2026 NBA Offseason: One Player to Invest In on Each Eliminated Playoff Team

With the New York Knicks overcoming a 26-year drought, finally pushing through the elusive Eastern Conference Playoffs with a Sisyphean effort and punching their ticket to the NBA Finals, one Conference Finals series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs remains before the June Classic.

Yet, I’m certain my mind aligns with others’, glaring past the Conference Finals matchups each night; instead, the importance of the outcome of this year’s championship have been traded for mock draft apps, cap table websites and a fourth stint on trying to fix the depleting Milwaukee Bucks roster on NBA2K.

For fans of the remaining 27 teams, the offseason began long ago (especially given the imminent Finals victory from either of the Western Conference powerhouses trading knockout blows every other day).

My mind hard-wires itself into the roster-building side of each NBA team, with many players under contract with a decision to be made on their future: are you a valuable trade asset? Are you sincerely part of our competitive core, or will you be worth more than our pockets can stomach? Do you even have significant value on the open market and, if so, what makes you believe you have a spot in our playoff push?

For this round, there’s merit in taking a peek at the guys who made a marginal (if that) impact on their playoff teams but weren’t quite able to elevate their rosters to the next round.

More importantly, each highlighted player, in my evaluation, possesses the skills to heighten the ceiling of their 2026 squad.

Monica Herndon/The Inquirer

Oklahoma City Thunder — Jared McCain

2025–26 stats: 8.3 PPG, 2 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.5 SPG, 42.5 FG%, 38.5 3P% (65 GP)

The postseason spotlight gives you an in-depth perspective on the competitive outlook of playoff rotations and, in this case, the Thunder opted for significant lineup changes that were different than what fueled their 2025 Finals victory.

Instead of either Isaiah Joe or Aaron Wiggins, two important role players who had their moments on basketball’s biggest stage, it was early trade deadline acquisition Jared McCain who stepped into a joint-starting role for Mark Daignault’s crew, and for a verifiable reason.

McCain was arguably the Thunder’s most impressive bench piece during their championship defense, and certainly was the most impactful off-ball shooter outside of Alex Caruso, who had his fair share of offensive performances.

The Thunder are in need of consolidation moves, given their (still) immense treasure trove of future draft capital and depth that extends into potentially possessing 15 contracts if all team options are exercised. It’s likely that a move is coming to deal a few of their “DNP-CD” wings away.

Certainly, though, it won’t be McCain, whose exterior shooting and movement hasn’t lost a beat since recovering from his long-term meniscus tear. Expect McCain to become a vital asset for Oklahoma City’s future competiting in a Wembanyama West.

Detroit Pistons — Paul Reed

2025–26 stats: 7.8 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.9 BPG/SPG, 61.7 FG% (65 GP)

What makes Paul Reed such an intriguing player? Well, on the surface, his statistical output is alike many backup centers playing upwards of 15 minutes per game. However, the postseason shone a different light on the offensive impact Reed can provide in indispensable moments.

For the first time in his playoff career, Reed had four consecutive games scoring in double figures, averaging over 13 points per game on 75% shooting in Games 3–6 of Detroit’s Conference Semifinal matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Crazier, Paul Reed had only scored in double figures twice in 41 career postseason games prior to this series! An unprecedented offensive fire maker from the Pistons’ second-string big.

It sets up an interesting conversation surrounding the future of Detroit’s center position in the immediate future, given that All-NBA Third-Team big Jalen Duren is set to hit restricted free agency with over $50 million per season on the table through an expected max contract extension. Duren was out of form throughout the Pistons’ playoff run, and may have cost himself a few millions due to lackluster performance.

Tying into Reed, his minutes certainly provided a glimpse into how head coach J.B. Bickerstaff could integrate Reed more fluently into his rotations. Maybe Reed inserts himself as a sixth man, rather than a situational usage guy. Maybe Duren isn’t worth the money, and Reed finds a starting role next season with the salary shipped elsewhere.

The possibilities are endless with Reed and, luckily for Detroit, they have him wrapped up for 2027 to defend their top-seed regular season.

Ryan Sun/AP

Boston Celtics — Hugo Gonzalez

2025–26 stats: 3.9 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 0.5 APG, 0.6 SPG, 47 FG%, 36.2 3P% (74 GP)

Given how raw Hugo Gonzalez was as a pure prospect entering the 2025 NBA Draft, there were certainly very minimal signs to how productive the 20-year-old first-rounder would perform within Boston’s second unit.

The Celtics entered the 2025–26 NBA season with differing goals from the general media. While basketball savants were dubbing their season a “gap year” while superstar forward Jayson Tatum recovers from a gruesome Achillies tear in the 2025 postseason and multiple starters were dealt away in cap-clearing consolidation moves, Boston had other ideas, and were the Eastern Conference’s second-best team through the heaps of discontinuity.

Insert Gonzalez, the 28th overall selection, who appeared in 59 consecutive games spanning from late November to early April, shooting 48% from the field over 15 minutes per game with a 200 (!) plus-minus off the Celtics’ bench. Boston went 43–16 over this span, and 13–10 outside of Gonzalez’s impact minutes.

He’s a rangy wing who can shoot the lights out of TD Garden, has a motor like many Celtics-ish wings (which definitely pleases head coach Joe Mazulla, for the record) and consistently finds a method of defensive impact that aides Boston’s “three-and-D” style of basketball.

Again, the Celtics have a lot on their plate in this year’s offseason. General manager Brad Stevens will be forced to make decisions on the future of their core, but if Boston decides to run it back with few, trivial changes, don’t be aghast if Gonzalez steamrolls his way into some starting lineups.

Denver Nuggets — Nobody

The harsh reality of the Nuggets’ lack of to-be-determined young talent: there’s not a ton of on-the-books potential in Denver’s locker room at the moment.

As eagle-eyed as you can look into the ball skills that upcoming third-year center Da’Ron Holmes possesses on the interior, a rehab year following a torn right Achillies and just 25 games played in 2025–26 doesn’t strike the same amount of confidence as the other players on this list.

Besides Holmes, the only contracted players with young intrigue for Denver include Julian Strawther, Jalen Pickett and Zeke Nnaji, two of whom hold player options that will likely be declined if the Nuggets decide on improving their championship window through signing established veterans.

I’ll give the Nuggets credit: they’ve spent draft capital during recent offseasons in an attempt to bolster their bench units and, although it’s turned out lackluster, the outreach of playing with superstar Nikola Jokic has developed the off-ball creation ability of many of their role players, including earning Christian Braun an expensive, long-term contract that pigeon-holes their current spending.

With the potential departure of Peyton Watson looming, the decision is up to Ben Tenzer and company on the direction they’ll take the Mile High City.

Cleveland Cavaliers — Tyrese Proctor

2025–26 stats: 5.4 PPG, 1.3 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.5 SPG, 41.3 FG%, 35 3P% (50 GP)

The Cleveland Cavaliers will be heading into the 2026 offseason with more arduous decisions to make than they’ve ever been tasked to do before, and all without a general manager, as former GM Mike Gansey left to head Philadelphia’s basketball operations on Friday.

Although many would consider the Cavaliers’ Eastern Conference Finals run a success in a vacuum, getting uncompetitively swept in convincing fashion hasn’t necessarily struck confidence into the hearts of Cleveland, and there’s expected to be big-time potential changes around a core that’s stuck together since 2022.

Among guaranteed contracts on Cleveland’s roster that aren’t considered full-time starters, Dennis Schroder and Sam Merrill stand out as key pieces to building a bench, but I’m more interested in last year’s 49th overall pick, Tyrese Proctor, who I view as a long-term option for the Cavaliers’ rebuilding of a second unit.

At Duke, Proctor showed a willingness to improve as a scorer, shooting 40% from behind the arc in his junior season as a Blue Devil, and became a vital asset to a Final Four powerhouse that excelled in their guard defense.

As a translation to the league, the limited Proctor minutes, mostly with the third-team in insignificant garbage time, has seen his shooting mesh with the off-ball movement the Cavaliers desperately lack. Although his minutes waned down the stretch of the season (likely due to the acquisition of James Harden in February), it was beneficial for Cleveland to see what they had in Proctor.

In the case of making long-ranging moves, I’m all for swapping starters in a dog-eat-dog Eastern Conference. But not giving Proctor a seat closer to the front of the train would be an oversight in maximizing their offensive output for cheap.

Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle

Houston Rockets — Fred VanVleet

2025–26 stats: N/A (Out for Season — Torn Right ACL)

In an attempt to not shift this article to a “Sophomore Studs” type of analysis piece, I want to highlight the playmaking and creation ability of a seasoned veteran: the likes of which a former All-Star who would’ve been a key addition to a struggling Rockets squad in the postseason.

Fred VanVleet, after two seasons in Space City, has had limited opportunity to succeed as a top scoring option alongside Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun, who had become primary initiators in a half-court offense that was incapable of postseason prosperity. However, after VanVleet was ruled out for the entire 2025–26 season due to an offseason torn ACL, having a pure point guard on the roster severely hindered the Rockets’ backcourt offensive scheme.

Houston was forced to pivot (basketball pun) towards starting Reed Sheppard, Amen Thompson and Aaron Holiday at point guard, none of whom had the ballhandling ability of VanVleet during their disappointing season. In fact, a majority of Ime Udoka’s offense was filtered through Kevin Durant who, famously, is more successful as an off-ball option than creating at the top of the key through double team pressure.

It’s a testament to the value of VanVleet, who will pick up his $25 million player option in due time. With the Rockets looking to maximize their competitive window under Durant and company, the now-healthy Wichita State alumni and some shifting around the edges might propel Houston towards a third-straight top-5 seed after a half-decade of tanking.

Toronto Raptors — A.J. Lawson

2025–26 stats: 4.2 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 0.3 APG, 0.5 SPG, 43 FG%, 42.2 3P% (24 GP)

A pair of introductory seasons in Dallas (and one lowly rookie game with the Timberwolves) through his NBA career, and A.J. Lawson has finally found a home up north.

Lawson provides size along the blocks that Toronto adores so much, especially around the 6-foot-6 range, and developed his three-point jumper into being a catch-and-shoot asset for the ball handlers throughout the postseason.

In fact, Lawson played upwards of 16 minutes in their first-round matchup against Cleveland, including knocking down two of three shots behind the arc in the Raptors’ thrilling Game 6 victory, forcing a seventh game against the Cavaliers.

Now, to address the wrinkle in this situation: Lawson does not possess a guaranteed contract with the Raptors as of today. However, I do expect the Raptors’ showrunners to prioritize re-signing Lawson to a long-term deal with fluidity rather than push forward with players who have fallen out of the standing rotation, such as Gradey Dick, Jonathan Mogbo and Trayce Jackson-Davis, the latter two with a team option that general manager Bobby Webster should turn down.

In a cap situation that swirls around the visible oversight of paying a few of their long-term pieces a few more million dollars than they likely deserve, combined with an impressive, come-from-behind season centered around elite defense and lackluster shooting, where’s the downside in Lawson?

Mark J. Terrill/AP

Los Angeles Lakers — Bronny James

2025–26 stats: 2.9 PPG, 0.5 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.5 SPG, 41 FG%, 38.6 3P% (42 GP)

I’m all in on Bronny James. This opinion is likely not shared with many, even those with more insight in the Lakers’ locker room, but damnit, he’s shown the flashes to be a backup guard for the 17-time champs.

After leaving for the NBA a year earlier than expected, it was all but forgone that his father’s squad in Los Angeles would pick him up. After he was selected 55th overall and spent 27 games playing alongside LeBron James in his rookie season, there were unkept improvements that needed to be enforced in order for Bronny to introduce a difficult decision for Rob Pelinka on his fourth-year option.

And the improvements were addressed! James tightened up his three-point jumper, added fluidity to his off-ball playmaking and became more of an asset in the paint as a drive-and-kick threat. In James’ early appearances in which he played over 10 minutes, he was hitting his threes with ease, getting downhill and dishing it to the wings (career-high six assists vs. Portland) and finding his way into space for midrange jumpers.

It becomes easy to nudge James’ talent aside because of his unorthodox path to the league, but through the guidance of one of the NBA’s most tone-setting, historic franchises in history, you can truly spot the vision.

Additionally, taking a look at the Lakers’ cap table, why not hold onto James anyways? Marcus Smart’s $5 million player option could be declined, and the only other point guard on the roster not named Luka Doncic is Nick Smith Jr., who Los Angeles hasn’t even deemed essential enough to gift a guaranteed contract to. James, on the other hand, is worth just over $2 million for two seasons, a blip on the payroll sheet even if Pelinka decides to pursue a more veteran-esque ball handler in the offseason.

A whirlwind of an analysis, I know, but the potency in which James can improve for a playoff-competing team is visible enough to invest in, for sure.

Minnesota Timberwolves — Terrence Shannon Jr.

2025–26 stats: 5.6 PPG, 1.1 RPG, 1 APG, 45 FG%, 40.8 3P% (43 GP)

I know, it’s a lazy final pick, but Minnesota’s young core has a tendency to enter the Timberwolves’ rotations through missed time from their starters more often than expected. Shannon Jr. relished in this opportunity and took advantage, especially in this past postseason.

After full-time starter Donte Divincenzo tragically tore his Achillies in the middle of Minnesota’s first round series against the Nuggets, Shannon Jr. and his elite downhill scoring ability inserted himself into the fold, scoring an efficient 15 points in just 13 minutes in their Game 5 loss in Denver, but reinvigorating the Timberwolves’ offense with 24 points, six rebounds and two steals without a single turnover to take the Nuggets out of the postseason in Game 6.

While Shannon Jr. didn’t have a similar series against San Antonio from an efficiency standpoint, it became evidently clear that Minnesota’s inability to get over the hump of the Western Conference was not an issue with bench scoring depth, as both he and deadline acquisition Ayo Dosunmu were key in keeping the Timberwolves afloat during a rickety second-round series.

Tim Connelly, president of basketball operations, will have to continue to build for two timelines in the Land of 10,000 Lakes: the competitive side with superstar Anthony Edwards, and the pursuit of a young core, with Shannon Jr.’s offensive output headlining the search.

Shannon Jr.’s two-year team option has, essentially, already been accepted, and while he could be an asset in a grander trade, his rim finishing ability has put the league on notice, and it wouldn’t be a significant surprise to see Minnesota prioritize his development off the bench.

Jason Getz/AJC

Atlanta Hawks — Asa Newell

2025–26 stats: 5.2 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 0.3 BPG, 53.8 FG%, 38.7 3P% (44 GP, 2 GS)

Make no mistake: while the Hawks will likely look towards a pick-and-roll partner for newly acquainted starting center Onyeka Okongwu during the offseason, the pairing with last year’s 23rd overall selection, Asa Newell, will emit just as important a glow in their playing time together.

After spending the first part of his rookie season developing into a regular bench player for head coach Quin Snyder, including a December stint in which he averaged 15 minutes per contest he appeared in, Newell took a backseat as the season came to a close and, in turn, Atlanta began to rattle off win after win during a triumphant second half of the season.

The reality was this: as badly as the Hawks would like to give minutes to their developmental draft picks from previous seasons, it became imperative to push towards the postseason with their most competitive players. This even shoved former number one pick Zaccharie Risacher to the back end of the bench, as it did Newell.

Now, with a postseason visit under their belt, it’s time for the Hawks to move in the direction of combining both rebuilding and competing in their roster capabilities. This will certainly involve Newell, whose presence as an interior scorer gave way for the veteran guards to develop their outside scoring.

Simply discussing Newell as a player, his prospect profile at Georgia was informative, but lacked physicality on the defensive side of the ball, and kicked his projection as a full-time five to the curb, trading it in for a stretch-four type of situation. After a near-40% shooting rookie season for Newell, combined with Okongwu’s newly-minted deep ball, they could seamlessly fuse into a fantastic one-two punch in the frontcourt, which will be aided with last year’s backup center Jock Landale hitting unrestricted free agency, too.

Paul Czarnecki is the former Editor-In-Chief and Sports Editor of UCCS’ student newspaper, the Scribe. Czarnecki’s coverage credits include in-stadium coverage of Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas, in addition to 50+ articles providing in-depth analysis of the 2024 and 2025 NFL Drafts and more than 20 articles discussing draft prospects in the 2024 NBA Draft.