Tonight’s games:

Orlando @ Cleveland

Denver @ Phoenix

Orlando Magic

Last 10 Games: 5-5

2026-27 Cap Outlook:

  • Projected Salary Cap: $165,427,000

  • Functional Cap Space: -$50,450,238

  • 1st Apron Space: -$6,222,699

  • 2nd Apron Space: $6,487,301

  • 11 players on Standard Contract (10 Gtd.)

Mogami Kariya, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Biggest Questions

  • Is there enough frustration with their offense to bring large scale structural changes?

  • Are Banchero and Franz Wagner a sustainable core duo?

Impact Free Agent

  • Moritz Wagner

Impact Extensions

  • Anthony Black

  • Goga Bitadze

Most Tradable Offseason Contracts

  • Jonathan Isaac - $14,500,000 (Would need to be guaranteed)

  • Wendell Carter Jr. - $18,102,000

  • Goga Bitadze - $7,608,695

Biggest Decisions

  • Suggs

    • Jalen Suggs has emerged as a premier perimeter defender and passing lane pest, but he also is their best trade chip outside of their core of Banchero, Wagner and Bane. Black has emerged in a way that may make the tandem of Suggs and Black redundant. The direction of the franchise may be decided with what happens with Suggs and/or Black in the next two years.

  • Center Rotation

    • Both Carter Jr. and Bitadze are serviceable NBA rotation level centers, and Banchero can play over into the center position if need be but there are some questions about how the performance of the center position may be a place of improvement for Orlando.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Last 10 Games: 7-3

2026-27 Cap Outlook:

  • Projected Salary Cap: $165,427,000

  • Functional Cap Space: -$58,100,727

  • 1st Apron Space: -$12,548,758

  • 2nd Apron Space: $161,242

  • 11 players on Standard Contract (10 Gtd.)

Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Biggest Questions

  • Is the move to bring in Harden enough to put them on even playing field with the best of the West?

  • Is the idea to retain Harden for the foreseeable future or just the stretch run of this year?

Impact Free Agent

  • James Harden (PO)

  • Dean Wade

  • Keon Ellis

Impact Extensions

  • Donovan Mitchell

  • Max Strus

Most Tradable Offseason Contracts

  • Max Strus - $16,660,836

  • Sam Merrill - $9,160,714

  • Dennis Schroder - $14,809,200

Biggest Decisions

  • Physicality

    • Although they run a two big lineup, they aren’t the most physical team down low. How effectively their bigs are able to rim run will be very telling in their success around Harden and Mitchell.

  • Depth

    • When Ty Jerome left, the bench production took a significant hit. They have not completely re-calibrated their bench unit. Their bench unit can be transformed again in the offseason at a relatively low asset cost.

Denver Nuggets

Last 10 Games: 6-4

2026-27 Cap Outlook:

  • Projected Salary Cap: $165,427,000

  • Functional Cap Space: -$51,054,864

  • 1st Apron Space: -$17,697,996

  • 2nd Apron Space: -$4,987,996

  • 10 players on Standard Contract (9 Gtd.)

All-Pro Reels, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Biggest Questions

  • Are the health issues persistent enough to lead to a roster reset?

  • How will the offseason unfold with Watson’s restricted free agency as he established himself as a key member of their rotation in Braun’s absence?

Impact Free Agent

  • Peyton Watson (RFA)

  • Tim Hardaway Jr.

  • Bruce Brown Jr.

Impact Extensions

  • Cam Johnson

  • Julian Strawther

Most Tradable Offseason Contracts

  • Zeke Nnaji - $7,466,667

  • Jonas Valanciunas - $10,000,000 (Would need to be guaranteed)

Biggest Decisions

  • Depth

    • Denver had a great offseason signing highly coveted veterans like Hardaway and Brown, but only to short term contracts. Leadership will need to either retain these key rotation players or find replacements in their young players or in the draft.

  • Young Players

    • The previous leadership traded assets to take many bites at the draft apple in the hopes that they could find the correct rotation players late in the draft to surround and support Jokic and the core. Thus far, this leadership has gone searching for veteran role players to be in the rotation and players like Strawther and Holmes have fallen out of the rotation as a result. This offseason may provide some direction.

Phoenix Suns

Last 10 Games: 5-5

2026-27 Cap Outlook:

  • Projected Salary Cap: $165,427,000

  • Functional Cap Space: -$20,560,446

  • 1st Apron Space: $13,876,130

  • 2nd Apron Space: $26,586,130

  • 11 players on Standard Contract (8 Gtd.)

Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Biggest Questions

  • What pieces of this roster are going to stick around Booker?

  • Can the Green/Booker pairing be sustainable?

Impact Free Agent

  • Mark Williams (RFA)

  • Collin Gillespie

Impact Extensions

  • Jalen Green

  • Dillon Brooks

Tradable Contracts

  • Grayson Allen - $18,125,000

  • Royce O’Neale - $10,875,000

Biggest Decisions

  • Green/Brooks

    • The pair that came over as part of the Durant deal were not flipped for more assets as many speculated this offseason and this is likely to be a very important question for Phoenix’s direction into the future.

  • Center Position

    • The Suns invested a draft pick and multiple trades to shore up their Center position. Now one center has been traded out and one is a free agent. Mark Williams’ restricted free agency is going to be exceedingly interesting to watch during the summer.

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