Five Crucial NBA Offseason Questions

With NBA free agency pretty much over and NBA Summer League in the books, we are officially in the dog days of the NBA season.

With minimal news and no more games for at least the next month, this is the perfect time to reflect on all that has happened this offseason. It is also a perfect time to look ahead and anticipate the ramifications that all these signings, trades and draft picks will have on the upcoming season.

So, with that, there are a few questions left from this offseason that remain unanswered and they all have the potential to play a big part on the championship landscape of the 2021-22 season. In this article I share my top-5 NBA questions based on this offseason that if answered could have serious implications regarding who could emerge as the league’s top contenders.

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1. Where Does Sacramento Kings Guard Buddy Hield Land?

Seems as though with the log jam at the guard position, the Sacramento Kings have forced their own hand in a way that may lead to the moving of shooting guard Buddy Hield.

Looking at the landscape of the team’s guard position, they have De’Aaron Fox locked up for the next five years for up to $163 million during that time frame. Then you have Tyrese Haliburton who the Kings took with the 12^th pick in the 2020 draft who was Top-3 last season in the Rookie of the Year race. Lastly there is rookie guard Davion Mitchell who the Kings selected in this year’s draft with the 9^th pick. Mitchell is already garnering national attention for his defensive presence in route to being named Co-MVP of the Summer League alongside Brooklyn Nets rookie guard Cameron Thomas.

With the prestige already brewing between these three building blocks, 28-year-old Buddy Hield looks like the odd man out. Hield was being discussed to be a part of a trade package that would send him to Los Angeles Lakers but of course that was before former league MVP Russell Westbrook stole the show and was moved to LA instead.

There were rumblings after this blockbuster trade that maybe the Lakers could still facilitate a Buddy Hield trade using Dennis Schroder. But that did not end up happening either as Schroder recently signed with the Boston Celtics on a one-year deal.

Hield has openly been disgruntled about his situation in SacTown and they clearly have the depth to confidently move forward without him. Only question now is who exactly could be in play to make a run at Buddy Hield in a trade? Hield still has three years left on his contract, but it is a descending contract starting at $23 million that could be intriguing to a few teams given the right circumstances.

Teams to keep an eye on in the Hield sweepstakes should be the Golden State Warriors who he has been rumored to for a while and maybe the Indiana Pacers who are in desperate need of a knockdown three-point shooter.

2. What Do the Chicago Bulls Do with Lauri Markkanen?

With all the free agency shenanigans over, one of the last dominoes to fall is the Lauri Markkanen situation.

It feels safe to say that Markkanen has not really worked out for the Bulls, and it seems as though it would be best if the two parted ways. The only issue is that no team really has money left to acquire Markkanen without doing so in the form of a sign-and-trade.

The team that has reportedly been in conversations with Chicago is the Dallas Mavericks. No terms have been agreed on, leaving things at a standstill. The Bulls and Mavericks have until the start of the season to ink a deal but if not, Markkanen will more than likely be forced to sign the one-year qualifying offer with Chicago in hopes that maybe he can be dealt by the trade deadline or become a free agent again in 2022.

As a 7-foot former lottery pick who can stretch the floor and provide an offensive spark in the front court, Markkanen has the kind of archetypal build that could attract some attention at the trade deadline when teams are a bit more desperate for difference makers.

It will be interesting to see whether or not the Chicago Bulls deal Markkanen before the season. Nonetheless the uncertainty around this situation will be intriguing to follow when factoring in that this is a crucial season for the Bulls as they look to convince All-Star guard Zach LaVine to commit to re-signing with them during next year’s free agency.

3. Is Trading Kristaps Porzingis the Only Path Left for the Dallas Mavericks to Improve?

No Kyle Lowry. No Demar DeRozan. No Mike Lowry. No Lonzo Ball. Not even Jarrett Allen or Richaun Holmes.

As one of maybe three to five teams with legitimate cap space this offseason, the Dallas Mavericks seemed primed for a splash offseason with their pick of litter to take the next step towards championship contention. Instead, they were left holding the bag as their top signings of the summer were the re-signing of Tim Hardaway Jr. and picking up Reggie Bullock who the New York Knicks let go in free agency.

So, despite having a cornerstone superstar piece in Luka Doncic, a “do anything” owner in Mark Cuban and the backdrop of Dallas, Texas that has no state income taxes, all that still was not enough. Now as the Mavericks look ahead to the upcoming season, the primary goal is to get beyond the first round.

One could say that with no Kawhi Leonard this season, there is a high likelihood that Dallas won’t meet their archnemesis LA Clippers in the first round which should be a net positive. But with teams like the Portland Trailblazers and Denver Nuggets still hanging around, it feels too soon to pencil the Mavs in for the second round.

With that, there is still work to be done on this roster as they still need another primary ball handler next to Doncic. Sparking the question: Does Dallas need to move Kristaps Porzingis? With the mystique of being labeled a “unicorn” still lingering around, Porzingis is easily the Mavericks’ most appealing trade asset in terms of attracting a solid return. Porzingis has not really played to an All-Star caliber level for Dallas and seemed to be disgruntled about his role in last season’s Playoffs.

The Dallas Mavericks front office will have to ask themselves whether or not they believe that new head coach Jason Kidd can maximize Porzingis’s gift in ways that former coach Rick Carlisle could not. If the answer is no, they may want to really consider moving Porzingis sooner than later to maximize what remains of his high upside value.

4. Has the Damian Lillard Saga Truly Ended?

With the passing of the NBA offseason festivities, it seems as though the Damian Lillard trade talks have also started to quietly fade as well.

Lillard has gone on the record on multiple occasions this offseason stating that he has not and does not plan on requesting a trade in spite of the initial reports. Teammate and backcourt mate CJ McCollum has even expressed his belief that the All-Star guard will be returning to Portland this season with intentions of being fully committed. Now the NBA is a tricky industry so it is hard to say whether or not this is truly the end of the Lillard trade talks for this season, but this surely will not be a narrative that simply disappears into the ether.

Damian Lillard is 31 years old and is locked up for the next four seasons of a pretty hefty four-year $176 million deal that kicks in this season. Despite the steep price tag, the talent of Lillard will obviously be enticing to teams looking to contend but it will also be hard for the Trailblazers to simply give up Lillard for anything considering how much contract control they have.

The constant tug-of-war between whether or not Portland is wasting Lillard’s prime will be a hot topic once the season is underway. This leaves open a small possibility that he could be on the move. It is simply up to Dame to put in the request and the right team to come calling. Things may be quiet for now, but things are far from over.

5. Will Ben Simmons Be a Philadelphia 76er on Opening Day?

Whether it be today, tomorrow, next week or even the night before NBA Opening Day, Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons needs to be traded before the start of the 2021-22 season, right?

It just seems inevitable considering the way last season ended and the closing comments of head coach Doc Rivers and All-Star Joel Embiid who both indicated a fractured relationship with Simmons. As a team with real championship aspirations, it seems like malpractice to enter the season with what seems to be a divisive figure in Simmons who has seemed to have lost the locker room.

But on the other hand, general manager Darryl Morey is a shrewd operator and does not plan to give up a 24-year-old three-time All Star for anything less than an All Star in return with picks attached. Philly must now weigh their options as they must choose prioritizing the sake of the locker room or acquiring the perfect package for Simmons and nothing less. Definitely a hot seat to be sitting on especially considering Joel Embiid is not getting any younger at age 27 and just signed a four-year $195 million extension that has him signed through 2026-27.

With such a heavy commitment to the MVP-caliber big man, the championship window for the 76ers is as open as it will ever be, and they have no time to waste. Considering the kind of defensive presence Simmons provides as well as his ability to attack the rim and facilitate at a high level, he indeed is a high commodity that could shift the balance of power in the NBA if he goes to the right situation. If traded, Simmons could command the kind of return that could take Philadelphia from being a perennial Playoff team to a legit contender that contend with the likes of Brooklyn, the Lakers, and others.

Now of course that warrants certain circumstances like Damian Lillard or Bradley Beal wanting out of their current situations which is entirely possible. At the end of the day, when the Woj bomb drops that Ben Simmons is being traded, it will have ramifications that could change the NBA title picture completely. At this point the trading of Ben Simmons is not about “if” it is more of “when.”