What's expected of every team in NBA free agency?
Teams and players can officially negotiate new deals at 6 p.m. ET June 30, though preparations are underway already.
To help break down what's possible this offseason, NBA Insiders Bobby Marks and André Snellings lay out the realistic best-case and worst-case scenarios for each franchise. We're starting with the 15 teams in the Eastern Conference. We've also included cap-space projections and potential free-agent targets.
Which teams can quickly become contenders, and which ones are better off focusing on the future? Let's dive in.
Part 2: Best and worst case for every West team
Atlanta Hawks
Projected cap space: $13.6 million
Potential free-agency targets: Role-playing veterans such as Vince Carter, Dewayne Dedmon, Robin Lopez, Ed Davis and Jared Dudley
Best case: Newcomers Allen Crabbe, Evan Turner and Solomon Hill stay healthy and somewhat live up to the contracts they signed in the summer of 2016. The veterans will be relied upon not just on the court but also as mentors to the seven players on rookie contracts. After getting most of its offseason shopping done in trades and the draft, Atlanta is judicious with its $13 million in cap space, taking back expiring contracts with draft assets attached or using the two open roster spots on short-term deals.
Worst case: GM Travis Schlenk skips a few steps in the rebuilding process and turns the $63 million in expiring contracts of Turner, Crabbe, Hill and Miles Plumlee into players who can help compete for a playoff spot in the short term but reduce cap flexibility in the future. -- Marks
Boston Celtics
Projected cap space: $24.9 million
Potential free-agency targets: Terry Rozier, Kemba Walker, Danny Green, Jeremy Lamb, Garrett Temple, Justin Holiday, Brook Lopez, Nikola Vucevic, Nikola Mirotic and Enes Kanter
Best case: The market dries up for second-tier free agents, and the Celtics are able to divide their space among three players: a shooter off the bench, a starting center and restricted free agent Terry Rozier on a team-friendly contract.
Worst case: The Phoenix Suns come in with a four-year, $80 million offer sheet on Rozier, and Boston is forced to either retain Rozier on a $20 million annual salary that could be hard to move in the future or rely on Marcus Smart to be the full-time point guard. -- Marks
Brooklyn Nets
Projected cap space: $46.8 million
Potential free-agency targets: D'Angelo Russell, Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, Tobias Harris, Marcus Morris, Mike Scott and Nikola Mirotic
Best case: The salary cap jumps to $109.6 million, giving the Nets a clear path to sign both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant without stripping down the roster. The $600,000 jump allows Brooklyn to make just one move (possibly trading Dzanan Musa) before Durant and Irving are signed, rather than being forced to deal away multiple players.
Worst case: There is no real worst case for Brooklyn. After taking over what was essentially an expansion-team roster in 2016, GM Sean Marks has laid a foundation to make the playoffs even if the Nets miss out on Durant and Irving. Re-signing D'Angelo Russell is not a bad consolation prize. -- Marks
Charlotte Hornets
Projected cap space: None
Potential free-agency targets: Kemba Walker, Darren Collison, T.J. McConnell, Ish Smith, Cory Joseph, Jeremy Lamb and Jamal Crawford
Best case: Walker returns on a five-year, $190 million contract, but a full guarantee in the last year ($43.1 million in 2023-24) is conditional on Walker playing a minimum of 65 games in both the third and fourth years of the contract.
Worst case: Walker returns, but GM Mitch Kupchak is forced to use the stretch provision on Bismack Biyombo's $17 million contract. Owner Michael Jordan keeps his perfect record of not paying the tax intact, though it comes at the cost of future financial flexibility. Biyombo's $5.7 million annual cap hit would impede the Hornets from improving the roster next year. -- Marks
Chicago Bulls
Projected cap space: $22.3 million
Potential free-agency targets: Patrick Beverley, Malcolm Brogdon, Derrick Rose
Best case: The Bulls bring in a veteran, starting-caliber point guard such as Patrick Beverley, a released George Hill or dare-I-say Derrick Rose on a two-year deal to run the team as a mentor and maximize the growth curve of Chicago's young pieces. Alternatively, the Bulls bring in a young lead guard with upside -- such as Malcolm Brogdon -- on a longer-term deal as another building block in the backcourt.
Worst case: They use their cap space to overpay non-impact veterans in long-term deals with hopes to win now, thus stunting the development of their young players while simultaneously falling short of contention. This would limit both their upside and their flexibility to continue to build in upcoming seasons. -- Snellings
Cleveland Cavaliers
Projected cap space: None
Potential free-agency targets: None
Best case: The Cavs find a trading partner willing to give a combination of young talent, future picks and/or cap space for Kevin Love -- let's say the Jazz send Derrick Favors (with his salary guaranteed), Dante Exum and a 2022 first. From there, the Cavs play their young core rather than bringing in veterans and use their expiring contracts wisely (either finding deals to bring in more draft capital without broaching the tax or simply letting them expire).
Worst case: The Cavs trade expiring deals for mediocre players on longer contracts in a misguided attempt to win now. They fall into the luxury tax, lose flexibility and stay locked in salary-cap purgatory while lacking the talent and developed players to compete. -- Snellings
Detroit Pistons
Projected cap space: None
Potential free-agency targets: Elfrid Payton, Jeremy Lamb
Best case: The Pistons are able to use some combination of the full midlevel exception (maybe for Jeremy Lamb or Elfrid Payton?) and/or a forward-looking trade of Reggie Jackson's expiring contract (e.g. Jackson, Luke Kennard and Tony Snell/Langston Galloway for Andrew Wiggins and a future first-round pick) to bring in a scoring wing to complement their core strength up front.
Worst case: They spend and deal themselves into the luxury tax without bringing in difference-makers and end up stuck in mediocrity at a franchise-crippling price. -- Snellings
Indiana Pacers
Projected cap space: $20.4 million
Potential free-agency targets: Ricky Rubio, Bojan Bogdanovic, Thaddeus Young
Best case: The Pacers add Ricky Rubio while keeping Bojan Bogdanovic and Thaddeus Young with reasonable deals. That team, with the addition of T.J. Warren, should be able to compete at a playoff level until Victor Oladipo returns from injury midseason. At that point, the Pacers plan for a second-half run.
Worst case: The Pacers lose both Young, their veteran leader, and Bogdanovic in free agency and then overpay for Rubio. He can be a good value as a secondary piece, but if the Pacers overpay in money or contract length, the value becomes negative. -- Snellings
Miami Heat
Projected cap space: None
Potential free-agency targets: Seth Curry, Trey Burke, Jerryd Bayless, T.J. McConnell
Best case: Draft picks Tyler Herro and KZ Okpala are summer league standouts, giving Miami a glimpse of what the future holds. Instead of focusing on limited options due to roster constraints, Miami would be well-positioned heading into training camp with a young core of Herro, Okpala, Josh Richardson, Justise Winslow and Bam Adebayo.
Worst case: The Heat use the stretch provision on the $15.6 million owed to Ryan Anderson with a goal of financial savings this year. Though the stretch would save Miami $20 million toward the luxury tax, the Heat would lose $5.2 million of cap space in 2020 and 2021, two summers in which Pat Riley has vowed to chase stars in free agency. -- Marks
Milwaukee Bucks
Projected cap space: $13 million
Potential free-agency targets: Khris Middleton, Malcolm Brogdon, Brook Lopez, Nikola Mirotic
Best case: The Bucks re-sign at least three of their rotation free agents -- Khris Middleton, Malcolm Brogdon, Brook Lopez and Nikola Mirotic -- to market contracts, but with only Middleton and Brogdon on longer deals. This sets the stage for them to run back the team that was right at the top of the NBA last season without hamstringing the future, and hopefully convinces Giannis Antetokounmpo to sign his supermax extension next offseason.
Worst case: The Bucks either lose key players or overpay in length of contract, which locks the team into place with little future wiggle room. The former might disappoint Giannis enough that he looks to leave Milwaukee in the next couple of years, and the latter becomes an albatross if it doesn't work out and Giannis decides to leave anyway (see the post-LeBron Cavaliers). -- Snellings
New York Knicks
Projected cap space: $70 million
Potential free-agency targets: Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, Rodney Hood, Justin Holiday, Noah Vonleh, Lance Thomas, Dante Cunningham, Jabari Parker, Anthony Tolliver, Kevon Looney, Bobby Portis, Richaun Holmes, Robin Lopez
Best case: Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant or possibly both are being introduced at a mid-July news conference at the base of the Statue of Liberty. From there, New York is able to add enough shooting and defense to build a real challenger in the East.
Worst case: Instead of signing free agents to short-term contracts after they are spurned by Irving and Durant, the Knicks use their double max slots on Kemba Walker and Jimmy Butler. The Knicks improve, but their ceiling won't be particularly high and they'll have little flexibility moving forward. -- Marks
Orlando Magic
Projected cap space: None
Potential free-agency targets: Terrence Ross, Nikola Vucevic, Kyle O'Quinn, Enes Kanter, Brook Lopez, Dewayne Dedmon, Wayne Ellington, Garrett Temple, Reggie Bullock, James Ennis and Khem Birch
Best case: Vucevic is the first free agent off the board on June 30, and the small discount that he takes in a new contract ($27 million cap hit in Year 1) allows the Magic to retain shooting guard Terrence Ross.
Worst case: The Magic can't afford to retain Vucevic, and a playoff team from last year heads back to the lottery without a long-term building block. Orlando is left starting Mo Bamba, Timofey Mozgov or Khem Birch (if signed as a free agent) at center. -- Marks
Philadelphia 76ers
Projected cap space: None
Potential free-agency targets: Jimmy Butler, JJ Redick, Tobias Harris, Bojan Bogdanovic, Marcus Morris, Robin Lopez, Noah Vonleh, Wayne Ellington, Jeremy Lamb, Austin Rivers, Kyle O'Quinn, Ed Davis
Best case: Tobias Harris is signed to a four-year, $140 million contract, JJ Redick returns on a two-year, $24 million deal, and the remaining $26.5 million in cap space is used on a combination of Bojan Bogdanovic, Robin Lopez and Noah Vonleh. Philadelphia would need to walk away from a Jimmy Butler max contract, but it would help the franchise long-term.
Worst case: The 76ers have $62 million in cap space when the moratorium is lifted on July 6, meaning Harris and Butler are both gone, and the Sixers either overspend on lesser free agents to remain in contention or spend a year retooling. -- Marks
Toronto Raptors
Projected cap space: None
Potential free-agency targets: Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green, Rodney Hood, Trevor Ariza, Reggie Bullock, Wesley Matthews
Best case: Kawhi Leonard returns to Toronto, and it does not matter if that's for one year or five years. The Raptors have a great chance to be repeat champions.
Worst case: Leonard leaves, and the Raptors turn into the basketball version of the 1998 Florida Marlins, having a fire sale with veterans Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol less than one month after winning a championship. -- Marks
Washington Wizards
Projected cap space: None
Potential free-agency targets: Tomas Satoransky, Bobby Portis, Jabari Parker, Thomas Bryant, Seth Curry, Shelvin Mack, T.J. McConnell and Cory Joseph
Best case: The interim tag is lifted on current GM Tommy Sheppard, giving the organization a clear direction for the future. That direction includes a strong focus on player development centered on young players Troy Brown, Thomas Bryant and Rui Hachimura.
Worst case: Management follows the pattern set in the summer of 2016 by overpaying free agents. This time, that would come in the form of new deals for Bobby Portis and Jabari Parker. The excessive spending will have two negative results: salary-cap purgatory for the foreseeable future and stagnated development for Brown, Bryant and Hachimura because of a lack of playing time. -- Marks