While the Knicks and Thunder play out the last two open seats in the conference finals, the other 26 NBA teams are already shopping. NBA analyst SROS used a Saturday video to walk team-by-team through the single most defining decision each franchise needs to make this offseason, picking one of three buckets — sign, draft, or trade — for every roster. The result was less a mock draft and more a strategy memo, and a few of the recommendations had real teeth.
The most aggressive call was on the Los Angeles Clippers. With Kawhi Leonard coming off what SROS called the best offensive season of his Clippers tenure, the verdict was to sell. "Trade away Kawhi Leonard," he said. "You got gifted the fifth overall pick in this year's draft. You have Darius Garland, who's a decade younger than James Harden, who you traded away. Yanic Konate-Niederhauser looks like a nice young big in this league. And you're about to get a stud guard prospect at number five. Trade Kawhi after the best offensive season of his career. Get a nice haul — maybe what the Suns got for Kevin Durant last offseason — and start off this retool. Not even saying that you're going to miss the playoffs next year, but trade Kawhi at his highest value."
The Indiana Pacers, who lost their pick to the Clippers and now sit out of the lottery, got the most surprising free-agency target on the board. "I would go out and sign Andrew Wiggins," SROS said. "Now, you would need for him to opt out of his current deal with the Miami Heat, become an unrestricted free agent. Maybe you can give him a nice three- to four-year deal. I think it'd be a lot better of a fit than what Bennedict Mathurin was in previous years. And you definitely need another wing there on the perimeter joining Aaron Nesmith and Jarace Walker."
The Brooklyn Nets, sitting on the sixth pick and a pile of cap space but no first-round pick in 2027, got pushed toward poaching the Lakers' second guard. "This team does not own their first-round pick in 2027. They're going to have a lot of cap space. Go out and offer Austin Reaves a contract he can't refuse. Maybe you give Austin Reaves 40 or so million dollars in free agency. Who knows? The Lakers would be willing to match that. I'm not saying that Reaves is going to leave the Lakers, but if you can at least get a meeting with Austin Reaves, you take that. Get this dynamic scorer in his prime because you're not getting a top-four pick in this year's draft."
On the draft side, the Utah Jazz drew a defensive recommendation. With the No. 2 pick in hand and rumours that they might trade up for the projected No. 1 AJ Dybantsa, SROS told them not to bother. "I honestly think they should not trade up for the number one overall pick. I think they are just fine at number two. You gave up a lot of picks for Jaren Jackson Jr. Keep those future picks and stay at number two." Either Darryn Peterson or Cam Boozer, he argued, would be a franchise piece without burning more capital. For the Memphis Grizzlies at No. 3, the call was even simpler: "If Cam Boozer falls at number three, you should rush to the podium to make that pick. He's going to replace Jaren Jackson Jr. just finally at that power forward position."
For the Milwaukee Bucks, SROS aligned with the rest of the league. "Trade Giannis Antetokounmpo. You have the 10th overall pick in this draft. You can get still a haul for Giannis. I don't think you're competing next year. Keep the 10th overall pick and do somewhat of a retool rebuild in the post-Giannis era." The Houston Rockets, after a year of Kevin Durant turbulence, got similar advice in the opposite direction. "I would trade away Kevin Durant. I don't think you're beating OKC or San Antonio in the playoffs next year. If you can get 75 cents on the dollar for what you gave up for Kevin Durant last offseason, I would go out and do so because I think you still need to figure out what you have right now in Reed Sheppard and Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr."
A few other calls stood out. The Chicago Bulls, with a lottery pick already secured, were told to chase Walker Kessler with a 100 million dollar offer sheet — betting that Utah, after splashing on Jaren Jackson Jr. and an extension for Keyonte George, would baulk at matching. The Atlanta Hawks were nudged to use the No. 8 pick and a package of Asa Newell, Dyson Daniels and Onyeka Okongwu to chase "a 1A — Jaylen Brown or Giannis Antetokounmpo or somebody like that." The Orlando Magic, post-Desmond Bane trade, were told to move Jalen Suggs. The Miami Heat, holding Tyler Herro's expiring contract, were told to cash him in either as a piece in a Giannis deal or as a stand-alone sell-high asset to Detroit.
The shortest verdict went to the Phoenix Suns: trade Jalen Green. "Maybe trading away Jalen Green will allow you to resign Collin Gillespie. Maybe there's some type of Jalen Green for Dejounte Murray trade or something like that this offseason." The Suns' broader rebuild was left for another video, but the framing was clear — the offseason chess is already underway, and only four teams are still allowed to play it next month.
