Philadelphia 76ers: Post Free Agency NBA Power Rankings

Entering their sixth season of the PDH (post Dwight Howard) era, the Magic are struggling to gain traction in the Eastern Conference. Some of their notable lottery picks/draft-day acquisitions in recent memory have yet to become stars (Elfrid Payton, Aaron Gordon and Mario Hezonja) while other players have struggled to make the transition from good to great (Nikola Vucevic, Evan Fournier) . With Gordon, Payton and Hezonja all 23 or younger, there is still ample time for them to fulfill their potential. In this year’s draft, the team added freshman phenom Jonathan Isaac. The former Florida State Seminole has the build (6-foot-10, 7-foot-1 wingspan) and range (34.8% from 3-point in college) to become a force on both ends of the court. The Magic have been stuck in rebuild purgatory for the past five years but would be wise to let Isaac and the rest of their young talent progress next season. They’ve invested in these assets; the least they can do is give them opportunity.

Whether it be because he didn’t want to trade Paul George to an Eastern Conference foe or just did not wished to meet any of George’s requests, the fact remains that Indiana Pacers General Manager Kevin Pritchard got pennies on the dollar for the team’s superstar forward. In exchange for George, the Pacers received Victor Oladipo, a talented — but limited — young player, and Domantas Sabonis, who at best will be a good, not great player in the future. Along with George’s departure, the team also watched as their starting point guard Jeff Teague signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves this offseason. Aside from talented big man Myles Turner, the cupboard is bare in Indiana. They will not be competitive next season nor do they have many young pieces to bring along in what will be a rebuilding season. On the bright side, they should land a high draft pick in hopes of finding a talented player to pair with Turner. Just don’t expect to see Indiana pile up many wins next season.

Facing an uphill climb with a depleted roster and without their own 2016, 2017 and 2018 first round draft, General Manager Sean Marks has done excellent work despite limited resources. With an abundance of cap space, the Nets have become a valuable option for teams looking to dump salary. In this offseason alone, Marks has landed D’Angelo Russell, DeMarre Carroll (who, when healthy, is a nice player) and two future draft picks. Additionally, the Nets have two promising young players in Caris LeVert and this year’s No. 22 pick, Jarrett Allen. Russell looks to be the team’s most valuable piece and with a new opportunity after a rocky tenure in Los Angeles, the former No. 2 overall pick could become a star in Brooklyn. Despite Boston owning their 2018 first round pick, the Nets would be wise to prepare for the future and allow their young pieces to see the court as much as possible next season.

Through the first two games of their series against the Celtics last season, the Bulls had complete control and looked primed to advance in a stunning eight seed-over-one seed upset. Then, Rajon Rondo was ruled out indefinitely with a fractured right thumb, drastically altering the trajectory of the series. Boston went on to win four straight games and end the Bulls’ season. General Manager Gar Forman took this postseason exit as a sign to begin rebuilding, promptly trading away superstar forward Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves during last month’s draft. I could go into extensive detail as to why trading Butler at all was a foolish move but I won’t. Similar to the Pacers, Chicago got far less in return for Butler relative to his worth. The primary difference being that Butler isn’t a free agent until 2020. The Timberwolves sent Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and the No. 7 overall pick from this year’s draft, Lauri Markkanen, to the Bulls in exchange for Butler and the No. 16 overall pick, Justin Patton. LaVine, while a very nice scorer, is coming off a torn ACL, is a limited playmaker and is the human embodiment of a sieve on the defensive end of the floor. Dunn, meanwhile, was one of the worst rookies in the NBA last season. The talent is there but he has yet to show it. Lastly, while a tall, 3-point shooting European big man like Kristaps Porzingis, Markkanen possesses far less defensive upside. The Bulls roster a plethora of young players yet none have flashed any signs of star potential. With the Bulls’ playoff odds next season lower than that of Wile E. Coyote catching the Road Runner, Chicago is best served to let young guys like Dunn, Markkanen, Denzel Valentine and Bobby Portis see substantial minutes. Maybe, if they’re lucky, they’ll land Michael Porter Jr. so they can eventually trade him away too.

What a difference two years can make. In the 2014-15 season, the Hawks cruised to the No. 1 seed in the East with a 60-22 record and made the conference finals. Now, entering the 2017-18 season, only two players from that team remain on the roster: Dennis Schroder and Kent Bazemore. Paul Millsap’s departure officially began the rebuild for the Hawks as they will likely be absent from postseason play for the first time since 2006-07. However, the Hawks do possess some intriguing young players in John Collins, Taurean Prince and Deandre’ Bembry. With two highly-touted prospects in Michael Porter Jr. and Luka Doncic atop next year’s draft board, the Hawks would be wise to see what they’ve got in their three young pieces and allow the losses to pile up.

Next: 5 reasons the Sixers aren't the 2016-17 Wolves

(All stats via Basketball Reference)