NBA: Rebuilds to keep an eye on during the 2019-20 season

As the 2019-20 NBA season quickly approaches, we take a closer look at a few of the more intriguing rebuilding projects around the league

With the 2019-20 NBA season right around the corner, there are a number of rebuilding projects that could end up being fruitful in the not too distant future. As training camps open up in the coming days, here are a few rebuilds to keep an eye on this season.

Honorable mentions: They might be good

Dallas Mavericks

Even though they finished 33-49 last season, the Dallas Mavericks could understandably not view themselves as a rebuild. The team made a blockbuster trade to acquire Kristaps Porzingis, forming a potentially lethal pairing with Luka Doncic. The caveat is Porzingis’ knees.

More from Sir Charles In Charge

• Dillon Brooks proved his value to Houston Rockets in the 2023 FIBA World Cup
• NBA Trade Rumors: 1 Player from each team most likely to be traded in-season
• Golden State Warriors: Buy or sell Chris Paul being a day 1 starter
• Does Christian Wood make the Los Angeles Lakers a legit contender?
• NBA Power Rankings: Tiering all 30 projected starting point guards for 2023-24

Everyone knows that ‘The Unicorn’ is a truly talented player, but one cannot ignore the possibility of his 7-foot-3 body breaking down. If all goes well, the team could be a playoff threat in their first season this millennium without Dirk Nowitzki.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Another team that made news this offseason was Oklahoma City. They sent out their two best players in Paul George and Russell Westbrook. George was sent to the Clippers for Danilo Gallinari, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 2021 unprotected Heat first-round pick, unprotected 2022, 2024, and 2026 Clippers first-round picks, lottery-protected Miami first-round picks, and rights to swap first-round picks with the Clippers in 2023 and 2025.

For Westbrook, they received two first-round picks, two swaps, and future Hall of Famer Chris Paul. They also have most of their own picks going forward, as well as Denver’s first in 2019 if it outside 1-10.

They are in an interesting situation, especially for a team that just traded away its two best players. Chris Paul is still a very good player, but it would be very difficult to find a trade partner given his contract. If Sam Presti & Co. decide to keep the roster as it is, they could very well be a playoff team.

If they have an underwhelming start to the season, they could look to trade players like Andre Roberson, Steven Adams, or Danilo Gallinari for whatever they can get in return. At that point, the only untouchable player on the roster should be Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Chicago Bulls

Chicago could be far better than last season. They have recent sixth overall pick Coby White and hopeful leaps from bigs Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr. And if Zach LaVine can be anything more than a matador on defense, he should consider his offseason a success.

Last season, the team was able to trade the expiring contracts of Jabari Parker and Bobby Portis for Otto Porter. Porter has a bad reputation due to a steep contract, but he is still a great 3-and-D forward. In fact, the Bulls went 7-8 in games he played last season. Which is good considering they finished with a 22-60 record. They also signed Thad Young this offseason, and he should be able to provide significant help on defense.

True rebuilds

Atlanta Hawks

Key Additions: De’Andre Hunter, Cam Reddish

Key Departures: Kent Bazemore, Taurean Waller-Prince, Cap Space

Additional Picks: 2020 1st from Brooklyn (Lottery-Protected), 2022 1st from OKC (Lottery-Protected)

Atlanta finished 29-53 last season, but they should be very hopeful for the future. They
have a promising backcourt in Trae Young and Kevin Huerter, as well as recent lottery picks
De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish. If it wasn’t entirely clear already, the Hawks signified the
overhaul by flipping Kent Bazemore for Evan Turner, and trading Taurean Waller-Prince to
Brooklyn for Allen Crabbe‘s contract and two first-round picks.

The team should be focused entirely on the development of their young players, with Trae Young as the centerpiece. Young showed significant promise in his rookie season, he was named All-Rookie First Team and finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting. While he has the raw talent, he still has a long way to go before he can be considered productive. Young’s most significant fallback is on defense.

When Young was on the court, Atlanta gave up 8.6 more points per 100 possessions than when he was on the bench. Thankfully for Atlanta, they scored 6.5 points more points per 100 possessions when he was running the offense. The skill is definitely there, but he needs work on defense to go from good to great.

As for the other young players Huerter, Reddish, Collins, and Hunter should all see significant minutes. And just like nearly every other player, they have to adjust to the talent level in the NBA. This Atlanta team won’t do much right, but they’ll definitely be fun to watch. The team has all of their own picks going forward, as well as lottery protected first round picks from Brooklyn and Oklahoma City in 2020 and 2022, respectively. If done properly, Atlanta’s rebuild could see lasting results.

Memphis Grizzlies

Key Additions: Ja Morant, Brandon Clarke, Tyus Jones

Key Departures: Mike Conley, Joakim Noah

Additional Picks: 2020 1 st from Utah (1-7 protected), 2024 1st from Golden State

Several years after the Grit N’ Grind Grizzlies peaked, management was finally ready to hit the reset button and traded Marc Gasol (mid-season) and Mike Conley. And unlike teams in the past that keep teams together too long, Memphis has found a trio of promising players to build around.

Jaren Jackson Jr. was drafted fourth overall in 2018 and had a terrific rookie season, being named All-Rookie First-Team and showing his ability to space the floor. For a team with a promising young player, and an established veteran like Conley, Memphis should feel very lucky for jumping up to the second overall pick in the draft. They were able to draft their potential point guard of the future in Ja Morant, a perfect successor for the departed Conley.

Even more good luck, Gonzaga’s lottery-projected big man Brandon Clarke fell all the way into the twenties. And suddenly Memphis was stacked with young talent.

Other than the draft, Memphis also had a noteworthy offseason through trades and free agency. As previously mentioned, the Grizzlies traded away Mike Conley to the Utah Jazz. In return, they received Grayson Allen, Jae Crowder, Kyle Korver, the 23rdpick in the draft, and a 2020 1stround pick.

In July, Memphis acquired Andre Iguodala, a 2024 first-round pick, and cash considerations from the Warriors. Golden State made this move solely for salary cap purposes. Iguodala is still a serviceable player, but he does not fit Memphis’ timeline. Both sides have made it clear that this isn’t a long-term partnership, with Iguodala requesting a buyout and Memphis refusing to do so.

Many contenders will express interest in Iguodala, so there’s a high possibility that he’s traded before the deadline.

In terms of free agency, Memphis wasn’t swinging for the fences. They signed restricted free agent Tyus Jones to a three-year, $24 million deal. Jones was an advanced stat darling with the Timberwolves, where he set the record for the best assist/turnover ratio. If Morant struggles early on, don’t be surprised if Jones has a breakout season.

Memphis also re-signed Jonas Valanciunas to a three-year, $45 million deal. Valanciunas was good in Memphis last season, putting up a 19/10/2 stat line. That being said, it’s hard to imagine Valanciunas in the team’s long-term plans, so they should give his minutes to the players that are.

New Orleans Pelicans:

Key Additions: Zion Williamson, Lonzo Ball, Jaxson Hayes, J.J. Redick, Derrick Favors, Brandon Ingram, Nickeil Alexander-Walker

Key Departures: Anthony Davis, Media Scrutiny

Additional Picks: Cleveland’s 2020 1st(1-10 protected, turns into seconds in 2021-22 if not conveyed), Los Angeles Lakers’ 1stin 2021 (1-8 protected, turns into an unprotected first in 2022 if not conveyed), 2024, right to swap firsts in 2023 and 2025.

It is safe to say that the life of a Pelicans fan is an emotional rollercoaster. This time last year, the Pelicans were coming off of their most successful postseason run in the Davis Era, but the fate of the stagnant franchise was entirely up in the air.

Fast forward to January, and the franchise big demanded a trade. The deadline came and went and Davis was still a Pelican. Just when we all thought the situation couldn’t get any crazier, the Pelicans won the draft lottery with a 6% chance of receiving the top pick.

New Orleans was suddenly faced with the dilemma of either pairing Zion with a flight-risk in Anthony Davis, or trading Davis and rebuilding entirely around Zion. New Orleans went with the ladder and traded Davis to Los Angeles.

Fortunately for New Orleans, the apparent collapse of the Warriors made Los Angeles practically foam at the mouth for the opportunity to pair an elite player to play alongside LeBron James. New Orleans was able to swindle Los Angeles out of three first-round picks (including No. 4 overall in 2019), two pick swaps, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, and Brandon Ingram. David Griffin and Co. received a haul of assets, which is truly outstanding considering Davis had made it clear to everyone that he wanted to move on.

On draft night, the Pelicans acquired Williamson, a skilled shooter in Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and a (potential) defensive anchor in Jaxson Hayes in the first round. New Orleans also signed veterans J.J. Redick and Derrick Favors in free agency. Favors, Redick and Holiday all have the necessary experience to mentor young players, and the skills to contribute on a contender.

The Pelicans now need to decide if they want to try to win immediately or focus primarily on developing young talent. If the defensive nightmare backcourt of Lonzo Ball and Jrue Holiday doesn’t live up to the hype, or they have a lackluster start to the season, New Orleans should make their veterans available at the deadline.

If the Western Conference remains as open as people believe it was this summer, several teams will want to acquire any additional help in order to take the team to a higher level.

Coming into this season, New Orleans should have nothing to complain about. They were able to stumble into potential superstar even though they royally botched the rebuild around Anthony Davis. But, unlike the Davis rebuild, they now have the assets and competent front office necessary to build a perennial contender.