With almost all the major free agents gone from the marketplace, teams are now getting creative to fill the remaining holes on their rosters. That's an easier task for some teams than others. For today, let's look at a few teams that have rosters finished enough that we can hone in on a specific position, or skill set, that might complete the puzzle. Sure, there are teams whose roster holes could be summed up as "the whole thing", but we'll save those for another time. Let's focus on the clubs that can still make meaningful moves on the margins of their depth charts.
Atlanta Hawks
Hole: size on the wing
Atlanta will have a different look to its roster next season after losing DeMarre Carroll in free agency and trading for former Spurs starting center Tiago Splitter. The Hawks also acquired Tim Hardaway Jr. from New York, but there remains no ready-made replacement for Carroll in a starting lineup that was one of the most stable units in the league in 2014-15. Mike Budenholzer will have to mix and match between undersized offensive options (Kent Bazemore, Hardaway) and more defensive-minded players (Thabo Sefolosha, Justin Holiday). Kyle Korver can play some at the position as well. On paper, all of those players are more 2 than 3, so ideally you'd like to see one more wing who has a little more length and physical presence than anyone in that group.
The Hawks have 14 roster spots accounted for, using cap space to fill in their open slots. It appears they have done so without using their $2.8 million room exception. Atlanta does have the wing options we mentioned, and it's possible that Budenholzer prefers to stay flexible with his last roster spot, perhaps by keeping around a summer league player like Glenn Robinson III on a non-guaranteed deal at first. As far as players left on the market, Dorell Wright might make some sense. He wouldn't likely step into the starting lineup, so rather than tie up his last open slot, Budenholzer could well bide his time to see who might become available during the season.
Charlotte Hornets
Hole: shooting
It has been a busy offseason in Charlotte, where the Hornets have added Nicolas Batum, Spencer Hawes, Jeremy Lin, Jeremy Lamb and rookie Frank Kaminsky to the mix. Collectively, the shooting has improved quite a bit over what Steve Clifford had at his disposal when last season ended. Still, looking at the depth chart, you don't see a true shooting specialist in the mix -- someone with the "gravity" to expand a defense. Since the Hornets have a couple of roster spots to work with, and a mid-level exception, why not look at Spurs free-agent center Matt Bonner? Charlotte needs some size at the end of its bench as it is, so make it a shooting big, though you wouldn't want to give Bonner more than the minimum. Another option could be Darrell Arthur, a worse shooter but better defender. He wouldn't command a full mid-level, but Charlotte might be able to outbid teams with a portion of that exception.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Hole: shot-blocking, backup center
Cleveland's focus remains on getting Tristan Thompson, Matthew Dellavedova and, most likely, J.R. Smith back into the fold. Doing that and adding Mo Williams to the bench would be a solid offseason for the Cavs. David Griffin has yet to cash in Brendan Haywood and his $10.5 million non-guaranteed deal, and that's currently one of the more intriguing situations to watch across the league right now. Assuming things work out with Cleveland's remaining free agents, the hole on the depth chart is at backup center, where the Cavaliers could use a rim-protecting bit player. Assuming he's healthy, career Cavalier Anderson Varejao will be the primary reserve behind Timofey Mozgov, and Thompson will get his share of minutes in the middle. But right now, Mozgov is the one shot-blocker in the mix, and Cleveland can do better than bringing back Kendrick Perkins. An energy player who would be a great addition is Clippers free agent Ekpe Udoh, though he might be able to do better than the minimum salary Cleveland has to offer. Another possibility is veteran Elton Brand, whose rights were recently renounced by Atlanta.
Dallas Mavericks
Hole: shot-blocking
The flip-flop of DeAndre Jordan leaves the Mavericks still trying to figure out their defense. Zaza Pachulia is a fine role player in the middle and a solid position defender, but the best shot-blocker on the current Dallas roster is recently signed energy guy Jeremy Evans. The best free-agent shot-blocker out there is JaVale McGee, and his name has popped up on the rumor mill as a possibility for Dallas. The Mavericks have a strong team culture and a great coach in Rick Carlisle. Dallas surely wouldn't be making a major commitment, so it seems like it's worth a shot. McGee and Jordan were taken in the same draft and, at the time, McGee seemed like much more of a sure thing. From an analytical standpoint, McGee's per-minute numbers have always been gaudy. But that's in a vacuum -- McGee has yet to prove he can produce in the service of winning.
Indiana Pacers
Hole: playmaker
Pacers fans might be spending a lot of time looking at their scorecards next season trying to figure out whether they are indeed watching the same rugged, plodding franchise that they've rooted for the last few years. A lot of teams say they want to play faster, but Indiana backed up that wish with a major roster makeover. The addition of Chase Budinger over the weekend fits in perfectly with the initiative, as you can envision a small lineup with Paul George at the 4 next to Budinger, with George Hill and Monta Ellis pushing the pace from the backcourt. The Pacers don't have a pure point guard on the roster. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but given the way Indiana wants to play, you would like to see a true pass-first guy in there somewhere. This player would really only need to come in and calm things down when they get ragged. The Pacers might try taking a flier on Kendall Marshall, who is coming off a knee injury, or Ish Smith, who would find a bigger role if he re-ups with the Sixers.
Los Angeles Lakers
Hole: small forward
The Lakers' roster has plenty of backcourt options and a reasonable contingent of frontcourt players. Unless L.A. is planning to have rookie Larry Nance Jr. play a major role next season, the Lakers could really use a role-playing small forward, perhaps even as a starter. This is another team that Dorell Wright fits with on paper, as he is a low-usage deep shooter with length who can slot next to Kobe Bryant and D'Angelo Russell. Really though, there aren't any obvious starting-caliber wings left on the free-agent market.
Utah Jazz
Hole: shot-blocking
Given the depth of Utah's young talent and the Jazz's 21-11 finish, it seems the stakes will be much higher for Quin Snyder's emerging team. Rudy Gobert is a defensive beast in the middle. While Utah could probably still use another shooter or two, there isn't a bona fide backup center on the depth chart, though maybe Utah sees potential overseas import Tibor Pleiss as the answer. The rights to Pleiss were acquired at February's trade deadline in the swap that sent Enes Kanter to Oklahoma City, and he's rumored to be near a deal with the Jazz. He's a skilled guy, but obviously has yet to prove he can hang with NBA-caliber big men, and his game is skewed toward the offensive end. Utah still has to figure out how to mitigate its inevitable loss of defensive efficiency when Gobert heads to the bench. Derrick Favors may well be the de facto backup in the middle, sliding to the position as part of a rotation with Gobert and Pleiss. One guy who might work in a bit role is New Orleans restricted free agent Jeff Withey. However, a more utilitarian pickup would be someone who can swing between both frontcourt spots. This is another place where Udoh would fit.