The top priority of the Eastern team this summer: Bulls must not renew Jidi with high salary. 76ers Tanhua sign is of much use

Previous link The top priority of the Western Conference teams this summer: The Rockets determine the core level. The Lakers start from scratch to gather the center

Cleveland Cavaliers

renewal or replacement Jerome

Cavaliers, although Jerome can be renewed, the cost will be extremely high. According to analysis by ESPN reporter Bobby Marks, the Cavaliers can provide a price of up to $64 million in four years. This reasonable price may keep him, but it will cost the team an additional $80 million in luxury tax. Despite the regretful exit of the playoffs, the Cavaliers' existing lineup is still worth keeping the core. However, due to various restrictions on the second tyrant line (including banning cash compensation, freezing the first round of picks for the next seventh year, etc.), other operations will become difficult.

Knights Basketball Operations President Kobe Altman (and of course the boss Dan Gilbert) may be more inclined to cheap alternatives. However, this choice is also difficult: even if Jerome is given up, the Cavaliers will still be above the second rich line, which means that they can only use basic salary exceptions in the free agent market, and it is almost a fantasy to use basic salary to supplement the third ball holder's position. If the Cavaliers give up Jerome, they either hope that rookie Jaylen Tyson can plug and play, or seek trading market opportunities. But don't forget that the Knights can neither package contracts nor earn more salary in transactions than they give in.

Boston Celtics plan the transition period for the new season

spending cuts have surpassed free agent Horford's problem and become the Celtics' offseason priority. It doesn't sound explosive enough, but Tatum's right Achilles tendon to lacerate his right force the team to do it. Even without injuries, the Celtics were unlikely to bear more than $500 million in player salaries and luxury tax bills. Now the star may miss the entire next season, and it is a fantasy to maintain the current lineup.

Celtics' president of basketball operations Stevens needs to determine the extent of salary cuts. After counting the contract signed by No. 29, the Celtics have exceeded the second tyrant line by about $23 million, and the luxury tax bill will exceed $40 million. These budgets have not yet been included in Horford's new contract. Do the Celtics just want to avoid the second rich line? Or try to avoid taxes completely? Who will fall victim to salary cuts? Ju Holiday or Porzingis? Will Jaylen Brown and Derek White be put on the shelves at the same time? The Celtics face complex decision-making problems, none of which is easy, and most choices will be accompanied by pain.

New York Knicks weighed down Towns' future positioning

Finding a replacement for coach Thibodeau is certainly an urgent task for the Knicks, but they must solve Towns' positioning problem next, which starts with a fundamental question: is he more suitable to play as a power forward or a center? If it is determined that Towns should be the fifth position, the Knicks will need to build a rotation lineup based on this. In any case, it is crucial to increase Towns' three-point production and improve his chemistry with Brunson, and finding at least one defensive strongman to protect the defensive shortcomings of the "Brunson and Downs" combination is even more critical.

If you decide to allow Towns to play in the fourth position more, the Knicks will need to plan around this transformation. Although Mitchell Robinson is already in the team, he should not bear the load average of more than 30 minutes per game. Even if the Knicks want Towns to play a cameo center on the bench, they still need a reliable third inside, will the 5.7 million mini middle class exception attract Horford or the Big Lopez? Of course, the most sensitive question always exists: according to Towns' positioning, has his remaining three-year $170 million contract become a burden on the team building? If so, how much is his transaction value? Clarifying Towns' best positioning will directly determine the Knicks' offseason this year, and to be honest, it will also be the operating direction for many years to come.

Indiana Pacers renewing the contract Turner

into the finals does not mean that the Pacers cannot make changes, but letting Turner go is absolutely unacceptable. All signs suggest that the 29-year-old center will stay, and the Nets are the only team with enough salary space to make the Pacers tricky, but they already have a very paid center Clarkston on their account.

Salary pressure is the only potential obstacle. After counting in the first round pick contract, the Pacers are only $17 million away from the luxury tax line. Considering that the team has always taken the initiative to regard the luxury tax line as a hard salary cap, it is difficult to renew Turner's contract and strengthen the lineup at the same time under the existing structure. However, the walkers should not hesitate at all. Free up salary space through transactions or put issues temporarily on hold, the team has a window for tax avoidance operations before the end of next season. Turner's defense, spatial attributes and seriously underestimated offensive skills are irreplaceable core elements for the Pacers system. The future of Antetokounmpo such as

The dust of Antetokounmpo has settled since the Bucks were eliminated in the playoffs, this issue has been repeatedly discussed like a single loop. Fans may be tired, but before the dust settles on Antetokounmpo's stay or not, the Bucks' offseason operation can't be promoted at all. As of the time of writing, the two-time regular season MVP has not yet filed a trade request. But ESPN reporter Shams said in a mid-May report that "for the first time in his career, the Greek monster is open to exploring the possibility of long-term development, whether it is staying with the Bucks or switching to his team."

This does sound ominous. However, reporter Marc Stein later revealed that the Bucks have not given up on their hope of retaining Antetokounmpo and plan to convince him to accept the positioning of the transition season. But considering that the Bucks' first-round pick in 2026 is no longer in their own hands, how convincing is this statement? I'm afraid no one can explain it clearly. In any case, this will be the Bucks' only priority until Antetokounmpo's future is clear. A large number of operations by other teams in the league will also stagnate, and everyone is waiting and watching the final outcome of this game.. The 6 million-dollar contract signed by Malik Beasley last year has become one of the most valuable signings this season. The space support and offensive firepower he brings to the Pistons is crucial, and now the team must pay a higher price. Although Beasley's return is not a surefire, it is extremely likely. The sharpshooter publicly expressed his willingness to stay in the team, and although the Pistons have no bird rights, they can still use their salary space or a full-time middle-class exception of $11.4 million.

Use the middle class special case is a better solution, so that the Pistons can easily renew Schroeder and Tim Hardaway Jr. while retaining the flexibility of operating salary space. If you choose to sign directly with cap space, the team can only count on Beasley to accept a $8.8 million space middle class special case, which is obviously unrealistic. In any case, it is a priority to keep this elite shooter. This season, only four players in the league can make more than 200 three-pointers with a 40% shooting rate, and the Pistons must not allow such scarce assets to be lost. After 13 consecutive years of offense efficiency has been lower than the league average (8 years in the top 5 and 10 in the bottom 12 years), the Magic must break the inherent pattern and truly start to solve this stubborn problem. The reinforcement direction should focus on the field controller and shooter, and the core position of Ban Kairo and Wagner Jr. cannot shake the points guards and pitchers introduced must simplify the task of the two stars rather than weaken their role.

The most substantial reinforcement may need to be achieved through transactions. If the existing lineup is retained, the Magic will approach the second rich line during the offseason. Although the team can avoid taxes by cutting non-guaranteed contracts, there is little hope of freeing up 14.1 million yuan in full middle class special case. This is not unsolvable. The Magic controls all his future first-round picks, and this year he also holds the No. 25, and has several potential rookies and middle-class contracts that can match their salary. Management has the bargaining chips, and now is the time to take action.

Atlanta Hawks

Trey Young's contract renewal qualification

Although the renewal negotiations with Dyson Daniels and the stay and departure of free agent LeVere are priority issues worthy of attention, Tray Young's contract renewal negotiations will directly affect the Hawks' offseason and future operations this year. The 26-year-old point guard is eligible to sign a four-year, $228.6 million max contract extension, and the Hawks first need to determine whether he deserves the full max salary. If the answer is no, subsequent discussions will turn to how many quotes the team is willing to offer and whether a trade is required when Trae Young refuses the offer.

Since the Hawks will not regain control of their first round picks until 2028, the value of trading Trae Young is limited at this time. No matter who is in charge of the management, he cannot afford to retain people with a premium contract, nor can he risk leaving the team freely next summer (player option).

Chicago Bulls

Never renew Gidedi with a high salary, According to reporter Marc Stein, restricted free agent Josh Gidedi is expected to receive a five-year, $150 million contract from the Bulls. This price is really shocking. Bulls fans should pray that this is just a negotiation smoke bomb. Although the annual salary of $30 million is no longer as valuable as before in the league today, it is still close to 20% of the salary cap, and Gidey's level as starting point guard is simply not worthy of such a premium contract. Although Gidey has excellent body shape and passing vision and has improved her three-point shooting percentage this season, her opponent still doesn't bother to keep an eye on him from the outside. He lacks breakthrough speed and does not have the ability to finish the basket to punish defense, and his poor defensive ability forces him to only face slower big players.

Even if you think this evaluation is too strict, there is no need for the bull to raise the price. Unless the Nets suddenly have a whim, the 22-year-old player's market price cannot exceed the full middle class exception of $14.1 million. Just like last year's negotiations with Patrick Williams, the Bulls have the absolute initiative. But they have been confused during Paway’s five-year contract negotiations (which is now one of the worst contracts in the league), and this time they must not repeat the same mistake. The future offensive core that the Miami Heat has sought in recent years, the Heat have always been below the league average when using the trio of Butler, Adebayo and Herro. Their offensive efficiency has ranked last ten in the league in the past three seasons, and after Butler left the team, the team's scoring ability was even more worrying. Herro has made progress in organizing offense and independent scoring, and Adebayo also maintained an all-round performance, but neither of them could take the offensive core of the championship-level team. When the pair played without Butler this season, their scores were only better than 37% of the league's lineup in the 2023-24 season; this data was as low as 33%.

There are neither ready-made solutions nor future answers in the existing roster. The Heat must turn their attention to the outside world, which will lead to an embarrassing reality: they'd better accept that the new season is a transitional period. The Heat currently do not have the capital to squander in the free agent market, but next summer they will have over $30 million in salary space while controlling their first round picks. Instead of hasty trades or pretending that the existing lineup can evolve itself, it is better to take a step back and accumulate energy for the future. After the Toronto Raptors have gained quality scorers through trades, the Raptors already have multiple ball-holding decision makers, and now they need to have outside shooters to unlock the offensive potential of these players. Although Ingram, Scotty Barnes, Barrett and Quickley all have varying degrees of off-ball ability, only Quickley can be regarded as a fatal outside threat. The fact that Peartel serves as the starting center (although he has outstanding ball maker but lacks range) further highlights the urgency of strengthening the projection..

Although the Raptors have options such as Dick, Abakki and even Jamison Bartel, the team's three-point shooting frequency (29th), overall outside shooting percentage (22nd) and fixed-point shooting efficiency (24th) are all downstream of the league. Relying solely on internal training and integration of this year's No. 9 show is far from enough. Whether it is through trading or signing in the free agent market, the Raptors must introduce stronger shooter resources from the outside.

Brooklyn Nets are making big deals while eating junk contracts

Many operations in this year's NBA offseason will intersect with the Nets. As the only team in the league with actual cap space, the Nets hold more than $65 million in disposable amounts. This number will continue to rise if restricted free agent Cameron Thomas is given up. Each team will inevitably contact the Nets to seek help completing transactions that require salary balance, avoid hard salary cap restrictions or simply get rid of premium contracts.

Although third-party teams in such transactions usually fail to get generous returns, the Nets can price strongly with their near-monopoly market position. Such transactions should become the top priority of the Nets. The free agent market lacks a goal worth spending a lot of money, and when the team's existing core lineup has not yet been formed, the blind pursuit of independent operation will also seem futile. Philadelphia 76ers make the right decision on the Tanhua Lottery

For the 76ers, making good use of the Tanhua Lottery will bring multiple possibilities. The easiest option is to choose between Es Bailey and VJ Edgecombe. But what is more worth exploring is trading opportunities. Can you exchange the Tanhua lottery for real combat power? Can you get quality puzzles while trading downwards? Is there a possibility of buying a three-way sign to trade the stars? Even using this to get rid of Paul George’s big contract for the remaining three years? 76ers can evaluate the value of this sign from multiple dimensions, but be sure to ensure the correctness of the final decision.

Charlotte Hornets

Trade Mann's restricted free agent issue

While it is determined that the future of Lamelo Ball and Mark Williams, who are eligible for renewal, the Hornets do not need to make these decisions immediately at this time. By contrast, Trey Mann's restricted free agent problem is imminent. Renewing the 24-year-old defender is almost a task that must be completed. Since joining the Hornets, Mann has averaged about 13 points and 4.5 assists in less than 30 minutes per game, with a three-point shooting percentage of up to 40%. For this team that lacks all-around players besides LaMelo Ball, the space he can provide theoretically create, score autonomously and organize is crucial.

Of course, Mann's health may become a variable, and he was reimbursed for a waist injury in just 13 games this season. Although this makes it difficult for the Hornets to accurately estimate the price, their grasp of injuries is more comprehensive than other teams, and the absence experience that is nearly season-reimbursed is likely to scare away other suitors.

The Washington Wizards are efficiently utilized with expiration contracts

It is expected that less than 10 teams can use the full middle class special case during the offseason, which is a major benefit for the Wizards. Even after the rookie contracts with the No. 6 and No. 18, Middleton's $34 million player option, and the full or partial guarantee of Richard Holmes' $13.2 million contract, the Wizards still have plenty of room for operation under the luxury tax line, and they also hold two transaction exceptions worth over $5 million (9.9 million and 5.3 million).

The ability to gain premium contracts is a scarce resource. Management, led by Michael Wenger and Will Dawkins, should exchange for additional draft picks and potential stocks by assisting other teams in completing blockbuster deals or clearing salaries, as before this year's trading deadline. The Wizards' salary digestibility is better than most competitors: Middleton and Smart (21.6 million) will provide two expiration contracts of over 20 million. Holmes' non-guarantee contracts can be handled flexibly, and they can even use Brogdon's bird rights clause to participate in signing first and then exchange.

Original text: Dan Favale

Compiled by: Li Taibai