Hawk-Lock wrote:knownone wrote:Portland had the best free agency (IMO).
Even if the Lakers sign Kawhi that team will struggle in the West playoffs.
The 76ers are probably the best team in basketball.
If Lakers get Kawhi they easily have the best offseason. They would add two top 10 players, and arguably the best player in the league. I understand they don’t have a lot of other pieces, but that big three would be tough to beat.
Portland had an okay offseason. They got Whiteside who has had an up and down career, but they lost some decent role players like Harkless, Kanter, Aminu and Curry.
I’m not sure how I feel about Philly. Butler is a lot of drama but he showed in the playoffs he was the go to player. I really like Josh Richardson as a replacement though. Not sure how Horford and Embiid will do as a front court, both are pretty slow, and in this new NBA, Horford is more of a center than power forward. Just not sure that team could guard a team that puts a bunch of shooters on the court.
The Lakers would definitely have the best off-season if they land Kawhi. I don't think that big 3 is ideal in the West though. The West is full of teams built for pace, the Lakers are not and they'd be pretty average from 3 and average on defense (outside of AD and Kawhi) unless they get guys on bargain deals. Obviously, they'd be deserving favorites, but I am significantly less afraid of them than I ever was of Golden State the last few years.
Whiteside is a significant upgrade over Kanter. They landed a great 3/D guy in Bazemore, whose a better fit for their system than Aminu. As long as Collins takes a step forward this off-season they'll have the best big man rotation in the game and virtually no weaknesses in the playoffs.
I'm curious to see how Horford and Embiid play as well. Both guys shoot well from 3, both are great post defenders and above average perimeter defenders for their size, and they have good vision passing the ball. Philly is a frightening team to look at on paper, their smallest starter is 6'6 and everyone but Simmons can shoot the 3. I agree that they'd struggle to guard a lot of teams, but they'd dominate those teams on the boards forcing them to live or die by their shooters which only GSW have been able to do consistently. If they can stay healthy, they'll maul just about every team in the league. If Kawhi joins the Lakers, Philly is probably the reason why.