In the summer of 2017 we witnessed one of the most intriguing postseasons in recent history. The weird thing is that it wasn’t the Finals that got fans excited – it was free agency and trades. Few teams either lost or traded away their star players which meant a radical change in these franchises’ future. Some of them decided to keep it going (Indiana, Utah, NY) while others embraced the tanking process (Chicago, Atlanta). The following postseason may turn out to be rather uneventful because of all that redistribution of talent. However, we haven’t seen it all. As a matter of fact there are several ticking time bombs in the NBA that may flip the next postseason into version 2.0 of the last one. We are talking about several teams that are in a weird state of humdrum from which there are two ways of escaping. Either you go all in on heavy trading or free agent acquisitions or you blow up what you got in order to rebuild it. Unfortunately for these teams it seems like they are heading for the second scenario. If such events occur in the postseason, the main role would go to the general management as free agency has been pushed aside because of contract specifics.

Memphis Grizzlies

Grizzlies
Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

After 7 consecutive playoff seasons it appears that the Grizzlies are running out of steam. Last season head coach David Fizdale achieved nothing more than his predecessor Dave Joerger – a first round exit. Although fans appreciate the efforts that doesn’t really help. The truth is the team is stagnating. Seven years of playoff contention have taken a toll on Memphis especially on its draft positioning. This can be explained by the fact that rookie development is usually sacrificed so that vets and good role players are kept on the team. So why bother witht the draft if you’re trying to win in the current playoff situation. Unfortunately, the Grizzlies just couldn’t do it. And now they are starting to face the consequences.

One of which is frustration. The best example is Marc Gasol’s remarks after an embarrassing loss to the Brooklyn Nets. A major misalignment between coach and star player was starting to form and management responded. Less than 24 hours after Gasol made his frustrations public coach Fizdale was fired out of nowhere. The statement by GM Chris Wallace meant one simple thing – management will do pretty much anything to keep the star players. But having star players doesn’t necessarily result in winning. With a record of 7-12 (as of now) there is high chance that the situation may worsen. After all Fizdale had plenty of time with his players unlike the new coach who will have to adjust.

Marc Gasol
Tom Pennington/Getty Images

The biggest question mark in the picture is Marc Gasol. If the big man remains unhappy he may demand a trade. This will weaken the team even more as general management can hardly find a substitute as good as him. Without “Big Spain” the Grizzlies are definitely out of the playoffs. In such case management will be highly tempting to just blow up the team rather that fix it. They have ran out of assets after all!

It`s very hard to predict what will happen to the Grizzles. Maybe they will find a solution. Or maybe they won’t. And with NBA’s recent history of trade demands no one can tell if Gasol and Conley Jr. are secured on Memphis’ roster.

Toronto Raptors


The Canadian team has been living its glory days for the past three seasons. After being stuck in no man’s land for years the Raptors are finally winning and making decent playoff runs. Their success can be attributed to the star backcourt players Demar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry and the eccentric GM Masai Ujiri. But the Raptors’ management made a substantial mistake that can have major consequences on the team’s future.

They went all in trying to win! And they failed! Back in 2016-17 season the Raptors traded away both a 1st and 2nd round pick to the Phoenix Suns for PJ Tucker and acquired Serge Ibaka for Terrance Ross and a 1st round pick. All of this trading was supposed to turn them into an obstacle for either Boston or Cleveland came playoff time. Ironically, the Raptors got swept in the second round by the rolling Cavaliers. Then came postseason in which Toronto had to part ways with Patrick Patterson, PJ Tucker, Demarre Carrol, Corey Joseph and Jarred Sullinger. All they got in return was CJ Miles and a 2nd round pick. To top it off, the team barely kept its back court intact after Kyle Lowry was hesitant in his decision to resign. All of those factors will definitely play their role on the Raptors’ future as they are now less deep and substantially older.
The problem in the first place is that management decided to pull the trigger on trades too early. Toronto got stacked in short period of time and couldn’t establish a style of play. Which led to them becoming an easy pray for the well-oiled Cavs.

Kyle Lowry Raptors
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

As of now, the Raptors are still projected to be at the top of the Eastern Conference. They are a winning team but it’s obvious they tend to ran out of gas come playoff time. Toronto is in a situation in which there aren’t any options left for immediate improvement. Management has nothing left to offer in trades that doesn’t include players from their starting line-up. And if the roster is revamped drastically it will be a tough task to keep it intact after free agency.

Toronto wants to win but problems are stacking up. The team stars are aging and seem to be getting lethargic. Meanwhile, the rooks are not having a breakthrough that would turn them into solid pieces or assets. It appears that rebuilding through trade is getting closer and closer to the team in the North.

New Orleans Pelicans

pelicans
Steve Mitchell/USA TODAY Sports

The Pelicans have been stuck in an awkward situation ever since Anthony Davis gained star status. Management has been having issues surrounding him with talent or at least solid role players. Every single season since 2013/14 fans have constantly debated where will Davis depart for or which team will offer the ultimate deal for him. All-Star weekend of 2017 caught the entire NBA fandom by surprise. It was not Davis who got traded – it was Demarcus Cousins who joined him in New Orleans. Hence, the new age “Twin Tower” duo formed.

Unfortunately, the idea of having two of the best stretch big men on the same team, may not turn out to be as so good after all. The Pelicans can hardly protect themselves from teams with a heavy emphasize on 3-point shooting like the Warriors or Rockets. They also fall victim to fast point guards too because of the size of their front court.

Luckily, almost every team with assets wants to trade either for Cousins or Davis. So it’s question whether the Pelicans management would like to keep building around them in search of success or part ways with at least one of them.

Los Angeles Clippers

Blake Griffin Danilo Gallinari Clippers
LA Clippers/ Instagram

An auspicious beginning of the new season came to a rapid end as the LA Clippers are now struggling. Injuries have taken a major toll on the team as Milos Teodosic, Patrick Beverly, Danilo Gallinari and Blake Griffin are out. With such a huge part of the roster gone it would be a nearly impossible task for Doc Rivers to weather the storm and keep the Clippers in playoff contention.

At this point people have already started speculating what will be general management’s move in response to the situation. A potential team blow-up and revamp is getting more and more plausible especially after the playoffs have become harder to reach.
All of it may start from all-start center DeAndre Jordan. He is the only healthy and trade worthy player the Clippers have left. And teams such as the Cavaliers, Raptors and Spurs are on the lookout. The Boston – Cleveland trade showed us that injured players (Isaiah Thomas) may still be traded away if they are good. So it won’t surprising if the Clippers try to package one of their injured players with Jordan so that they can get active pieces in return.

It is hardly the case that the team from LA will move everything and start from scratch. When they traded Chris Paul it was clear that they have chosen Blake Griffin as a centerpiece to the franchise. But with him being out and a looming danger of not making the playoffs on the horizon there is no telling what can happen on the trade block.

Cleveland Cavaliers


The Cavaliers appeared stable and determined to win until Kyrie Irving demanded a trade. This unexpected decision shook up Cleveland and triggered an out pour of problems.

Lack of options on offense, under performing players and problematic coaching decisions. At one point it seemed that everything was falling apart. The slow and uncertain start of the season arose many questions. But most importantly brought forward speculations regarding LeBron James’ future with the organization. And this is the main problem looming over Cleveland.

Often times Cavaliers fans deny the fact that the franchise depends on LeBron James as he single-handedly puts the city on the map. After all those years of playing there the team and the organization are molded to the King’s preference and if he leaves in free agency the whole thing may fall apart. His absence will hurt the Cavs in every possible aspect and the players who are left wouldn’t be willing to stay. Because if you take LeBron out of Cleveland it becomes an organization as popular as Detroit, Miami, Dallas etc. So why bother staying in a place that is yet to reinvent itself if you can go to younger teams that are ready to win. Just bare in mind that the Cavs have an average age of 30. In case Lebron is out of the picture who exactly would provide efficient scoring and leadership?

LeBron James, Kyrie Irving
The Associated Press

Perhaps Koby Altman is thinking about it. So far he has two options in front of him. The easiest one is to think short term and provide everything LeBron demands. Because at the end of the day it is James who attributes to the team’s success and financial well being. The second option is much harder to go for and it is to plan long term. So far the King hasn’t committed to Cleveland past 2018. He may end up using free agency to jump ship if he loses confidence in the organization. If such scenario is considered by general management one thing must be done at all cost. The Cavs should hold on for dear life to Brooklyn’s 1st round pick. This will be the chance to draft a young player who would fill in the gap at the small-forward spot. Then the organization must part ways with players who are unwilling to stay and clear up space for younger talent. So in other words rebuild without gutting the entire team.

To sum up, the situation in Cleveland is very complicated. It is a ticking time bomb that is up to management to defuse. Essentially, it all trickles down to LeBron James. However, the organization should not forget the King is not going to rule the courts forever. Therefore the future should be considered. There is a high chance it may include trades and losing players as free agents but it has to be done for the greater good of Cleveland.