NBA teams need to be focused on one of two goals: compete for a championship immediately or completely rebuild with young players and draft assets. As knowledge has increased in the NBA world, there are hardly any teams dwelling in the middle of the pack when it comes to their roster and staff. Title-contenders such as the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, Denver Nuggets, Brooklyn Nets, and Philadelphia 76ers are among the teams that are built to win right now.
Meanwhile, there are tanking teams such as the Houston Rockets, Detroit Pistons, and Orlando Magic that will be happy to lose every game of the season with the hopes of drafting talented young players. Clearly, the aforementioned teams are employing the right strategies. But while most teams are focused on the right areas, there are some teams that are in neither position to compete nor tank and must blow it up completely to engage in the latter. The NBA is a difficult league and there can only be one winner at the end of every season. As the famous expression by Albert Einstein goes, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” Here are the six teams that must blow it up because they could be in denial of their roster and championship aspirations.
Chicago Bulls
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The Chicago Bulls are not built for championship success, without disrespect to the front office that did everything to compete in the Eastern Conference. They traded for Zach LaVine, and the shooting guard became an All-Star. They also made a move to bring in All-Star center Nikola Vucevic who was carrying the Orlando Magic into the playoffs every year. Finally, they had an iconic offseason last year when they signed DeMar DeRozan and brought in Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso.
With such a talented roster, the Bulls were supposed to be a factor in the East. But unfortunate injuries last year led the Bulls to drop in the standings and they lost in the first round to the Milwaukee Bucks. This season, Chicago is 10th with a 19-22 record, but even when they are healthy, they are not anymore among the best team in their conference. There is a reason why the Bulls’ front office didn’t trade any player so far, but this could change until the February trade deadline. DeMar DeRozan proved he is a very good player but not a great player when he was with the Toronto Raptors.
The Raptors won the title as soon as they traded DeMar for Kawhi, and that certainly makes this a closed case. Next, LaVine is similar to DeMar in terms of him being the second or third option on a championship team when surrounded by superstars. Finally, Lonzo is dealing with never-ending injuries and Caruso is looking like an “old” 28-year-old. Instead of trying to sneak into the playoffs every year, they should trade their stars DeMar, LaVine, and Vucevic to stack up on draft assets and start tanking for the future.
Phoenix Suns
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What has happened to the Phoenix Suns? They were supposed to win it all in 2021 when they went up 2-0 in the NBA Finals. But they ended up losing the series, and last year, they failed to bounce back as they were demolished by the Dallas Mavericks in Game 7 in the second round. Nobody expected that type of capitulation, especially as they sit 20-21 in the West right now. Clearly, the experiment could be coming to an end.
Deandre Ayton’s contractual issues have weighed heavily on the big man, as he was supposed to be an Indiana Pacer but was brought back at the last minute. Jae Crowder has surprisingly gone AWOL, Chris Paul is almost 38 years old, and Cameron Johnson has only played 8 games in the season so far due to a knee injury. Devin Booker’s scoring (27.1 PPG) has been the only positive for the Suns this year.
Instead of trying to fix issues (Ayton and Crowder) and expecting a 38-year-old to turn back the clock, they could completely blow it up by surrounding Devin Booker with young talented players. Paul belongs on a title contender, Ayton is unhappy and could be swapped for draft assets, and everyone else should be made expendable. Rebuilding around Booker and Johnson with young players and draft picks makes the most sense for Phoenix in a loaded Western Conference right now.
Portland Trail Blazers
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Unfortunately for Trail Blazers fans, mediocrity could be the norm as long as Damian Lillard is their best player. That is not a knock on Lillard, but rather the circumstance the point guard finds himself in. There does not seem to be a way in which Portland can surround Lillard with All-Star help, because Jerami Grant and Anfernee Simons are not enough to boost the team to a top-3 seed in the West. Rather, they could be a first-round exit.
Portland is currently 11th in the West with a 19-21 record and lacks consistency on both ends of the court. Lillard has had a very solid season offensively, posting 27.3 PPG and 7.2 APG on 36.6% from three. Clearly, Lillard is still a superstar point guard and truly belongs on a team that can win with him. So far, Portland has never proven they can compete even when a prime CJ McCollum was on the squad.
That means the Trail Blazers need to suck it up and trade franchise star Damian Lillard. It seems Lillard does not want to leave, and the franchise should not reward his loyalty with a sudden trade. But discussions between the front office and Lillard could ensue, because missing the playoffs this season could be disastrous for both the player and the franchise.
Washington Wizards
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Nobody understands what the Washington Wizards are trying to do. Bradley Beal is a stud on the offensive end, posting 22.9 PPG through 24 games. The shooting guard has not been fully healthy this year and looks far away from the same player that averaged at least 30 PPG in 2020 and 2021. Beal can sell tickets and put on scoring displays, but is that enough for the franchise?
The Wizards need to trade Bradley Beal and start over. The shooting guard can create his own offense but needs to be surrounded by one or two other superstars to truly make a difference. He won’t be enough to carry the Washington Wizards into the playoffs every year, and even if the team does make the postseason, they are nothing more but a first-round exit. Since Kristaps Porzingis is the team’s second-best player, there is not enough on the roster to compete.
Washington is in the worst position possible of being middle-of-the-pack. The Wizards must trade Beal for first-round picks, and rebuild around young players. That also means that Kyle Kuzma, Rui Hachimura, and Porzingis are the next pieces to be traded. It is time for the Wizards to tank, and the longer they deny that the worse their position will get going forward into the next few seasons.
Los Angeles Lakers
Obviously, the Los Angeles Lakers are the most infamous franchise that has not performed to date. If the franchise did not have LeBron James, they would have tanked years ago. But The King is a player that can be the best player on a championship team, a rarity for any franchise. After Kobe Bryant’s retirement, the Lakers needed a superstar player to become the face of the franchise and LeBron has answered the call on and off the court. Now, the Lakers did well to bring in Anthony Davis, and the team won the title in 2020.
But since then, the Lakers have been atrocious. They traded for Russell Westbrook last year, and while they did not give up much to get him, the point guard might have made the team worse because of his improper fit with James and Davis. Even if the Lakers are trying to sneak into the playoffs this season with a 19-22 record so far, they do not have the pieces to contend. With LeBron venting frustration recently and Davis acting as the most injury-prone player in the league, the Lakers need to start over.
That means they must NOT lose their first-round picks, find a way to let Russell Westbrook walk by trading him this season, or call it splits in the upcoming offseason. The Lakers then must decide if a potential 39-year-old LeBron James has the capability to lead the franchise to a championship, especially with a nearly 30-year-old Davis. If not, trade Davis and LeBron and focus on the future because those two first-round picks (2027 and 2029) could be vital.
Miami Heat
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Miami might not need a complete blowup like other teams mentioned above, but they need to completely re-tool their roster. Jimmy Butler has done an admirable job as the franchise player by leading the Heat to the NBA Finals in 2020 and guiding the team to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals last year. Clearly, Butler has leadership power and the right attitude to succeed in Miami even if there is rising trade chatter about him. Alongside him is Bam Adebayo, a talented two-way center who deserves All-Star consideration.
But the rest of the roster must be made expendable, including budding All-Star Tyler Herro and veteran point guard Kyle Lowry. The Heat failed with the Lowry signing because the point guard is past his best and has reportedly not been in the best shape of his career. Meanwhile, Duncan Robinson is making over $18 million over the next few seasons and is one of the most inconsistent players on the roster. Miami needs to get rid of dead weight, even if it means packaging Tyler Herro with them.
A mixed package of Lowry, Herro, and Robinson means the Heat could acquire a certified All-Star offensive player in Bradley Beal or Zach LaVine. Both the Wizards and Bulls should blow it up, and either star could be available. Beal or LaVine would form a talented trio alongside Butler and Adebayo, and Miami has the coaching staff and culture to make the most of it. Losing Tyler Herro is a sign of a massive blow-up, but it could go in Miami’s favor because they could be one major piece away from winning it all.
Source: fadeawayworld
