CBS sports off-season grades

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-offseason-grades-sportsline-2017-18-forecast-for-every-team-2-fs-and-1-a-plus/


NBA offseason grades, SportsLine 2017-18 forecast for every team; 2 F's and 1 A-plus
How did your team do in the draft and free agency?
Glad you asked, because here's the report card
by CBS Sports Staff 21h ago • 14 min read

We're about as close as we can get to wrapping up NBA free agency, so let's pass out grades for the offseason -- meaning from the NBA Draft on June 22 through today. Listed by conference in SportsLine's projected order of finish (including each team's shot at the playoffs or championship), see how your team is shaping up:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Cleveland Cavaliers | Grade: D
Offseason additions: Jeff Green (free agency), Jose Calderon (free agency)

Offseason losses: None

Recap: It's not what the Cavs have done, but what they haven't done. Do Green and Calderon bring them any closer to beating the Warriors? Nope -- and that's all that matters. -- Colin Ward-Henninger
SportsLine 2017-18 forecast: 54.5 wins (No. 1 East seed; 15.5 pct. chance at NBA title)


Boston Celtics | Grade: B
Offseason additions: Gordon Hayward (free agency), Jayson Tatum (draft), Marcus Morris (trade), Aron Baynes (free agency), Ante Zizic (2016 draft), Daniel Theis (free agency)

Offseason losses: Avery Bradley (trade), Amir Johnson (free agency), Kelly Olynyk (free agency), Tyler Zeller (waived), Jordan Mickey (waived)

Recap: This summer's success largely hinged on getting Hayward. Giving up Bradley stings, but they probably weren't going to be able to re-sign him next summer anyway. Tatum is the swing player. Not only did they give up Markelle Fultz for him, but they also refused to include the No. 3 pick in any trades, which potentially could have put them in the Jimmy Butler or Paul George market. Tatum has looked great in Summer League, but remains a largely unknown commodity. -- Brad Botkin
SportsLine 2017-18 forecast: 53.6 wins (No. 2 East seed; 5.8 pct. chance at NBA title)


Toronto Raptors | Grade: C
Offseason additions: C.J. Miles (trade), Justin Hamilton (trade), OG Anunoby (draft)

Offseason losses: Patrick Patterson (free agency), DeMarre Carroll (trade), P.J. Tucker (free agency), Cory Joseph (trade)

Recap: Basically, they paid a combined $165 million to retain Lowry and Ibaka. Miles was a good find, but Toronto lost more than it gained. Ultimately, it paid a lot of money to more or less stay the same, if not fall back a little in the East with the improvement of Boston. -- Brad Botkin
SportsLine 2017-18 forecast: 48.7 wins (No. 3 East seed; 1.2 pct. chance at NBA title)


Washington Wizards | Grade: B-minus
Offseason additions: Jodie Meeks (free agency), Tim Frazier (trade)

Offseason losses: Bojan Bogdanovic (free agency), Brandon Jennings (unknown), Mike Scott (free agency)

Recap: The Wizards had little cap space and few options, so they let restricted free agent Otto Porter elicit an offer sheet. The Nets offered the $104 million maxn and Washington matched. Had they not, the Wizards would have made the team worse while trying to convince John Wall to sign an extension. They added a few bench pieces and shuffled the chairs. -- Matt Moore
SportsLine 2017-18 forecast: 44.4 wins (No. 4 East seed; 0.2 pct. chance at NBA title)


Detroit Pistons | Grade: B
Offseason additions: Avery Bradley (trade), Luke Kennard (draft), Langston Galloway (free agency), Anthony Tolliver (free agency), Eric Moreland (free agency)

Offseason losses: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (free agency), Marcus Morris (trade), Aron Baynes (free agency), Darrun Hilliard (trade)

Recap: Bradley is an upgrade over Caldwell-Pope and Kennard was the best shooter in the draft. After adding Galloway and Tolliver on affordable deals, Detroit ends up with a good offseason despite little cap room to work with. -- Colin Ward-Henninger
SportsLine 2017-18 forecast: 43.1 wins (No. 5 East seed; 0.3 pct. chance at NBA title)


Milwaukee Bucks | Grade: B-plus
Offseason addition: D.J. Wilson (draft)

Offseason losses: None

Recap: The Bucks did exactly what they needed to do this offseason -- nothing. Now they can watch Giannis Antetokounmpo continue his assault on the league and figure out their moves a couple years down the road when their promising young core matures. -- Colin Ward-Henninger

SportsLine 2017-18 forecast: 41.8 wins (No. 6 East seed; 0.1 pct. chance at NBA title)


Charlotte Hornets | Grade: C
Offseason additions: Malik Monk (draft), Dwayne Bacon (draft), Dwight Howard (free agency), Michael Carter-Williams (free agency)

Offseason losses: Marco Belinelli (trade), Miles Plumlee (trade)

Recap: Charlotte wanted a rim protector in a world where traditional centers have never had less value. The Hornets now have a non-shooter on the wing (Michael Kidd-Gilchrist) and a non-spacing center (Howard). This is a big gamble, but they gave up very little in an attempt to improve a team last year that just missed the playoffs. -- Matt Moore
SportsLine 2017-18 forecast: 41.2 wins (No. 7 East seed; 0.1 pct. chance at NBA title)


Philadelphis 76ers | Grade A
Offseason additions: Markelle Fultz (draft), J.J. Redick (free agency), Amir Johnson (free agency), Melo Trimble (free agency), Furman Korkmaz (2016 draft)

Offseason losses: Gerald Henderson (waived)

Recap: Trading up to get Fultz No. 1 overall was a power move in every sense, and signing Redick and Johnson as solid veterans on one-year deals keeps the books clean heading into a big free-agent class next summer. 2016 No. 1 pick Ben Simmons is also effectively an addition, as he's yet to play a single game for the Sixers. Things are looking up in Philly. -- Brad Botkin

SportsLine 2017-18 forecast: 41.1 wins (No. 8 East seed; 0.1 pct. chance at NBA title)


Miami Heat | Grade: B-minus
Offseason additions: Bam Abedayo (draft), Kelly Olynyk (free agency), A.J. Hammons (trade)

Offseason losses: Josh McRoberts (trade), Chris Bosh (waived)

Recap: The Heat went all in on a team that went on a two-month run before running out of gas and missing the playoffs. Coming back from a terrible start is being sold as a sign of progress, which seems dubious. They locked up non-elite, borderline-impact players to four-year deals. Rookie Bam Abedayo looked great in the Summer League, though. -- Matt Moore
SportsLine 2017-18 forecast: 38.8 wins (No. 9 East seed; 51.1 pct. chance at playoffs)


New York Knicks | Grade: D
Offseason additions: Tim Hardaway Jr. (free agency), Frank Ntilinkina (draft)

Offseason losses: Justin Hamilton (free agency)

Recap: Nobody can understand the four-year, $71 million deal for Hardaway, who they traded two years ago for Jerian Grant, who they then traded for Derrick Rose, who now has to be renounced to sign Hardaway again, at a price way above his level of production. Also, if Summer League is an indication, passing on Dennis Smith Jr. in the draft may prove to be a big mistake. -- Brad Botkin
SportsLine 2017-18 forecast: 37 wins (No. 10 East seed; 34.1 pct. chance at playoffs)


Atlanta Hawks | Grade: D-plus
Offseason additions: John Collins (draft), Tyler Dorsey (draft), Dewayne Dedmon (free agency), Marco Belinelli (trade), Miles Plumlee (trade), Diamond Stone (trade)

Offseason losses: Paul Millsap (free agency), Dwight Howard (trade), Tim Hardaway Jr. (free agency), Thabo Sefolosha (free agency), Ryan Kelly (trade), Mike Dunleavy (waived)

Recap: New GM Travis Schenk cleaned house, taking a power washer to the books. Miles Plumlee is their third-highest-paid player. They lost a lot of talent. They still don't have a reliable young core and Dennis Schröder is their best player. The tank is on. -- Matt Moore
SportsLine 2017-18 forecast: 33.2 wins (No. 11 East seed; 10.3 pct. chance at playoffs)


Chicago Bulls | Grade: F
Offseason additions: Zach LaVine (trade), Kris Dunn (trade), Lauri Markkanen (draft), Justin Holiday (free agency)

Offseason losses: Jimmy Butler (trade), Rajon Rondo (waived), Michael Carter-Williams (free agency), Joffrey Lauvergne (free agency), Isaiah Canaan (waived)

Recap: The Bulls got 12 cents on the dollar for Butler with LaVine coming off ACL surgery and Dunn an unknown quantity. Holiday was a nice signing, but it's going to be a long road back to relevancy in Chicago. -- Colin Ward-Henninger
SportsLine 2017-18 forecast: 31.3 wins (No. 12 East seed; 4.2 pct. chance at playoffs)


Indiana Pacers | Grade: F
Offseason additions: Victor Oladipo (trade), Domantas Sabonis (trade), Cory Joseph (trade), Darren Collison (free agency), Bojan Bogdanovic (free agency), T.J. Leaf (draft), Ike Anigbogu (draft), Edmond Sumner (draft)

Offseason losses: Paul George (trade), Jeff Teague (free agency), C.J. Miles (free agency), Monta Ellis (waived)
433943.jpg
The Paul George trade helped earn Indiana an F. USATSI
Recap: The Pacers are paying Oladipo more than they paid George; that pretty much sums up their offseason. They're too bad to be good and too good to be bad, which is the worst place to be in the NBA. -- Colin Ward-Henninger
SportsLine 2017-18 forecast: 31.2 wins (No. 13 East seed; 4 pct. chance at playoffs)


Orlando Magic | Grade: B
Offseason additions: Jonathan Isaac (draft), Shelvin Mack (free agency), Jonothan Simmons (free agency)

Offseason losses: Jeff Green (free agency), C.J. Watson (waived), Jodie Meeks (free agency)

Recap: The Magic largely stayed out of the summer, which is probably smart. They have to figure out a direction, identify their best player and hot to rebuild. The Jonathan Isaac looked terrific in Summer League play. -- Matt Moore
SportsLine 2017-18 forecast: 28.4 wins (No. 14 East seed; 1.1 pct. chance at playoffs)


Brooklyn Nets | Grade: B-plus
Offseason additions: D'Angelo Russell (trade), Timofey Mozgov (trade), DeMarre Carroll (trade), Archie Goodwin (free agency), Jarrett Allen (draft)
Offseason losses: Brook Lopez (trade), Justin Hamilton (trade)

Recap: They have to take any talent they can get, and Russell still is considered an elite talent by some, so that's a big win. By absorbing Carroll's deal, Brooklyn also added future draft picks after years of giving them away. Allen could be a nice find late in the first round. -- Brad Botkin

SportsLine 2017-18 forecast: 17.3 wins (No. 15 East seed; 0.1 pct. chance at playoffs)


WESTERN CONFERENCE

Golden State Warriors | Grade: A
Offseason additions: Nick Young (free agency), Omri Casspi (free agency), Jordan Bell (draft)

Offseason losses: None

Recap: One of the greatest teams in history brought back everyone of significance, largely thanks to Kevin Durant taking about $10 million less than he was eligible to make. Adding Young and Casspi is gravy, but who doesn't love gravy? Both can shoot and will perhaps make the bench ever better. -- Brad Botkin
SportsLine 2017-18 forecast: 66 wins (No. 1 West seed; 68.1 pct. chance at NBA title)


Houston Rockets | Grade: A-minus
Offseason additions: Chris Paul (trade), P.J. Tucker (free agency), Shawn Long (trade), Jarrod Uthoff (trade), Isaiah Hartenstein (draft), Tim Quarterman (trade), Tarik Black (free agency)

Offseason losses: Patrick Beverley (trade), Sam Dekker (trade), Montrezl Harrell (trade), Darrun Hilliard (trade), Lou Williams (trade), Kyle Wiltjer (trade)

Recap: GM Daryl Morey is going for it -- and why not? He has one of the league's best players in Harden and he just added another in Paul. Doesn't sound like Morey is done. -- Reid Forgrave
SportsLine 2017-18 forecast: 54.5 wins (No. 2 West seed; 4.3 pct. chance at NBA title)


San Antonio Spurs | Grade: B-minus
Offseason additions: Rudy Gay (free agency), Joffrey Louvergne (free agency), Derrick White (draft), Jaron Blossomgame (draft), Brandon Paul (free agency)

Offseason losses: David Lee (free agency), Jonathon Simmons (free agency)

Recap: Failing to trade LaMarcus Aldridge wasn't great, but standing pat when you're the Spurs isn't a bad thing. Getting Gay is one of those "maybe the Spurs know more than the rest of us" moves, and White was an excellent late-first round pick. -- Reid Forgrave
SportsLine 2017-18 forecast: 54.1 wins (No. 3 West seed; 3.5 pct. chance at NBA title)


Oklahoma City Thunder | Grade: A-plus
Offseason additions: Paul George (trade), Patrick Patterson (free agency), Raymond Felton (free agency), Terrence Ferguson (draft)

Offseason losses: Taj Gibson (free agency), Victor Oladipo (trade), Domantas Sabonis (trade), Norris Cole (unsigned)

Recap: Take a bow, Sam Presti. The Thunder acquired a two-way superstar (George) while getting out of a questionable contract (Oladipo), then signed a starting four and re-signed their defensive specialist at bargain rates. No team did better. -- James Herbert
SportsLine 2017-18 forecast: 47.2 wins (No. 4 West seed; 0.5 pct. chance at NBA title)


Minnesota Timberwolves | Grade: A
Offseason additions: Jimmy Butler (trade), Jeff Teague (free agency), Taj Gibson (free agency), Jamal Crawford (free agency), Justin Patton (draft)

Offseason losses: Ricky Rubio (trade), Zach LaVine (trade), Kris Dunn (trade), Omri Casspi (free agency), Jordan Hill (waived), Nikola Pekovic (waived), Shabazz Muhammad (renounced, unsigned), Brandon Rush (unsigned)

Recap: The Butler trade was highway robbery, and this is going to be a much better, tougher and more defensive-minded team. Spacing is a concern, and it's not clear if replacing Rubio with Teague was an upgrade. -- James Herbert
SportsLine 2017-18 forecast: 47 wins (No. 5 West seed; 0.3 pct. chance at NBA title)


Denver Nuggets | Grade: A-minus
Offseason additions: Paul Millsap (free agency), Trey Lyles (trade), Tyler Lydon (draft), Monte Morris (draft)

Offseason losses: Danilo Gallinari (trade)
paul-millsap-nuggets-getty.jpg
The Nuggets struck gold with their signing of Paul Millsap this offseason. Getty Images
Recap: They signed a star forward to put next to Nikola Jokic, and they didn't have to trade any of their young players or future picks in the process. Not bad at all, but still not a lock to make the playoffs. -- James Herbert
SportsLine 2017-18 forecast: 43.3 wins (No. 6 West seed; 0.1 pct. chance at NBA title)


Los Angeles Clippers | Grade: C
Offseason additions: Danilo Gallinari (trade), Patrick Beverley (trade), Sam Dekker (trade), Montrezl Harrell (trade), Lou Williams (trade), DeAndre Liggins (trade), Kyle Wiltjer (trade), Milos Teodosic (free agency), Jawun Evans (draft), Sindarius Thornwell (draft)
Offseason losses: Chris Paul (trade), J.J. Redick (free agency), Jamal Crawford (trade), Raymond Felton (free agency), Paul Pierce (waived)

Recap: Tons of movement this summer, but you only really need to focus on one player: Paul. The minute they dealt CP3 to the Rockets, even though they received a decent return and re-signed Blake Griffin, the Clippers lost serious ground in the West. The Redick loss hurts, too, though they recovered from that one pretty well by signing Gallinari. -- Brad Botkin
SportsLine 2017-18 forecast: 42.6 wins (No. 7 West seed; 0.1 pct chance at NBA title)


New Orleans Pelicans | Grade: C
Offseason additions: Frank Jackson (draft)

Offseason losses: Tim Frazier (trade)

Recap: Re-signing Holiday was the most important thing this offseason. And next season, they have to figure out if the DeMarcus Cousins/Anthony Davis experiment will work. -- Reid Forgrave
SportsLine 2017-18 forecast: 40.4 wins (No. 8 West seed; 0.1 pct. chance at NBA title)
Portland Trail Blazers | Grade: C
Offseason additions: Zach Collins (draft), Caleb Swanigan (draft)

Offseason losses: Festus Ezeli (waived), Tim Quarterman (trade)

Recap: After their wild offseason last year, this quiet summer is not much of a surprise. Improvement will be expected internally, especially with a full season of Jusuf Nurkic. -- James Herbert
SportsLine 2017-18 forecast: 40.2 wins (No. 9 West seed; 40.2 pct. chance at playoffs)


Dallas Mavericks | Grade: B-plus
Offseason additions: Dennis Smith Jr. (draft), Maxi Kleber (free agency), Johnathan Motley (undrafted free agent), Josh McRoberts (trade)

Offseason losses: DeAndre Liggins (trade), Jarrod Uthoff (trade)

Recap: They may have gotten a steal in Smith, who has shined in Summer League, and Motley is a solid signing that provides a big and versatile body. Smith will fit much better in an NBA system than he did in college, which seemed to stifle his athleticism. -- Reid Forgrave
SportsLine 2017-18 forecast: 39.1 wins (No. 10 West seed; 31.2 pct. chance at playoffs)


Memphis Grizzlies | Grade: C-plus
Offseason additions: Kobi Simmons (undrafted free agent), Dillon Brooks (draft), Ivan Rabb (draft), Tyreke Evans (free agency), Ben McLemore (free agency)

Offseason losses: Vince Carter (free agency)

Recap: While Simmons was an intriguing signing that could pay off down the road, the Grizzlies had already traded away their first-rounder and made some low-upside picks with their second-rounders. The free agent pickups of Evans and McLemore are low-risk, high-reward contracts. -- Reid Forgrave
SportsLine 2017-18 forecast: 38.8 wins (No. 11 West seed; 28.1 pct. chance at playoffs)


Utah Jazz | Grade: C-plus
Offseason additions: Ricky Rubio (trade), Donovan Mitchell (draft), Thabo Sefolosha (free agency), Ekpe Udoh (free agency), Jonas Jerebko (free agency), Tony Bradley (draft)

Offseason losses: Gordon Hayward (free agency), George Hill (free agency), Trey Lyles (trade), Shelvin Mack (free agency), Boris Diaw (unsigned), Jeff Withey (unsigned)

Recap: It's not their fault that they lost a star, but they lost a star. Rubio will fit in well on both ends, though, and trading up to get Donovan Mitchell was brilliant. Sefolosha, Udoh and Jerebko are smart signings at low prices. -- James Herbert

SportsLine 2017-18 forecast: 37.9 wins (No. 12 West seed; 22.2 pct. chance at playoffs)


Sacramento Kings | Grade: A
Offseason additions: De'Aaron Fox, (draft), Justin Jackson (draft), Harry Giles (draft), Frank Mason III (draft), George Hill (free agency), Zach Randolph (free agency), Vince Carter (free agency)

Offseason losses: Darren Collison (free agency), Tyreke Evans (free agency), Langston Galloway (free agency), Rudy Gay (free agency), Ben McLemore (free agency), Aaron Afflalo (waived), Anthony Tolliver (waived)

Recap: They came away with a terrific draft, led by Fox, and then brought in three veterans in Hill, Randolph and Carter to mentor what looks like an up-and-coming core that already includes Buddy Hield and Willie Cauley-Stein. -- Brad Botkin
SportsLine 2017-18 forecast: 35 wins (No. 13 West seed; 8 pct. chance at playoffs)


Los Angeles Lakers | Grade: A
Offseason additions: Lonzo Ball (draft), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (free agency), Brook Lopez (trade),
Kyle Kuzma (draft), Josh Hart (draft), Tony Bradley (draft), Thomas Bryant (draft)

Offseason losses: D'Angelo Russell (trade), Nick Young (free agency), Timofey Mozgov (trade), Tarik Black (waived), David Nwaba (waived), Tarik Black (free agency)

Recap: Got their point guard of the future in Ball, and by getting rid of the $48 million left on Mozgov's deal, they cleared enough cap room to position themselves to pursue two max free agents next summer. Caldwell-Pope is a nice get on a one-year deal, keeping that flexibility, and not rushing to trade for George, which they easily could have done, was a real show of patience. -- Brad Botkin
SportsLine 2017-18 forecast: 34.2 wins (No. 14 West seed; 5.3 pct. at playoffs)


Phoenix Suns | Grade: B
Offseason additions: Josh Jackson (draft), Davon Reed (draft), Alec Peters (draft)

Offseason losses: Leandro Barbosa (waived)

Recap: Jackson fell to Phoenix at No. 4 in the draft, which could end up being very fortunate. He has looked really good in the Summer League and is among a handful of guys who could end up being the best player in the draft. Phoenix was expected to get a meeting with Griffin before he opted to re-sign with the Clippers, so that's a disappointment, but they didn't make any desperate signings and kept their books pretty clean for next summer. -- Brad Botkin
SportsLine 2017-18 forecast: 23.2 wins (No. 15 West seed; 0.1 pct at playoffs)

So IF their projections would hold( I think some are off myself), we would have the 5th best record in the NBA next season.

we would also lose that Lakers pick next year, according to them.

I do agree with a lot of what they say, but some of my changes would be:

East: (in order)
Boston
Cleveland
Washington
Toronto
Milwaukee
MIAMI- They just missed the playoffs last year in a end year rush.
Detroit
Orlando- They got rid of Jeff Green...PLAYOFFS!

West:
GS
Houston
San Antonio
OKC
LA CLippers- they added more depth that is younger, but still fall some.
Utah- Lost Haywards, but added some quality players.
Denver
Minnesota

kdp59 wrote:So IF their projections would hold( I think some are off myself), we would have the 5th best record in the NBA next season.

we would also lose  that Lakers pick next year, according to them.

I do agree with a lot of what they say, but some of my changes would be:

East: (in order)
Boston
Cleveland
Washington
Toronto
Milwaukee
MIAMI- They just missed the playoffs last year in a end year rush.
Detroit
Orlando- They got rid of Jeff Green...PLAYOFFS!

West:
GS
Houston
San Antonio
OKC
LA CLippers- they added more depth that is younger, but still fall some.
Utah- Lost  Haywards, but added some quality players.
Denver
Minnesota

kdp,

So,  you don't see up-and-coming Milwaukee passing Toronto?  Well, maybe not, but a thought.

What has Miami done that would move them from non-playoff to 6th?  Same with Detroit to 7th.

I pretty much agree with your WC prediction, although the loss of a veteran point guard will hurt the Clips a lot.

Denver ahead of Minny, with another year of experience for KAT and Thib's kindergarten and the addition of Jimmy Butler and the loss of the injured Zach LaVine and the non-impactful Kris Dunn?  Ok, explain that one...


bob


.

Going to make a wildly unpopular and minority call here, but I think the Clippers will actually be BETTER this year. Paul is a great player, but I have always felt he was a tad overrated. Gallo, on the other hand, should flourish as the go-to guy, Beverley is tenacious on D, Harrell is a really good rebounder, Thornwell is a guy I thought we were looking at, and Dekker is due for a breakout year. Lou Williams is a younger Crawford, and should easily fill his role........minority, I know, but I'm sticking to it.

Milwaukee certainly could pass Toronto, but I'm still not sold on how good their youngin's are and i have NEVER thought Kidd was a good HC.


Miami will not have the horrendous start they faced last year. take that away and they were a playoff team last year. I think they lost the 8th spot on the last game of the year anyway.

Clippers will fall some, but they have done a good job or re-tooling on the fly, like dboss said, hell even Galinaro is an upgrade over the guys they had playing SF last year

you can flip flop Denver and Minny as both are YOUNG teams on the rise out west to me. I think Millsap will be a great player next to Jokic for them though. and Since I'm not a big fan of Danio, losing him HELPS them IMO.

If you were Cleveland and expected another breakup would you try to trade Lebron James?

The recent negative implications of losing their GM in the midst of free agency and their inability to add anything to improve the team spells trouble.

I think kdp59 talked about this before and now I am starting to agree with him.  Cleveland may limp along during the regular season and try once again to turn it on in the playoffs but that formula may not work this year if Lebron has already checked out mentally and other teams have improved and are now up to the challenge.

If I'm Cleveland I would be searching out trade partners that have tons of assets to part with.

This team reflects the impact of maxing out but still needing to add something every year.  They are in a situation where additions come from the ranks of old veterans.  

dboss

I can't see Cleveland trading Lebron myself ( you would think he of all people would have a no trade clause anyway).

BUT if those things fall into place and LeBron is leaving after the season, other players may be dumped in an effort to get younger players and draft picks come the trade deadline.

kdp59 wrote:I can't see Cleveland trading Lebron myself ( you would think he of all people would have a no trade clause anyway).

BUT if those things fall into place and LeBron is leaving after the season, other players may be dumped in an effort to get younger players and draft picks come the trade deadline.

The Cavs find themselves in a very tough position. They are paying a huge tax on a roster that is unlikely to beat GS and has a young Boston team nipping at their heels.

Before the trade deadline they need to have a long discussion with James and ask for a commitment to resign. If he cannot give them that they should seek out trading partners. Irving, Love and Thompson are still young enough to maintain a strong core but outside of that they have nothing. The Celtics missed on getting George in a trade so I think they should consider going after James because they are one of the few teams with enough assets to do that.

The Lakers would also be a trading partner and the door would be wide open for George to also join the team next year.

dboss

Hi,
Lebron does have a no-trade clause. So, if Cavs will decide to trade him they have to get his blessing. OTOH, they can stick it to him: trade Irving and Love. Without them, at this point in his career, Lebron won't go far in the playoffs.

AK

CLE will do something. Don't know what, but it will be something. I might say they will wait for the inevitable buyouts of Wade and Melo (which they will both push for, IMO). That team would be pretty scary, and may cause James to stay.
OTOH, I can also see them trading Irving for assets later in the year. I can't see LeBron leaving right now, but, again, I know I'm in the minority.

Looks like Melo may be heading to Portland. If that happens look for our old friend Evan Turner to be part of the package going to NY.