As preseason gets ready to kickoff, teams around the league have been actively putting together the pieces on their roster. As every year goes, some teams don’t have good off-seasons. Here are five teams that I believe will suffer in the 2017-18 NBA campaign.
Atlanta Hawks: Letting go of All-Star Forward Paul Millsap (18.1 PPG, 7.7 RBG) was the first problem to the Hawks offseason plans, but then things got even more confusing when they traded Dwight Howard and the 31st overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft for Miles Plumlee, Marco Belinelli, and the 41st pick. With those two out of the rotation their rebounding, defense, and offense are all worse. Millsap was the key to a lot of the team’s success, and even though Howard only spent a season with his hometown team, he managed to lead the team in rebounds and blocks. This is where we saw glimpses of his Orlando Magic days during the course of the season. Another blow to their rotation came when management lost rising star Tim Hardaway to the New York Knicks. Being one of the go-to scorers last season and even stepping up huge in the playoffs, Hardaway proved his worth. The Hawks have made the playoffs 11 consecutive years (Longest streak in the NBA), but this season will be a disaster for Atlanta
Departures: Dwight Howard, Paul Millsap, Tim Hardaway
Acquisitions: Miles Plumlee, Marco Belinelli
Orlando Magic: The Magic have struggled for the past few years. The talent isn’t the issue in Orlando, it’s the chemistry. With management constantly moving pieces around it makes it tough for guys to play together. Needless to say that Orlando is struggling to find replacements for Serge Ibaka, and Victor Oladipo who left over a year ago, but they still can’t seem to fill their void. Ibaka was able to spread the floor with his ability to knock down the three ball and protect the pant with his long wingspan. He was the perfect power forward. Oladipo provided instant offense and his ability to attack the paint opened up looks for shooters like Evan Fournier and Mario Hezonja.
Departures: Jeff Green, Jodie Meeks
Acquisitions: Jonathon Simmons, Aaron Afflalo, Shelvin Mack, Marreese Speights
Chicago Bulls: Do I even need to say it? With Jimmy Butler gone and Dwyane Wade likely moving to Los Angeles or Miami the Bulls could have lost their one-two punch. It all happened so fast. Ever since Derrick Rose left the Bulls, there was no doubt that Butler was looked at as the franchise player. Becoming most improved player in the 2014-15 NBA campaign only proved to Bulls fans that his heart and soul was with Chicago. The Bulls not only lost their franchise piece who played both sides of the ball consistently, but they also lost pass-first point guard Rajon Rondo. Despite his bad attitude, he spaced the floor out and made things a lot easier for not only Butler but everyone else around them. It’s clear that this season will be a rebuilding season for the Bulls.
Left: Taj Gibson, Rajon Rondo, Jimmy Butler
Acquisitions: Zach Lavine, Kris Dunn, Cameron Payne
Utah Jazz: Coming off arguably one of the best seasons in team history, the Jazz failed to re-sign franchise piece Gordon Hayward. This alone will weaken Utah due to the production Hayward provided. Like the Bulls, the Jazz lost their franchise player, but how does this hurt the Jazz? Utah was trying to build the team around him, which is why forward Joe Johnson came on board to lift some of the scoring load off of Hayward. With Hayward gone and the Western Conference only getting stronger things are only getting more difficult for Utah. The Jazz may be competitive, but they’ll miss the playoffs.
Departures: Gordon Hayward
Acquisitions: Jonas Jerebko, Ricky Rubio, Thabo Sefolosha, Ekpe Udoh
Brooklyn Nets: The Nets haven’t been relevant for years, but now with center Brooke Lopez out of the picture the future doesn’t look bright for Brooklyn. Lopez, by all means, is an All-Star caliber player, but he was a lonely star for years with no signs of building a structured team around him. They can’t even consider tanking this year for their own benefit, because THEY STILL DON’T HAVE THEIR OWN FIRST ROUND PICK. Thankfully, this is the last year that the worst trade of all-time haunts their draft preparations. It will be nice to see some young players like D-Loading added into their line-up, but the future is still bleak in Brooklyn.
Departures: Brooke Lopez, Randy Foye, Bojan Bogdanovic
Acquisitions: D’Angelo Russell, Tyler Zeller, Timofy Mozgov, Demarre Carroll, Allen Crabbe