NBA teams and fanbases alike hold fast to the hope of a star-studded roster. What are realistic “best case” starting lineups for some of the league’s most interesting teams?
In the NBA, hope is the food that sustains owners, executives and fans through the lean years of a rebuild. It’s how a team picks itself up after an excruciating loss, or convinces itself that the hard feelings of today will not last forever.
Rarely do teams hope for mediocrity, or spend time plotting how their team can reach “average.” Fans don’t talk with expectation of undrafted free agents, but of the chance of nailing a lottery pick. Free agency and the trade deadline are every bit as popular as the playoffs.
As early as the fall of 2015, whispers began to circulate that the Golden State Warriors had a path to signing Kevin Durant. While the Warriors certainly weren’t enduring a tough spell en route to a 73-win season, the idea of Durant replacing Harrison Barnes in the “Death Lineup” was impossible not to dream about. In the wake of their 3-1 Finals collapse to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the possibility of Durant was a balm for a sore fan base.
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Teams around the league have hopes set on specific players, or a desire to see a draft pick turn into the next big star. Teams with assets are angling to improve, and teams with championship aspirations are considering whether to make a move. Every team in the league is considering a lineup built on dreams of greatness.
Some teams are better prepared than others to reach those dreams, as Golden State was last season. With an exciting sophomore class and a strong draft preparing to come in, the level of anticipation is only rising for the future. In 2018, 2019, 2020 and beyond, what are the best-case lineups around the league? What realistic roster configurations could we see propel teams with hope into teams with rings?
We land first in the capital of hope and excitement, Minneapolis, where the prospect of cap space and another lottery pick may finally give this young Timberwolves team the momentum to meet lofty expectations.