The NBA league is an ever evolving creation and you can easily recognize an era from a distance, whether it’s Celtics dominance, the Showtime or the rise of the sports science. Teams have generally tried to copy the recipe for a success, so it’s not surprising that non-basketball experts such as analysts, nutritionists, or sleep management researchers have become as regular members of the franchise as assistant coaches or scouts. Everybody is looking to maximize their potential – and their profit. But with all the tools, you still need a handyman to operate them. Or, if you are an NBA franchise that is looking to compete for the league pinnacle, you need a roster and the coaching staff that can use all the manpower and team utilities and translate them into many wins, playoff success and therefore packed arenas and high demand on team merchandise. There was a time when a great player was enough, or a good team, but you need more in this era. As the salary cap went through the roof a couple of seasons ago, it opened up a door for all franchises to try and copy the recent success formula – connecting several superstars together and building an NBA Super-Team.
Super-team: The Origins
If you want to be an NBA history purist, the NBA super-teams have existed before. Back in the day, when draft picks were undervalued or the draft and cap was organized differently, it was possible to operate teams that had Magic, Abdul-Jabbar and Worthy or Cousy, Russell and K.C. Jones playing together for an extended period. However, the league wants balance and with a different culture in the 90s, super-teams days were seemingly numbered.
With a stroke of good fortune and excellent international scouting, the San Antonio Spurs managed to form a roster that featured 3 or 4 future Hall of Famers in the late 90s, a generation of extraordinary players and characters that have turned this small franchise into a exemplary model of excellence. It was a model that could not been copied, but it gave one man an idea on what it takes to win, and form an NBA Super-Team.
When Danny Ainge persuaded Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to join Paul Pierce and form the Big Three of the Boston Celtics in summer of 2007, the new NBA super-team era was born. Miami Heat followed with James, Wade and Bosh trio and we are witnessing the dominance of another two NBA super-teams of Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers in the last few season after those franchises built some incredibly talented rosters. It’s now clear that in order to challenge these two teams, one should build around at least three superstar players. Some franchises can only dream about it, but the next super-team might be formed before you know it.
The Dreamers
So let’s start with teams that are badly positioned to make any attempt at making the next NBA super-team, for whatever the reason. The list is quite long.
Atlanta Hawks are over the cap and refused to resign Millsap in February, so he paid them back by walking out of his contract. It’s unlikely they’ll sign him back so full scale sale is on the table.
Brooklyn Nets have cap space, but are pledging patience. They are also too far below the required standards in terms of player potential.
Charlotte Hornets have a decent core, but a fully capped and any improvement would have to come via trade, meaning that they’ll most likely stay put.
Dallas Mavericks have built in a flexibility in Nowitzki’s contract that will allow them to quickly increase their cap space should the opportunity of signing a star arises. The problem is, nobody’s coming to Dallas in recent years as Dirk has faded and there are no other stars to play with. Dallas might contend sooner than later, but not before Nowitzki retires.
Detroit Pistons swung and missed with Reggie Jackson so they need to cut on some loose ends to avoid paying luxury. No money and Drummond stagnation assure their spot in the dreamers group.
Indiana Pacers have a star for a super-team foundation in Paul George, but he’ll likely be around just one more season and the front office doesn’t have much attractive assets to land him more reasons to stay. They are more likely to hit the reset button by trading George before he walks on contract expiration.
Los Angeles Lakers got lucky to retain the pick in this year’s draft and it’s looking like a marriage with Lonzo Ball and his pops. Ball is a premier talent and a star in its making, but comes with a lot of entourage and could easily be distracted enough not to shine bright enough. Even with him, the Lakers are too far from forming a playoff team, let alone of becoming the next NBA Super-Team.
Memphis Grizzlies have had nice core for years, but they are aging rapidly and hold little bargaining value. They are also well over the cap and will have to let go JaMychal Green if they don’t move Parsons, but it’s unlikely to happen this summer. Parsons was their attempt at glory, but didn’t work well thus far.
New York Knicks will have some cap space and have shown some intent to get the wheels rolling, but the franchise has been dysfunctional for too long and the recent embarrassing episodes with former and current players won’t help their free agent pitches. They are more likely to be a feeder team with their disgruntled stars. With Anthony’s future uncertain at the Big Apple, KP publicly addressing his disapproval of the managements moves, the Mecca of basketball is miles away of seeing their beloved franchise become an NBA Super-Team.
Oklahoma City Thunder will have some tough decisions to make. In an attempt to surround Westbrook with capable players, they got so far deep into the luxury tax that they won’t be able to hold onto all their players, so GM Presti will likely try to offload some salary, and it’s hard to improve by subtraction. Trading Westbrook would probably help them the most in the long run, but we know that’s not going to happen.
Orlando Magic fired their GM and still haven’t found a replacement, so they are clearly without a direction at this point, and despite the solid cap space, they lack talent. Hopefully the no.5 pick in the draft will land them a star in making.
Phoenix Suns have nice cap flexibility and loads of young talent should they wish to make a blockbuster trade, but are still too young in their rebuild and lack a true anchor to gather around. Booker might be the one in a season or two, so they might return to relevancy soon.
Portland Trail Blazers blew their chance last summer and are buried in bad contracts to average players. They need to trade and they need it badly. The problem is, every other GM in the league knows it and they’ll have to be happy to get 80 cents for a dollar.
Sacramento Kings inexperienced front office is still soul searching, but they’ve at least let Cousins go and are much more flexible with the future moves. Early signs are that they will retain most of their veterans and play the lottery. They are years from significance.
Toronto Raptors have gone all in with a strong hand, but still lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers, so time has come to pay the price. Just by renouncing the rights to their restricted agents and team option contracts to retain the core of the team, the Raptors are going to pay big tax, and Ibaka, Lowry and Tucker are likely to seek a big raise. A current projection shows that Toronto is on the hook for more than $153 million in salary before taxes. I have the utmost respect for GM Ujiri, but it seems that he’s going to blow this thing up and with it, the lone Canadian team will not be having an NBA Super-Team any time soon!!!
The Sleepers
Chicago Bulls is more frequently presented as a team that will lend a star to others, namely Jimmy Butler, but you shouldn’t take this for granted. Wade will likely opt in as he can’t get anywhere close to 23 million he’ll be owed next season under the current contract, but the Bulls still have some decent cap flexibility and attractive trading potential to all in. It’s unlikely scenario, but not impossible.
Denver Nuggets almost managed to sneak into the playoffs with a strong second half of the season, but this can also serve as a pitch for players as the Colorado team has some exciting young talent and versatile roster. Their cap space will largely depend on Gallinari’s decision on whether to opt in or out of the last contract year. If he opts out, Denver will have enough space to offer the highest max to an interested player and with talented Jokic on board, the Nuggets might be close to creating something special. It’s still a stretch at this point as Gallo might opt in and Denver is not a very attractive location.
Los Angeles Clippers barely made this group even as they are technically already an NBA super-team, albeit an unsuccessful one. With Paul, Griffin and Jordan supported by very capable mix of role players (and a great coach), the Clippers should have been an annual contender. For whatever the reason, they failed to establish themselves as one and the window has closed. Griffin and Paul will command a full blown maxes this summer and Mbah a Moute and Redick will also look for a significant raise, so in order to retain their underachieving roster, the Clippers will need to go about 20-25 million above the tax-paying limit, and the costs would skyrocket as a repeating offender. They still might go for it, but really shouldn’t.
Miami Heat is a true sleeper. They don’t have a look of a team that’s going to explode any time soon, but are in a great position. They have several interesting young players to bargain with and few unneeded players whose stock rose this spring. On top of that, if Bosh’s contract comes off the hook (as it likely will), the Heat will have about 30 million of cap space and could throw it at a willing star. Whiteside and Dragic are probably not every household names, but could still be great sidekicks if Miami could sign a big gun (like James?) and, once again, build an NBA Super-Team.
Milwaukee Bucks are dubbed as the young team bound to break through, and it’s certainly exciting to have Antetokounmpo as a building stone, but it’s far from an ideal situation for this team. They are over the cap even if they let go off either Monroe or Snell and they still don’t know do they truly have a budding star in Jabari Parker. Packaging him with Middleton and one of the abundant centers would likely draw plenty of interest in trade scenarios, but it would still leave the Bucks short of what’s needed to call themselves Cleveland equals.
New Orleans Pelicans already made the first step in creating a multi-star monster when they acquired Cousins. Paired with Davis, the Pelicans are oh-so-close and I really considered them as the next big thing before realizing that they are going to splash the cash on extending Jrue Holiday. They wouldn’t have had much cap space even if they wouldn’t, but they be over the cap without any operating space in foreseeable future if they do sign him to a large contract.
San Antonio Spurs do have one of the premier players in the league in Leonard, and potential co-star in Aldridge, but that’s about as far as it goes. With no operational cap space until Gasol’s and Parker’s contracts come of the books, the Spurs will likely look to improve through continuously great scouting.
Washington Wizards have already been relevant factor in the playoffs and have a great starting lineup and a superstar in Wall, yet their future hold very little wiggle room to improve. They are already close to tax-paying territory, before extending Otto Porter, who will get some hefty offers this summer as a restricted free agent. The Wizards would love to keep him (and possibly Bogdanovic too) and if they do so, they’ll have a hard time to fill their bench. Paying a boatload more money for the same shallow product might not bode well for the owners, so they’ll need some luck and front office wizardry to jump a level.
The Finalists
It comes down to the five real candidates to pull it off and propel themselves into the top tier of the NBA by forming an NBA Super-Team. 1. BOSTON, 5. UTAH, 2. PHILLY, 3. HOUSTON, 4. MINNESOTA
5. Utah Jazz have some work to do with Hayward’s expiring contract and Hill and Ingles looking for a raise. Extending them all will put the Jazz on a brink of taxpaying limit, and they still won’t have more than what proved not enough this year. However, the Jazz have interesting assets in Diaw’s non-guaranteed contract, young and cheap players like Exum, Burks and Hood and a serviceable veterans to include in potential blockbuster deals. They need to prove themselves as a true player to Hayward and might decide to add a third star to their roster. Potential targets? Porzingis, Millsap or Bledsoe. With one of these three on board, the Jazz could be the next NBA Super-Team, or not???
4. Minnesota Timberwolves were already projected to make a big leap last season, and as they failed to even make the playoffs, such prognosis will likely be more scarce. With extensions to their main guys Wiggins, LaVine and Towns looming over the next couple of summers, they are expected to play it safe and save 10-15 millions of current cap space for that. But with a couple of first picks and trade baits in likes of Rubio and Dieng, don’t expect Thibodeau to sit tight with clear incapable roster. And when you look to improve, why don’t think big and go after Chris Paul, Paul George or Boston’s top pick?
3. Houston Rockets have amassed loads of talented shooters, ever a good in demand. More so, they have nearly 12 million in cap space if they let Nene go, so they are in prime position to think big this offseason and add to already dangerous team. The best candidate for trade is Ryan Anderson, who didn’t play well enough in the carved role, but everyone but Harden is expendable if Morey tries to pull out some Griffin+Brook Lopez scenario.
2. Philadelphia 76ers fans are surely glad that the Process is over. After years and years of collecting assets, the time has come to turn those assets into an actual value and start forming an NBA Super-Team. It started off nicely with Embiid’s excellent rookie showing, despite it being shadowed by a new injury. It continued with Ben Simmons, another prized high pick who spent what should have been his first season rehabbing, but also changing his position to full-time point guard. If these two fulfill their potential, the Sixers will have two young stars. It’s an if, but Brian Colangelo has incredible 65 millions to work with in the free agency this summer if he decides not to bring Rodriguez back. That’s enough for two maximum contracts and a world of opportunities. Sure, Philly lost much of its appeal due to bottom dwelling years, so the players might be tentative to sign, but it’s still a great opportunity to make a great team that would have not three, but four stars on the team at the same time. Let’s throw max deal at Otto Porter and see how that pans out. Is Lowry willing to sign? What about Millsap? So many options for the Sixers.
The Next NBA Super-Team: Boston Celtics
The Cleveland Cavs might be the king of the East, but the Celtics have managed to get the top seed with the current roster and will have both the cap space to lure another great player and have the #1 pick in the next draft to use it to their liking. With Thomas and Horford playing at an All-Star level, great tradition and a solid playoff success, the Celtics are surely likeable place to many players.
Add a smart coach and a willing front office and some big is coming in Beantown. They will likely play it slow, draft Fultz and trade him to a team that’s looking to start over. They’ll surely go hard after Hayward and other free agent targets, but the big prize would be getting a versatile power forward that can pick up some slack on the glass. Would the Spurs will be willing to trade Aldridge? How about Porzingis, Griffin or Dieng? Laying your hands on a first pick is a chance that doesn’t come by too often, so teams will be willing to listen, and it’s sure that Ainge will have something to say. If he can pull the right moves, the Celtics could, and most likely will, be the next NBA Super-Team!!!
