Re-seeding the NBA’s Eastern Conference after the blockbuster Damian Lillard trade.
In an attempt to back the Portland Trail Blazers in a corner to trade him to the Miami Heat, Damian Lillard’s plan didn’t exactly work. However, even though he wasn’t traded to the Heat, it still ended up working out for Lillard. After being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, Lillard will have the opportunity to compete for a championship this season.
And, ultimately, isn’t that exactly what the trade demand was all about? Whether or not the trade made sense for the Blazers is an entirely different conversation, but the Lillard trade completely changes the dynamic of the Eastern Conference.
With the start of the season on the horizon, let’s re-seed the East.
Re-seeding the NBA’s Eastern Conference after the Damian Lillard trade
15. Washington Wizards
There’s really no trade here at the bottom with the Washington Wizards, who made the pivot toward a rebuilding team earlier this offseason by trading Bradley Beal. They have some talent on their roster but this is absolutely a team that will be striving to earn a top pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
If there’s one thing that’s worth monitoring with this team, in addition to their young incumbent talent, it’s the progression of Jordan Poole. After taking somewhat of a step back this past season in Golden State, it’ll be interesting to see what Poole looks like with a bit more freedom in Washington.
But, again, if the Wizards don’t finish with the worst record in the Eastern Conference, it would be somewhat surprising.
14. Detroit Pistons
Full disclosure, I had the Detroit Pistons higher on this list a couple of months ago. However, after further evaluation, I believe there are more unpredictabilities with this team than originally thought. Cade Cunningham is coming off an injury that kept him out all of last season and even though there’s a belief he’s going to have a great season, there is no guarantee of that. Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren are still incredibly young players and who knows what to expect from Ausar Thompson during his rookie season.
The ceiling for the Pistons heading into the start of the season is a spot in the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament. But because of how much they’re going to rely on their young players, the team’s floor is low. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. This is likely the case for many other young teams in the league.
In the end, I got to a place where I’d rather rank the Pistons lower than most compared to putting some unrealistic expectations on the shoulders of the team.
13. Charlotte Hornets
Even though I’m not exactly sure what to expect from the Charlotte Hornets heading into the start of the season, there are some certainties that we can expect. For one, the Hornets should be healthier this season. And that means that they should, in turn, be better. The big question is how much better this team will be. That may be difficult to answer. However, if LaMelo Ball can continue to be the dynamic young player that he’s been, and if Brandon Miller can be a good player right away (which is far from a guarantee), the Hornets have enough talent to give some opposing East teams issues.
The return of Miles Bridges should be an interesting situation to keep an eye on. How good he looks or how much of a role he’ll end up playing with the Hornets remains to be seen, but if he does pick up where he left off, the Hornets could have an interesting core to start the year.
The Hornets still have very much to prove but this is a team that has more established talent than most believe, and it all starts with Ball who has now become one of the most polarizing players in the league.
12. Orlando Magic
At least on paper, the Orlando Magic are one of the more intriguing teams heading into the start of the season. They have young talent and loads of it. The Magic’s promise starts with Paolo Banchero, who is coming off an NBA Rookie of the Year award season. He has all the looks of a future All-Star and potential superstar. The last time the Magic were this excited about a player had to be Dwight Howard.
But even beyond Banchero, the Magic has a collection of quality young players who should be taking another step forward in their development. Specifically, Wendell Carter Jr. and Franz Wagner are coming off great seasons a year ago. They’re a big part of the Magic’s recent success and if the team is going to take another step forward this season, they’re going to be key in that this season.
I can’t help but wonder if the Magic regret not making a move for a veteran this offseason. I’d have to imagine that such a move would’ve put the team in an even better situation heading into the start of the year.
11. Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are an intriguing team for many reasons and I believe they’re going to be competitive in the Eastern Conference this season, but I still believe they’re a year or two away from being in the conversation for a top 6-8 team in the conference. Their young core of Tyrese Haliburton, Benndict Mathurin, and Jarace Walker is strong. Add in Myles Turner, who is still just 27 years old, and it’s easy to see how one could be excited about them.
One reason why I don’t believe the Pacers will be able to break the top 8 in the East this season is the fact that they seem to be preparing to trade Buddy Hield. The writing was probably on the wall when they signed Bruce Brown this offseason, but it finally became a reality earlier this week.
The Pacers have a chance to be a pesky team and if their young players continue to develop at a rapid pace, there’s reason to believe that they could be in the conversation to sneak into the Play-In Tournament this season. However, they still may need another year of experience and another veteran or two to be taken as a serious threat in the East.
10. Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls may be stuck in NBA mediocrity but they do have the talent to possibly make a run to the Play-In Tournament in the Eastern Conference. Ultimately, I believe Chicago will need to pick a direction one way or another, and I’d have to imagine there are some big changes on the horizon. But at least heading into the season, this is a team that is going to try to win with this core one more time.
Maybe it’s a mistake, but there’s really not much the Bulls could’ve done this offseason. The NBA Trade Deadline could be quite interesting for the Bulls, however. Especially if the Bulls struggle out of the gate. If Chicago is going to pivot toward a rebuild or a retool, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the signs of that take place at the deadline.
There’s a chance that at this point next year, both Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan are wearing different jerseys. The Bulls have the talent to be competitive in the Eastern Conference but it’s hard to be all that confident in their chances considering how underwhelming they’ve been the last two years.
9. Atlanta Hawks
After going through some big organizational changes over the last few months, including the trade of John Collins, the hope is that a breath of fresh air will be able to help the Atlanta Hawks get back on the right track. After making a somewhat surprising run to the Eastern Conference Finals a few years ago, it seems that all the team has been able to do is take steps back. This is a big season for the Hawks. If they don’t show any improvement and either remain in NBA purgatory or even take a step back, you can’t help but imagine what changes could be on the horizon for Atlanta.
The good news is that the Hawks have the talent to take a step forward. This is a team that should be improved heading into the new season, even if it is somewhat addition by subtraction. With a strong core in place, led by Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, I’d be surprised if Atlanta wasn’t slightly better this season.
The big question is whether they’ll be good enough to make any noise in the East. That’s where my concerns lie. Maybe a trade for Pascal Siakam can alter their ceiling? After missing out on Damian Lillard, do the Raptors consider it?
8. Toronto Raptors
Speaking of Pascal Siakam, the Toronto Raptors have much to prove this season. Interestingly enough, I have no idea what to expect from them. There are valid reasons on both ends of the spectrum that suggest the Raptors should be either hitting the reset button or making a move forward toward contention. At this point, Toronto needs to pick a path forward and fully buy into it. Right now, they have the feel of a team that doesn’t know what they want.
Ultimately, I believe that’s going to be their downfall this season. The Raptors seem perfectly fine on letting Pascal Siakam play out his contract (he could test free agency after this season) and this season largely hinges on the continued progression of Scottie Barnes.
If the Raptors are going to have any shot of being ultra-competitive in the Eastern Conference, it will fall on the shoulders of Barnes. He’s the one player on the team that can drastically alter and raise the ceiling for Toronto this season. However, I’m not sure that’s fair or realistic expectations to place on his shoulders.
7. Brooklyn Nets
Even after trading both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving last season, the Brooklyn Nets are in a good place heading into the 2023-24 NBA campaign. They have a solid core that now includes Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, and Nic Claxton. They have a huge wildcard in Ben Simmons and the Nets have a stronger supporting cast than they get credit for. I’m not sure how good the Nets can be this season, but it would be surprising if they didn’t make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference.
The hope is that Bridges is the real deal. After a strong end to last season, this new year largely depends on him picking up where he left off. However, that could be easier said than done. If Bridges can be that consistent star-level talent that he flashed last season, the Nets will be in good hands moving forward.
Brooklyn also has the assets to make a move for another difference-making player. But I’d imagine they’re going to be patient in finding the right target. The Nets are in a good place and should feel good about the direction of this team.
6. Philadelphia 76ers
It’s easy to see why many are concerned or worried about the Philadelphia 76ers. James Harden clearly doesn’t want to be on the team and it would be surprising if he wasn’t eventually traded. We should operate under the assumption that Harden isn’t going to be on the Sixers this season. And if that is indeed the case, there’s going to be a significant drop off for them. The big question is whether Tyrese Maxey can make a big enough of a developmental jump where it wouldn’t matter all that much.
Quite frankly, I’m not sold on the idea that he can. But as long as Joel Embiid is healthy, the Sixers are still going to be a team that could make some noise in the Eastern Conference. Maybe not to the level of noise that they made last season but they should still be competitive.
Philadelphia is unlikely to get a huge return for Harden and that could be the biggest problem here. Basically, there’s a good chance that the Sixers end up losing Harden for essentially nothing. That’s not only going to complicate this season but will eventually complicate this team’s future as well.
5. Miami Heat
I’m not sure how any team can recover from the offseason that the Miami Heat just had, but if any team can this franchise will. The Heat had two shots to land a supporting star for Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. First, Miami missed on Bradley Beal and then they whiffed on Damian Lillard. Two great opportunities that, to a certain extent, wanted to be in Miami. In the end, for one reason or another, the Heat couldn’t figure it out.
For a franchise that has hit many big moves in the past, Miami has continually failed to find that missing piece for this most recent build. And this miss on Lillard may end up hurting the most. Dame specifically said he wanted Miami and only Miami. The fact that the Heat weren’t able to figure it out is unfortunate.
But the Heat is still talented. And they should still be good this season, as long as they’re able to remain healthy. However, there’s no question that this team is entering the season as an afterthought.
But that could end up working in the Heat’s favor. This is a franchise that does is best work as an underdog.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers
With Donovan Mitchell not expected to sign a contract extension with the team yet, it’s easy to see how important this season will be for the Cleveland Cavaliers. If they’re unable to take another step forward, there are going to be some big questions for this team to answer next summer. With the biggest of which revolving around what to do with Mitchell. The good news is that the Cavs have all the ingredients to be a good team this season.
Their young talent should be able to take another step forward and with a year under his belt in Cleveland, Mitchell should be confident with the fit on the Cavs by now. If Evan Mobley can consistently play at an All-Star level, this is a team that could be a dark horse to win the Eastern Conference.
I’m not proclaiming that the Cavs will but that’s just how much talent this team has on its roster. For now, I’ll keep them in the fourth slot. That said, I think there’s a better chance this team moves up the East hierarchy than they move down.
3. New York Knicks
After being one of the biggest surprises last season, it’ll be interesting to see how much better the New York Knicks can be this year. The surprise element is gone. Teams know that the Knicks are good but the big question I have is, can they avoid the natural regression to start the year? New York played above their expectation last year. But was that a sustainable amount of success that the Knicks will be able to build on, or was their run toward the end of last season into the playoffs merely a hot streak?
The good news is that the Knicks did improve their roster this offseason. They didn’t make a big splash move, but they did add depth on the wing (signing Donte DiVincenzo) while also clearing up some of the frontcourt logjam (trading Obi Toppin) that they had this past season. Ultimately, this season could come down to the continued development of RJ Barrett.
If the Knicks are going to be one of the three best teams in the Eastern Conference this season, Barrett has to take that complete leap toward stardom. If he can, the Knicks can emerge as a very dangerous team this season.
2. Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are going to be the “other” favorite in the Eastern Conference. After losing in disappointing fashion to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals last season, the Celtics decided it was time to shake up the roster. And that’s exactly what they accomplished by trading Marcus Smart as part of a three-team deal in exchange for Kristaps Porzingis. Boston improved their frontcourt, by adding an offensive level to it, but in the process may have lost the heart and soul of the locker room.
There are two big questions that I have for the Celtics heading into the start of the season. For one, can this team stay healthy? If they can, the Celtics should find themselves back in the Eastern Conference Finals. However, knowing KP’s injury, that’s far from a guarantee. And two, how quickly will they recover from the loss of Smart?
Many won’t admit it, but Smart was an important part of their recent success. The Celtics are going to miss his toughness on the defensive end of the floor and overall leadership. That said, the Celtics have the chance to be really, really good this season.
1. Milwaukee Bucks
After the move they just pulled off, it’s hard not to have the Milwaukee Bucks atop this list. The Bucks will be rolling out a lineup that includes Damian Lillard, Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Brook Lopez. They’ll also still have Bobby Portis, Malik Beasley, and Jae Crowder as key contributors either off the bench or rounding out their starting lineup.
As long as this team stays healthy, the Bucks should run through the rest of the Eastern Conference. The only concern that the Bucks should have will revolve around health and the absence that will be felt on the defensive end of the floor when it comes to their point-of-attack defense.
But, clearly, the Bucks were 100 percent comfortable in making the Lillard for Jrue Holiday swap. This was a huge win-win for the Bucks. Not only will the move for Lillard help this team compete for a championship this season but it also all but ensures Giannis will sign an extension with the team.