Tonight’s games:

Orlando @ Boston

Denver @ San Antonio

Orlando Magic

Last 10 Games: 6-4

2026-27 Cap Outlook:

  • Projected Salary Cap: $165,000,000

  • Functional Cap Space: -$50,800,353

  • 1st Apron Space: -$6,702,699

  • 2nd Apron Space: $5,971,301

  • 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.

Boston Celtics

Last 10 Games: 7-3

2026-27 Cap Outlook:

  • Projected Salary Cap: $165,000,000

  • Functional Cap Space: -$22,730,181

  • 1st Apron Space: $21,333,819

  • 2nd Apron Space: $34,007,819

  • 14 players on Standard Contract (8 Gtd.)

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

Biggest Questions

  • What happens outside of Brown, White, and Tatum this offseason? Is there a better combination of players around them?

  • How will leadership handle their newfound flexibility after taking a year outside the tax?

Impact Free Agent

  • Nikola Vucevic

Impact Extensions

  • Neemias Queta

Tradable Contracts

  • Sam Hauser - $10,848,214

  • Payton Pritchard - $7,767,857

Biggest Decisions

  • Center Rotation

    • After shoring up their center rotation at the deadline with Vucevic, the front office has theoretically already solved this part of their rotation. However, the question is whether Vucevic sticks long term seeing as he is a free agent this summer.

  • Youth in Prominent Roles

    • This year the Celtics are leaning on young players in very important roles for their team. How these young rotation pieces perform in the playoffs could very well inform how the team moves forward in the offseason.

Denver Nuggets

Last 10 Games: 10-0

2026-27 Cap Outlook:

  • Projected Salary Cap: $165,000,000

  • Functional Cap Space: -$51,519,094

  • 1st Apron Space: -$18,295,996

  • 2nd Apron Space: -$5,621,996

  • 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

Tradable 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.

San Antonio Spurs

Last 10 Games: 9-1

2026-27 Cap Outlook:

  • Projected Salary Cap: $165,000,000

  • Functional Cap Space: $8,457,182

  • 1st Apron Space: $52,895,434

  • 2nd Apron Space: $65,569,434

  • 9 players on Standard Contract (8 Gtd.)

Frenchieinportland, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Biggest Questions

  • Will the team take the patient building route, or is there a superstar that comes available that convinces them to cash in their assets?

  • Would a specialty shooter improve their rotation enough to justify the cost?

Impact Free Agent

  • Harrison Barnes

Impact Extensions

  • Victor Wembanyama

  • Keldon Johnson

Most Tradable Offseason Contracts

  • Keldon Johnson - $17,500,000

  • Luke Kornet - $10,450,000

Biggest Decisions

  • Organic vs. Manufactured Growth

    • Barring an improbable but not impossible finals run, this summer will bring a renewed look at whether the organic growth of young players is enough to take the next step or whether it is the time to rely on external talent accumulation around Wembanyama.

  • Backcourt

    • With Castle and Harper both blossoming in their young careers, the role for Fox and even Vassell may look very different than originally envisioned when they signed their respective contracts. How leadership values each of them in the coming years will be worth monitoring.

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