NBA2020-21 season has been determined, and the opening of the free agent market is not far away. For those teams that are aspiring to compete for the championship, the work of next season is about to begin. American media CBS Sports selected the top five championship favorites for next season and analyzed the problems they most need to solve if they want to compete for the championship.
5, Celtics: How to deal with Hayward?
Hayward’s player option for next season is worth $34.2 million. For him, staying in the Green Army is a safer choice. But if he desires a long-term contract, or wants to play a more important role, the Celtics will not keep him. If Hayward chooses to leave the team, the Green Army will save 34.2 million US dollars, which will be of great benefit to strengthening the championship. They need to bring in inside players more than the team's already crowded striker position.
4. Warriors: Can the "reconstruction" in the post-Durant period work?
During the 2019 offseason, the Warriors did not sit back and watch Durant leave, but continued to sign up for Russell after signing. Since then, they have been rebuilding the warrior dynasty. Later, they traded Russell for Wiggins and Timberwolves' first round picks next year. Later, they won the No. 2 pick, and they also had a special case worth $17.2 million in the Iguodala deal. It can be said that the Warriors next season will have a lot of trading chips in addition to a luxurious starting lineup. Ideally, the Warriors can send Wiggins away and trade him and the second pick in exchange for a superstar. The Big Four of the Warriors seem to be able to reappear soon.
3, Clippers: How to face pressure?
In last season's championship team, the Clippers were originally the most balanced team. But facing a series of pressures in the playoffs, the Clippers’ luxury battleships broke down. Both Cardinals and George may be out of their contracts in the offseason of 2021, and the team had almost emptied their draft picks in the next few years in order to get them. Therefore, next season's Clippers will fight back. In this context, their pressure will only increase next season.
2, Bucks: How to draw lessons from the playoffs of the past two years?
The ideal situation-if Antetokounmpo agrees to renew his contract with the Bucks in advance, what else does the Bucks need to do to avoid being out of the playoffs for the third consecutive time? In the 2019-20 regular season, the Bucks played the strongest dominance in the league and once thought that the championship was within easy reach. But in the playoffs, they were defeated by the Heat. The year before, they were reversed out of the game. The Bucks do not need to worry about their regular season record next season. The most important thing is to find out the problems exposed in the first two years, and then try to avoid them in the playoffs.
1, Lakers: Will there be a third giant?
If you can't keep Rondo, the Lakers will have to reinforce the No. 1 position; if you can't keep Howard, the Lakers have to look for a high-quality center with similar cost performance. But these are actually minor problems, because with James and Big Eyebrows, there will definitely be many players who are eager to win and are willing to lower their worth to join the Lakers. But the most important thing is, should the Lakers risk destroying the chemical reaction accumulated last season to pursue the third giant? If the decision is so, Rondo and Howard are likely to be unable to keep them. In addition, they need to send Kuzma away. In the case of Zhan Mei is not for sale, the player with the highest transaction value for the Lakers is the rising star. Once the Big Three are gathered, the Lakers will be irresistible. Except for the success of defending, all others will fail.
