San Antonio Spurs
New Year's Resolution: Trade for a star player
If I had to say one way or another, I'd suggest that the San Antonio Spurs are slightly ahead of schedule in terms of their development as a team around Victor Wembanyama. However, if there's one thing the team may be missing, it's a legit supporting star next to their franchise player. Heading into the 2025 calendar year, I believe that the team's New Year's resolution should be to trade for a star player to help this team push themselves even further up the Western Conference standings.
Of course, the real difficulty will revolve around finding the right star player that will not only fit the team's current timeline but also would be a complementary player next to Wemby. The Spurs need to be careful in their pursuits for a star and only pull the trigger if they believe it would be a move that they can continue to build around for the next 3-5 years. The Spurs are in a good spot, they'll be in a great one if they can pull off a move for a star complement next to Wemby.
Toronto Raptors
New Year's Resolution: Figure out what they have in Gradey Dick
The Toronto Raptors appear to be well on their way toward cementing another top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft but this is a team that already has quite a talented roster. One of the team's most intriguing players off their current roster is Gradey Dick. As he's broken out as a strong contributor for the team this season, he's one player that I remain highly interested in. Heading into the new year, I believe that one of the bigger goals for the team should revolve around figuring out what exactly the Raptors have in Dick.
Coming out of college, Dick was an intriguing talent because of his size and scoring talent. That said, I'm not sure how much was expected of him in terms of having an insanely high ceiling. At least so far this season, it may be time to rethink the projections on Dick. At this point, it's almost foolish to deny the star potential that he carries on the offensive end of the floor. If he continues to develop, he could very much emerge as a strong complementary player next to Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett.