EARLY OFFSEASON
9. DETROIT 2018-19: 41-41 (8th; eliminated 4-0 in 1st round by Milwaukee) HELLO: Derrick Rose (FA), Markieff Morris (FA). GOODBYE: Stanley Johnson (FA).
■ The argument for the Pistons returning to the playoffs, and maybe even pushing up higher than eighth, relies on Blake Griffin and the star forward’s ability to stay on the court. Largely, he was healthy last season and he delivered an All-NBA campaign. He’ll need to do it again. It’s a critical season in Detroit with decisions needing to be made, primarily with Andre Drummond, who is a free agent next summer.
10. ATLANTA 2018-19: 29-53 (11th) HELLO: De’Andre Hunter (draft), Cam Reddish (draft), Evan Turner (trade). GOODBYE: Dewayne Dedmon (FA), Taurean Prince (trade).
■ There’s a lot to like about Atlanta, one of the best young teams in the Eastern Conference. It’s hard to believe that Trae Young and John Collins won’t push the Hawks to a playoff return — it’s just more a matter of when. Hunter should be an immediate contributor on a team that has pretty good depth despite some holes, particularly at center.
11. CHICAGO 2018-19: 22-60 (13th) HELLO: Thaddeus Young (FA), Tomas Satoransky (trade), Coby White (draft). GOODBYE: Robin Lopez (FA).
■ The Bulls’ moves this summer went largely under the radar, though people around the NBA were quietly impressed with the Young and Satoransky deals. They essentially made their biggest move last season, trading for Otto Porter Jr. There’s more talent here than in the past, but a playoff push seems more like a best-case scenario than a probability.
12. CLEVELAND 2018-19: 19-63 (14th) HELLO: Darius Garland (draft), Dylan Windler (draft), Kevin Porter Jr. (draft). NO GOODBYES.
■ For a team that won 19 games last season, there are actually some reasons for optimism here. Collin Sexton, last year’s first-round pick, hit more than 40% of his threes last season while averaging 16.7 points. The Cavaliers add three first-round picks with considerable talent. And, they’ll get back Kevin Love, who is healthy (for now). They could trade him, but they also could build around him.
13. NEW YORK 2018-19: 17-65 (15th) HELLO: R.J. Barrett (draft), Julius Randle (FA), Bobby Portis (FA), Taj Gibson (FA), Marcus Morris (FA), Elfrid Payton (FA). GOODBYE: DeAndre Jordan (FA), Emmanuel Mudiay (FA).
■ You know you didn’t meet fan expectations when you issue a statement apologizing for whiffing in free agency. That wasn’t even the weirdest thing the Knicks did this summer. They signed seemingly every free-agent power forward. Instead of Zion Williamson, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, the Knicks will introduce Portis, Gibson, Morris and Randle.
14. WASHINGTON 2018-19: 32-50 (11th) HELLO: Rui Hachimura (draft), Isaiah Thomas (FA), Ish Smith (FA). GOODBYE: Jeff Green (FA), Trevor Ariza (FA), Tomas Satoransky (FA).
■ If, and it’s a big if, the Wizards keep Bradley Beal and get back a productive John Wall after his Achilles injury, this prediction might be incorrect. A more likely scenario feels like Beal either getting dealt or going it mostly alone while Wall gets all the rust off. And Beal, coming off a breakout season, will have to do it with an even worse supporting cast than last season. This could be the start of a total teardown.
15. CHARLOTTE 2018-19: 39-43 (9th HELLO: Terry Rozier (trade), P.J. Washington (draft). GOODBYE: Kemba Walker (trade), Jeremy Lamb (FA).
■ It was a puzzling offseason for the Hornets, who decided to hang on to Walker last season with his departure viewed as almost a lock instead of dealing him. And then instead of just letting him walk, they decided to replace him with Rozier in a costly sign-and-trade. There’s not a clear path up for the Hornets that doesn’t start with them going all the way to the bottom.