Jae Crowder and Ryan Anderson as the only four to average more than three made triples and fewer than two turnovers per 100 possessions. He is gradually transforming into an adaptable three-and-D commodity—the exact brand of player Orlando should be stockpiling.

The Magic have a relatively obstacle-free route to $15 million (or more) in cap room and can bring Terrence Ross off the pine if their offer for Snell scares away the Bucks. And while they won't play small full-time with Bismack Biyombo and Nikola Vucevic in the fold, the two-way ceiling of a Fournier-Gordon-Isaac-Ross-Snell quintet is outrageously high.

What's next for the Philadelphia 76ers now that they have completed their Big Three-in training with Markelle Fultz? Overpaying for J.J. Redick. 

This is a serious suggestion. The fit is too perfect. Fultz, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons will get him a dozen uncontested three-point attempts every game, and Redick won't ever be called upon to tackle the toughest perimeter defensive assignments.

Even The Vertical's almighty Adrian Wojnarowski thinks this is a good idea (via NJ.com): 

"So there's a chance to get that shooting, get a veteran that would be tremendous in that locker room to help build a culture and an environment to put around Ben Simmons. Redick is going to be an interesting move for them. They're going to have to pay. He's going to be in that $16 to $17 million range as a free agent."

Most rebuilding teams don't have the motivation to sign a soon-to-be-33-year-old. The ones that do won't invest $17 million per year in someone whose window runs counter to their own.

The Sixers are the exception to the exception. They'll approach $50 million in cap space if they waive Gerald Henderson and renounce Sergio Rodriguez, and they're closer than not to playing in meaningful basketball games if their Big Three remain healthy and develop on schedule.

Taking a three- or four-year flier on Redick won't break them. It could, however, make them a noisy threat in the wide-open East.

Renouncing restricted free agent Alex Len arms the Phoenix Suns with more than $20 million in space. They've always been aggressive in their approach to free agency, and that's money they can use to pitch marquee names.

At the same time, the Suns don't have the vacancies worthy of a $20-million-per-year splash. Drafting Josh Jackson solidifies their starting five; he'll join Eric Bledsoe, Devin Booker, Tyson Chandler and Marquese Chriss. Chandler may eventually be subbed out for Dragan Bender, but successfully seducing a Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Otto Porter or Andre Roberson, however unlikely, incites an unnecessary rotation crunch.

Eyeing a quality bench collaborator is the more prudent course of action, and Jonathon Simmons fits the bill. He can back up both Booker and Jackson and even has experience shepherding half-court sets—a safety net against another year-long disappearing act from Brandon Knight.

Simmons' seesawing jumper is inconvenient for a team that needs to boosts its three-point-attempt ratio, but he's no stranger to protracted hot stretches. He shot 38.3 percent from deep in 2015-16 and knocked down 35.1 percent of his long balls during San Antonio's latest playoff run.

Having Simmons headline the bench mob with Jared Dudley promises a defensive payoff the Suns haven't known in years. And for those times when head coach Earl Watson is feeling spunky, he can slot Simmons alongside Bledsoe, Booker and Jackson in jazzed-up small-ball combos.

Though the Portland Trail Blazers' cap situation is constrictive enough to warrant the "no one" designation, this is mostly about their depth chart.

Assuming they waive Festus Ezeli's non-guaranteed deal, it looks something like this following the draft:

For those keeping score, the Blazers are left with a grand total of 16 players, and no roster spots.

Pat Connaughton and Tim Quarterman are also on non-guaranteed pacts, so the Blazers can waive them. But having 14 players on the docket wouldn't trigger a wide-spread free-agency search.

Portland's offseason boils down to consolidation. Turn multiple players into one. Use someone like Caleb Swanigan to pawn off Evan Turner on the Kings. Trade Allen Crabbe into cap space or for a cheaper prospect.

Whatever the Blazers do, it shouldn't entail browsing the free-agency section for extra bodies. They have enough of those.

Holy cap space, Batman.

Sacramento is looking at more than $50 million in wiggle room after waiving Arron Afflalo and Anthony Tolliver while losing Langston Galloway and Rudy Gay to opt-outs. If this were last summer, Jeff Green would have already agreed to an under-the-table max deal.

Except, this isn't last summer. And these aren't the same old Kings. They traded DeMarcus Cousins, albeit for a tepid return. They had a good draft. They have committed to rebuilding. That aimless lust they showed for free agents who could, quite possibly, but probably not, help them earn an eighth-place playoff berth is no more.

(We think.)

The Kings can now sit tight if they want. There's no need—and, more importantly, no impulse—to cycle through this cap space as quickly as possible. But they can and should use some of it to net high-character veterans who stabilize the locker room and keep the tots in check.

Shaun Livingston falls under that umbrella. Dangling above-market money should get him to leave the Warriors to mentor rookie floor generals De'Aaron Fox and Frank Mason.

Granted, it's not clear how he'd react to backing up younger players on a lottery-bound squad. But money talks, and injuries cost Livingston a lot of cash earlier in his career. The Kings can both handsomely reward him for his tutelage and find him extra minutes at the 2 and 3.

These pesky Chris Paul-to-San Antonio rumors won't die. To the contrary, they're getting stronger.

Pau Gasol declined his player option for next season, leaving behind more than $16 million. The Spurs will re-sign him to a longer deal, but the average annual salary will be much smaller, making it easier for them to dredge up the $34.7 million in cap space required to max out Paul.

To be clear: "Easier" doesn't mean simple. At least one of LaMarcus Aldridge or Danny Green must be shipped out for San Antonio to sniff Paul's max—and that's in addition to purging the ledger of incumbent free agents. By the time they sign Paul, the Spurs would have maybe seven or eight total contracts on the books.

"The only tools to add more pieces would be the room exception, worth $4.3 million, and minimum contracts," Pounding The Rock's Jesus Gomez wrote. "It would be really hard to fill the two open slots in the starting lineup with quality players and the Spurs would have no depth. It's hard to see that team contend, so Paul would have no motivation to join it."

Paul doesn't appear worried about the resulting depth-chart challenges. He's expected to give the Spurs "serious consideration," according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein. And it seems his interest will be reciprocated.

Sources confirmed to ESPN.com's Michael C. Wright and Ramona Shelburne that the Spurs placed Aldridge on the chopping block ahead of the draft. Jabari Young of the San Antonio Express-News also brought word that the team is "open" to dealing Green. 

Dumping Aldridge is the most direct route to Paul. He's on the books for $21.5 million in 2017-18. Unloading him while handing Gasol around $7 million chisels out slightly more than $34 million if they don't take back salary and keep Jonathon Simmons' cap hold in place. That's right around Paul's max. 

There are more hurdles to clear, not the least of which is reconciling the use of Aldridge, an All-Star, as cap fodder. But the Spurs can meet Paul's salary demands if they try. And they should try. Surrounding him, Gasol, Green and Kawhi Leonard with no-names, minimum contracts and incumbent kiddies gets the Spurs back to the Western Conference Finals while setting them up to pitch LeBron James, Paul's buddy, on relocating to Texas in 2018.

How do you begin to replace P.J. Tucker and/or Patrick Patterson without cap space?

You don't. You can't.

The Toronto Raptors won't.

There isn't a realistic offseason scenario in which the Raptors don't hack away at their perimeter depth. Patterson and Tucker could both be gone to help them afford new contracts for Serge Ibaka and Kyle Lowry. If either one is back, it's probably because they found a taker for DeMarre Carroll's deal. 

Slice this whichever way you like: The Raptors cannot run back last season's roster in its entirety. It'd cost more than $150 million—before taxes. They'll make tough choices and impactful subtractions, and then they'll sift through the bargain bin's bargain bin.

Luke Babbitt wouldn't replace Tucker's defense. Or Patterson's versatility. But he's shooting better than 40 percent from three for his career and is more lethal when firing off the catch. 

Given who they may lose and the surplus of on-ball scorers already in place, Babbitt's end-of-bench sticker price is about as good as it'll get for the Raptors.

Eurobasket's David Pick named the Jazz as one of Milos Teodosic's primary suitors, the implication being they're planning for George Hill's departure. But they should be angling for both.

Teodosic, according to Pick, wants a three-year deal worth in the neighborhood of $25 to $30 million. Dangling the entire mid-level exception allows the Jazz to meet that asking price.

Accessing that $8.4 million, though, means they cannot go more than $4 million over the $119 million luxury-tax line. Doing that while re-signing Hill, Gordon Hayward and Joe Ingles is no brainless task, but it is possible.

Finding teams to absorb Alec Burks and Derrick Favors lets the Jazz max out Hayward and dole out a combined $32 million to Hill and Ingles without having to renounce the non-taxpayer's mid-level exception. They can then turn around and offer Teodosic his desired salary to be Hill's understudy. 

This is an aggressive play, one that signals to Hayward they remain committed to blitzing the rest of the West. On some level, it's also necessary.

Dante Exum will be a restricted free agent in 2018, and the Jazz don't yet know if he's a keeper. Teodosic gives them perhaps the best backup playmaker in the league, as well as someone who can play beside Hill in stretchier lineups—a deadeye passer with a dangerous off-ball touch whose slow-footed, Jose Calderon-meets-Derrick Rose defense won't matter as much with Rudy Gobert patrolling the paint and plus-defenders covering pretty much every other position.

Landing Tim Frazier from New Orleans has given Washington a serviceable second-string point guard. Now, it's on to the rest of the bench.

The Wizards' second unit finished the regular season with a bottom-eight net rating—and that's factoring in a mid-season hot streak. Demanding they deepen the roster is simultaneously spot-on and lazy.

Yes, the Wizards need to upgrade the bench. No, they don't have the cap space to do it. Otto Porter's new deal will take them into the luxury tax, and they can forget about using the non-taxpayer's mid-level exception if they want to re-sign Bojan Bogdanovic. They have to dream small.

Omri Casspi's stock is low enough for him to enter their thought bubble. He spent the bulk of the season in Sacramento's dog house before being traded to New Orleans, at which time a fractured right thumb left him unemployed. He eventually latched onto Minnesota, but he never regained the flame-throwing touch that punctuated each of his previous two seasons.

This is great news for the Wizards. They won't have to use cap space they don't have on a combo forward teams aren't gearing up to overpay. And they needn't worry about Casspi's 34.9 percent three-point clip. John Wall's kick-outs are gimme buckets.

Casspi nuked nylon on 43.5 percent of his corner triples in 2015-16, and that clip should improve while orbiting one of the NBA's point gods. Casspi would preferably be a rotation additive, but he's a practical replacement for Bogdanovic. He's the better defender of the two, and his off-the-dribble game is clean enough for him to create his own shots when Wall isn't on the court.

Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter (@danfavale) and listen to his Hardwood Knocks podcast co-hosted by B/R's Andrew Bailey.

Stats courtesy of Basketball Reference or NBA.com. Salary information via Basketball Insiders and RealGM.