Since we checked in with the top objectives in free agency for each team in the East, the offseason actually kicked off in earnest.
The Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons got things rolling with our first trade since the season ended, with Ersan Ilyasova going to the Pistons for Caron Butler and Shawne Williams. (You can hear my thoughts on that swap here.)
Now that we're in a transaction kind of mood, let's move on and look at what each team in the West will look to accomplish when the free-agency period begins at the beginning of July.
Dallas Mavericks
Likely cap position: under
Top objective: figure out the backcourt
Possible targets: After years of being capped out under the old CBA, financial flexibility has marked the Mavericks' offseasons since their 2011 title. This summer will be no exception. Assuming Dallas renounces Rajon Rondo and Monta Ellis, who has a player option for next season he's expected to forgo, the Mavs will once again be players in the free-agent market. This means Dallas would be looking at piecing together a brand-new backcourt during an era when guard play is at a premium.
Dallas also needs to shore up its defense, a process that begins with either pursuing center DeAndre Jordan through free agency or retaining their own free agent, Tyson Chandler. As for possible backcourt targets from the market, right now it's tough for Dallas because the premier free agents are generally in the frontcourt.
However, two Miami guards with player options could make sense: Goran Dragic and Dwyane Wade. OK, it would be shocking if Wade were actually to leave the Heat. But if he does, who makes more sense than the Mavericks, who are trying to make one or two more runs before Dirk Nowitzki calls it a career? A dark-horse possibility could be the Spurs' Danny Green.
Denver Nuggets
Likely cap position: under
Top objective: take it easy, fellas
Possible targets: For lack of a better word, the Nuggets are a mess. There is some talent on the roster, but it doesn't fit together well. Denver's best player is Ty Lawson, and he appears to have developed a tumultuous relationship with the team's management, which is also kind of hard to figure out. And, not for nothing, the Nuggets don't have a coach.
They are rumored to be interested in the capable Mike Malone, who nevertheless is about the last coach you'd want for a team that plays its home games in Denver and should take full advantage of the thin air by running ... a lot. When things are this muddled, the best thing a Nuggets fan can hope for is they avoid long-term entanglements like the plague. Wait until someone establishes a direction and begins to construct a comprehensible foundation of talent.
Golden State Warriors
Likely cap position: way, way over
Top objective: retain Draymond Green
Possible targets: Green means so much to the Warriors that even though he's sure to draw an eight-figure offer in restricted free agency, possibly even the max, Golden State has little choice but to match. The good things are that this is still a fairly young Warriors roster, they won 67 games and might be about to win a championship. The status quo is very appealing. However, keeping Green would mean Golden State could field an unheard-of six players earning eight digits next season. Even a free agent inked for the smaller midlevel exception would be really expensive on that balance sheet. In an ideal world, the Warriors find someone to take on the last year of David Lee's contract.
Houston Rockets
Likely cap position: over
Top objective: keep their younger free agents
Possible targets: The Rockets could operate as an under-cap team by renouncing some of their free agents and trade exceptions, but doing so wouldn't free up enough cap space to make a major free-agent splash. Instead, the Rockets are tasked with trying to retain young free agents Patrick Beverley, Kostas Papanikolaou and K.J. McDaniels while still trying to make that one move that puts them over the top in the Western Conference.
Keeping Beverley is imperative, unless a comparable defender can be found that can pair with the ball-dominant James Harden in the backcourt. That player would have to be willing to sign for the midlevel exception. Good luck with that.
So the Rockets need to keep their guys and hope to find an offensive playmaker for that exception. Like a lot of teams, Houston could use a veteran free-agent threat like Mo Williams or Jamal Crawford. Unlike a lot of teams, the Rockets have an on-the-cusp championship roster to entice a player like that to sign.
Los Angeles Clippers
Likely cap position: hopefully over
Top objective: keep DeAndre Jordan
Possible targets: The "hopefully" qualifier above stems from an uncomfortable truth for the Clippers. If they are under the cap, that means Jordan has moved on. The Clippers have no means to replace him, unless by some miracle he were to sign with Dallas, and L.A. could swing a sign-and-trade that involves Mavs free agent Tyson Chandler. Jordan is everything to a Clippers defense that is barely adequate for a title contender.
If Jordan stays, then Doc Rivers turns his attention to upgrading on the wing. The name you will keep hearing will be Paul Pierce, who has a player option for one more year with the Wizards, played for Rivers in Boston and is an L.A. native.
Los Angeles Lakers
Likely cap position: under
Top objective: keep options open
Possible targets: The Lakers will add the No. 2 pick in the upcoming draft to last year's lottery pick, Julius Randle. Rookie point guard Jordan Clarkson proved to be a revelation, though it's an open question if he can replicate last season's production in higher-leverage situations. Still, you add in free-agent-to-be Ed Davis, who will probably opt out and whom the Lakers should retain, and Los Angeles has the makings of a youthful foundation worth building around.
No, it's not going to get Kobe Bryant one more run at his sixth championship ring, but at this point that feels like a nonfactor. The Lakers won't bide their time forever, and they will make their calls to this year's top free agents. But realistically, the Lakers don't have the roster to attract one of those guys. However, if this year's rookie blows up and the team improves organically, then perhaps in 2016 a star free agent will seize the chance to propel the Lakers back to relevance. So take a shot at it this summer, but don't do anything rash. You've stuck it out this long.
Memphis Grizzlies
Likely cap position: over
Top objective: keep Marc Gasol and one big move
Possible targets: The Grizzlies have been a fine team stuck on the second tier for a few seasons now. Any shake-up that involves the loss of Gasol is undesirable; that departure in itself slams Memphis' window of contention shut with such force that it might take years to sweep up the broken glass. Gasol will have plenty of suitors -- as in 30 teams that at least entertain backroom talks about how to get him -- but his public comments at least suggest the Grizz have a fair shot at keeping him around. Still, it will be a tense summer in Memphis.
If Gasol stays, Memphis still has to figure out a way to find the offensive playmaker who could finally get them to the next level in the playoffs. Memphis is nearing the juncture Dallas was at when many were calling for the Mavs to blow up their team. Instead, they went with continuity and tweaks on the margins, and ended up with the 2011 crown. The Grizz hope they are at that point. Ideally, you'd love to see Memphis end up with a playmaker like Jamal Crawford, who alas can earn more by staying put in L.A.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Likely cap position: over
Top objective: keeping Kevin Garnett?
Possible targets: For a rebuilding team, Minnesota has a surprisingly large amount of long-term money tied up. That should limit what Flip Saunders tries to do in free agency, but that should hardly distress Wolves fans. The Bucks showed last season that a team can develop a young foundation while simultaneously playing competitive basketball.
However, unlike the Bucks, the Timberwolves don't play in the East. That makes a quick turnaround and a playoff push unlikely, but better days lie ahead. Minnesota already has a terrific group of young talent led by Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins and 24-year-old veteran Ricky Rubio. Now they are about to add another top overall pick, presumably (hopefully) Karl-Anthony Towns. This will give them the top guy of the last three drafts when you include 2013 top pick Anthony Bennett.
Minny has veteran leadership on hand in Nikola Pekovic and Kevin Martin. That's where keeping Garnett around matters, though he doesn't appear to have a whole lot to offer on the court. As the new collection of talent develops, Garnett gives them continuity and identity, while helping to mentor Towns. These things matter.
New Orleans Pelicans
Likely cap position: uncertain
Top objective: improving defense
Possible targets: The Pelicans are at a critical juncture of their presumed ascension. Anthony Davis has already put himself in the "game's best player" conversation. New Orleans improved last season and squeaked into the playoffs despite clear defensive shortcomings. Now, Alvin Gentry is in as head coach, but he's not known as a defensive guru, and anchor center Omer Asik is an unrestricted free agent. What now? The Pelicans have to figure out what they're going to be. Asik is a premier rim protector, but that is also a role that can be filled by Davis.
New Orleans could carve out enough cap space by renouncing their own free agents and swinging a trade to bring in an impact wing. If he can defend, then perhaps Davis and Ryan Anderson could work as a full-time frontcourt, which would allow Gentry to play a style somewhat similar to what has worked for him offensively in the past, though Tyreke Evans' jump shot undermines that to an extent. Retaining Asik and targeting a wing with the midlevel exception is the conservative approach. Given the tepid options on the market, a creative trade might be New Orleans' best bet to balance the roster and take the next step.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Likely cap position: over
Top objective: get over the top
Possible targets: The Thunder faces a hefty tax bill next season if the same roster comes back, which would require OKC to match any offers restricted free agents Kyle Singler and Enes Kanter attract on the market. (Advised, unless some team loses its head over Kanter.) This is no time to pinch pennies in Oklahoma City, as Kevin Durant enters the last year of his contract with plenty to prove after his injury-plagued 2014-15 season. A healthy Thunder roster is a title contender as is, complete with star power and complementary role players at every position. A veteran backup playmaker might help if he's willing to sign for the minimum. Jameer Nelson comes to mind. But then someone else would have to go, and not only does OKC have a stocked roster, but they've got stash prospect Josh Huestis waiting in the wings and the last lottery pick in the draft. Sam Presti might want to package some of these young assets in an effort to bring in a veteran role player, but it's hard to see the Thunder doing much in free agency.
Phoenix Suns
Likely cap position: under
Top objective: decide what they want to be
Possible targets: The Suns went guard-heavy with last season's roster construction, then cleared that up a bit when they traded away Isaiah Thomas and Goran Dragic at the deadline. But they still have a big decision to make this summer on restricted free agent Brandon Knight, who is a terrific player, but is he the long-term backcourt partner for Eric Bledsoe? The Suns also have to decide how much they are willing to spend to keep backup center Brandan Wright. Beyond that, the Suns appear to have a core in place of Bledsoe, emergent center Alex Len and power forward Markieff Morris.
Even if Knight is retained, the Suns need to upgrade on the wing. In-house candidates Archie Goodwin and Reggie Bullock could be ready to step forward to replace outgoing free agents Gerald Green and Marcus Thornton. That still leaves room for a more offense-minded 3 to go with P.J. Tucker and Marcus Morris. The Suns should have money to spend. This is a team that might want to throw a big offer at Kawhi Leonard and see what sticks. A more realistic target is DeMarre Carroll.
Portland Trail Blazers
Likely cap position: over
Top objective: keep their starters
Possible targets: The Blazers have starters LaMarcus Aldridge, Wesley Matthews and Robin Lopez headed for unrestricted free agency, and keeping that trio -- in the order listed -- is top priority. Obviously there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding Aldridge, but if you want to be an optimist, losing him could represent an opportunity for a team that might be stuck on the second tier of the tough West. Damian Lillard is the foundation player, while Nicolas Batum and a hopefully healthy Matthews are both capable of carrying a heavier offensive load in a post-Aldridge situation.
Meyers Leonard has emerged as a legit stretch big who offers more efficiency, if not dynamism, than Aldridge. If Arron Afflalo opts out and walks, the Blazers could have cash to spend on the frontcourt, where there is some depth in the market. Paul Millsap would make sense with this bunch at the right price.
Sacramento Kings
Likely cap position: under
Top objective: figure out who signs the free agents
Possible targets: Seriously, what in the world is going on in Sacramento? Can we just turn the operation over to George Karl? The Kings can easily walk away from their own free agents and have money to spend this summer. They have a foundation of DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay, two developing guards in Nik Stauskas and Ben McLemore, and the No. 6 pick in the draft. This is a roster short on passing, and it just so happens that Rajon Rondo is going to be a free agent with everything to prove. The Kings might be the one team for whom Rondo, if he's healthy, makes sense, but you don't want to overextend in either dollars or years.
San Antonio Spurs
Likely cap position: under
Top objective: transition to the future
Possible targets: Assuming Tim Duncan doesn't retire and returns to the Spurs on another below-market contract, then matching the max offer coming Kawhi Leonard's way is the top priority. However, if Manu Ginobili retires, it becomes that much more important to keep Danny Green, an unrestricted free agent sure to attract plenty of interest.
But the Spurs have the flexibility to chase a star free agent and they have the talent and organizational stability to interest any of the top big men. It's not hard to imagine Marc Gasol or LaMarcus Aldridge, a central Texas native, becoming the face of the post-Duncan Spurs.
Utah Jazz
Likely cap position: under
Top objective: add shooting
Possible targets: The Jazz are poised to become something special, and they are about to add yet another lottery pick to their extensive collection of such players already on hand. They have the financial structure in place to keep all of these guys when they are ready to be extended, as Utah has already done with Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors and Alec Burks. As this young group continues to develop together, another deep-shooting threat would help Utah mount a playoff push next season.
You don't want to overspend, though. There are free agents who make sense in a salary vacuum: Wesley Matthews, Khris Middleton, Louis Williams, etc. If Matthews' injury hurts his market value, then that might be a nice upside play. Otherwise, expect the Jazz to stay the course.