NBA draft: One big question facing every lottery team's offseason With 10 NBA teams already eyeing the offseason, Bobby Marks examines each front office's biggest priority. Jeremy Woo previews his latest mock draft and looks at the biggest names to watch in the Big 12. derailed their chances, Indiana and Milwaukee will join the group of teams that begins the 2026 offseason on April 12. The next step for the Pacers, Bucks and eight other lottery-bound teams is the arduous process of draft preparation, free agency discussions and trade market evaluation. To get an early start to the offseason, let's examine the big question facing each bottom-10 team and how it could be addressed this summer.this past July -- has featured a career-high 24.2 points per game and a fourth straight season of better than 36% 3-point shooting.And prior to a strained left hamstring suffered March 19, Porter had missed just 14 games since the 2023-24 season, a trend in the right direction after injuries hampered him early in his career. His impact on the court, durability and age -- Porter will turn 28 in June -- should warrant discussions on a new contract. He will be eligible to sign a four-year, $234 million deal. It's important to note that Brooklyn has no incentive to tank next season, as Houston has the right to swap first-round picks in 2027. Brooklyn will enter free agency with a high lottery pick and could have between $45 million and $55 million in cap room heading into free agency.The big question: Can the Bulls escape the middle? "We've maintained substantial flexibility heading into the offseason," Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas told reporters after the Feb. 5 trade deadline."That gives us real options, whether that is free agency, the draft, trades or continuing investment in development." The flexibility Karnisovas referred to is the potential $64 million to use in free agency -- Ivey's free agent hold would need to be renounced -- and a likely top-10 pick. The Bulls have selected in the lottery five times since Karnisovas took over in 2020 and have not drafted better than 11th in any of them."Our goal is to return to winning basketball in Dallas and win championships," Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont wrote in a letter to Mavericks fans after general manager Nico Harrison was fired in November. The person Dumont selects as Harrison's replacement will play a pivotal role in determining whether Dallas can return to its winning ways. Since November, Dumont has had Matt Riccardi and Michael Finley co-running basketball operations on an interim basis. Both helped orchestrate the blockbuster trade that sent. Whether Dumont builds from within or adds new faces, the Mavericks' front office will also inherit a lottery pick in the strong 2026 draft, young players inand also put the Pacers at risk of not having a lottery pick, despite owning one of the league's worst records. The Pacers will send the Clippers their first-round pick if it falls between Nos. 5 and 9 -- currently a 47.9% chance. If the Pacers retain their pick, it could propel the franchise back into title contention two seasons after a run to Game 7 of the 2025 Finals. Indiana would have star Tyrese Haliburton back from an Achilles tear and be in position to draft from a pool of players that includesIn addition to navigating three draft picks in the top 31, Memphis once again faces a decision with two-time All-Star guard Morant.last week, two months after he suffered a UCL strain in his left elbow. Throughout his 20 games -- he has played just 79 across the past three seasons -- Morant recorded the lowest field goal and 3-point percentages of his career.. to Utah on Feb. 3, Grizzlies GM Zach Kleiman said the team is pivoting toward getting younger. How the two years and $87 million remaining on Morant's contract fit into that pivot remains unanswered.The big question: Can the Bucks find closure with Giannis?"Giannis is going into the last year ," Edens said."So one of two things will happen: Either he will be extended or he'll be traded."But to sign a fourth extension with Milwaukee, Antetokounmpo has to be sold on the franchise's plans to bolster a roster that will miss its first playoffs since 2016.trades, the Bucks do not control their own first-round pick until 2031 -- and have 12 players from the current roster under contract for 2026-27. Five of those players, including starting guard An Antetokounmpo trade would require interested teams to weigh multiple factors before creating a package to land the two-time MVP. How much leverage does Antetokounmpo have in choosing his next team? Would teams be interested in trading a hefty collection of assets -- draft picks, young players on controllable contracts and sizable short-term deals -- with no guarantee on an extension? Antetokounmpo would be eligible for the same extension he could sign with the Bucks, albeit not until six months after a trade.Borrego replaced Willie Green "It's establishing that we are going to be a team that plays hard every night," Dumars said at the time Green was fired."That's still what I'm looking for right now, and I had that conversation with James this morning."Dumars has had nearly six months to evaluate Borrego, who has made a strong case, especially since the All-Star break, when New Orleans ranks in the top 15 in both offensive rating and net rating. The lineup of While the Pelicans will not add a lottery pick to next season's roster, 14 players from this season's team are under contract for 2026-27. New Orleans also has a valuable unprotected first-round pick from Milwaukee in 2027.When a team with one playoff appearance since 2006 is on pace for the fourth-fewest wins in franchise history, there are multiple big questions. But considering the draft lottery is not until May 10 and free agency does not begin until seven weeks later, the immediate focus in Sacramento should be evaluating and deciding Christie's future. "I'm just expecting him to be my coach until I tell you anything different," Kings GM Scott Perry told reporters after the trade deadline."I'm not even thinking along those lines right now. I want to see us get incrementally better each day, and I want to see him continue to improve as a coach." The Kings are 7-15 since Feb. 5, ranking 25th in offense and 27th in defense, but Christie's roster has endured bouts of injuries. Sacramento has used 31 different starting lineups, 13 more than throughout 2024-25.to season-ending injuries at different points, and no player on the roster has played more than 60 games outside of veteransThe first was when the Jazz acquired Jackson from the Grizzlies, a move to accelerate a rebuild that began in the 2022 offseason.proved efficient when the forwards were paired with a center in big lineups. The Jazz were plus-9.8 points per 100 possessions when both players were on the court with 6-11 Kessler had season-ending shoulder surgery in November and played only five games this season. But 2024-25 was his best as a pro, as Kessler averaged a career high in points , rebounds and assists and shot an NBA-leading 66.3%. He became the first player since Hall of Famer Tim Duncan to average at least two blocks per game in each of his first three NBA seasons. The Jazz were once projected to have significant cap space this summer, in large part because of the $14.9 million free agent hold of Kessler. But by taking on Jackson's $49 million salary, Utah can no longer boast financial flexibility to add in free agency outside of retaining Kessler. The Wizards were a potential suitor for Kessler in restricted free agency but no longer have cap space available after blockbuster moves to acquire That leads to the question: Who exactly would Utah be bidding against? Currently, the only teams projected to have substantial cap space this summer are the Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls andThe big question: Can the Wizards find a compromise on Trae Young's and Anthony Davis' next contracts?June 23 is the deadline for Young to either exercise his $49 million player option or become an unrestricted free agent this summer. "We have good relationships with his reps," Wizards' GM Will Dawkins told Mark Medina of EssentiallySports."So we've had communication on what it would look like to be a Wizard because he really wanted to be here, and that was important to us. And we want to make sure everybody feels comfortable and builds that partnership and relationship until we have any real conversations.""The Hoop Collective" podcast, hosted by Brian Windhorst, releases new shows every Monday, Wednesday and Friday during the NBA season.Young is eligible to sign a three-year, $156.9 million extension until June 30, with the first year of that deal replacing the player option for next season. Young could also opt in and sign an extension after free agency begins, delaying the start of a new contract until the 2027-28 season. Or Young could decline the option, signing for less but with the benefit of up to five guaranteed years., Young will play the fewest games of his career this season, In five games as a Wizard, he has averaged 15.2 points in 20.8 minutes per game. Davis, meanwhile, cannot become a free agent but is eligible to sign a four-year extension Aug. 6. The first year of the extension would replace a $62.8 million player option for 2027-28. The 33-year-old Davis, who has yet to make his Wizards debut, has failed to reach 60 games in five of the past six seasons. But when healthy, Davis remains a two-way force. According to ESPN Research, Davis has averaged at least two blocks and one steal in 11 seasons. That trails only Hall of FamerThe Wizards have seven players on first-round rookie contracts and have no salary obligations starting in 2029-30. Former lottery pick