Who Is Winning The 2021 Title?
Today I will be choosing which team has the best chance to win the NBA title.
With the 2020 NBA Playoffs starting soon, a new NBA Champion is about to be crowned. We all have our usual suspects, the Lakers, Clippers, and Bucks. Some people have dark horse teams like the Celtics or Raptors. But we all know who will be winning this championship.
But what will happen next season? Next season already has a tentative start date of December, and is going to be 82 games most likely. The 2020-21 might be one of the toughest seasons to play in saying how little time they have to play games. But who will win the title next season? Today I will be finding each team’s chances to win the 2020-21 title.
Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks have been one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference for the past two seasons. But, can they win it all in the 2020-21 season?
I think that the Bucks can only go as far as Giannis will take them. When Giannis was quiet against the Raptors during the Eastern Conference Finals, the Bucks crumbled. So if Giannis becomes human, the Bucks fail.
I think that with Giannis being a free agent during the summer of 2021, the Bucks might have to make some roster changes to become championship contenders. I don’t believe the Bucks will win the title this season, and unless something drastic happens during 2020 free agency, the Bucks will likely be the same team.
Final Verdict: The Bucks will only be effective if Giannis is. If not, then they can’t win a series. I don’t think the Bucks will win it all in the bubble. So with Giannis being a free agent and the 2020-21 season being a big year for the Bucks, the front office for Milwaukee will try and change up the roster. So I think the only way the Bucks can win the title during the 2020-21 season is if they change up their roster, and build a roster that can score without depending Giannis.
LA Lakers
The LA Lakers were the best team in the Western Conference this season and have championship aspirations this season. With Lebron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers have the firepower to win win it all this season (they won’t).
With the 2020-21 season on the horizon, can the Lakers win it all? Anthony Davis is a free agent this summer, and he is going to be staying with the Lakers. I think that the Lakers have two options going into the next season:
A). Turn over the roster and bring in veterans who can provide leadership and 3-PT shooting along with defense.
B). Trade for a 3rd Star (Bradley Beal/Damian Lillard)
Option A is pretty straightforward as this is what the Lakers usually do as they have signed guys like JR Smith, Javale McGee and Danny Green in the past two seasons. The problem for the Lakers is that those veterans are the 3rd option. Other than Lebron and AD, the 3rd option of the Lakers is up for grabs. Kyle Kuzma has been streaky this season, and I don’t think he can be a solid 3rd option.
Option B is risky, but it could push the Lakers on top. Similar to the Anthony Davis trade, trading for a Bradley Beal or a Damian Lillard would deplete the roster. The Lakers lost so much for AD, and I don’t think it would be wise to give up so much. The Lakers would be losing all of their picks and roster, and would not have much cap space to sign anybody else. But if they were to manage a trade for Bradley Beal or Damian Lillard, then they would be the best team in the league.
Final Verdict: Similar to the Bucks, I don’t believe that they will win the title this season with the roster that they currently have. They have a few options during the off-season, but it all-depends on how they approach it. If they go conservative and sign a couple of guys, then they might have marginally made the team better. If the Lakers are going to get a 3rd star, then they will be the favorites for next year’s title. It all depends on how they play their cards.
LA Clippers
The LA Clippers are the other contender in the West. The Clippers have had a more tumultuous season so far, but they are one of the favorites to win in the bubble. I have them winning it all this season.
Going into the 2020-21 season, the Clippers will need to retain some guys. Marcus Morris and Montrezl Harrell are unrestricted free agents this summer, and they will be sought out for on the market. Both of these guys are key to the Clippers success, and they will need them to win a title next season. Reggie Jackson is also an unrestricted free agent, and the Clippers should look to bring him back as well.
Final Verdict: So I think that the Clippers have the best roster in the NBA with their shooting, defense, and length. But, they have some key free agents that they will need to keep if they want to be contenders. Without Morris, Harrell, and Jackson, the Clippers will still be a good team with Kawhi and PG-13, but they need some depth to contend with the other great teams in the Western Conference.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics were one of the best teams in the East with their balanced scoring from All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker. They also have had 20+ ppg seasons from Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward. The Celtics have a great roster and many believe them to be the dark horses in the bubble.
Like the Clippers, the Celtics have a tough free agency ahead. Gordon Hayward had a player option of about $31 million dollars. While Hayward has been solid, I think that the Celtics might want to get rid of that to get some big guy depth, which they need. Hayward has been great this season, it’s just that you need money down the line for Brown and Tatum and I don’t know if you want to pay Hayward all this money.
Enes Kanter also has a player option, and I think the Celtics should keep him saying it’s just under $5 million dollars. The Celtics have lacked a big guy down low, and Kanter is somebody who can score and rebound. While Kanter is not the best defensive big guy, he sure can help.
Final Verdict: Like the Clippers, the Celtics have some decisions to make during the off-season. Some key pieces like Gordon Hayward and Enes Kanter have player options, and it will be interesting to see how the Celtics play their cards.
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors were not being thought about going into the season. While they were the defending champs, they lost Kawhi Leonard. This season they have played great and will likely make a deep playoff run.
During the 2020 off-season, Marc Gasol is a unrestricted free agent making $22 million dollars a year. I don’t think the Raptors should pursue Gasol saying he is 35 years old and has been injured a lot this season. Serge Ibaka is also a unrestricted free agent. I think the Raptors should keep Ibaka on a 2-3 year deal. Ibaka is 31 and still has some productive years left in him. Ibaka brings veteran experience and defense.
Fred VanVleet is an unrestricted free agent and he will be a hot topic. The young point guard burst onto the scene and shone during the 2019 NBA Finals. VanVleet will be getting lots of top dollar offers, and the Raptors will be doing anything to keep him saying that VanVleet is 26 years old and veteran point guard Kyle Lowry is 34 years old.
Final Verdict: I think that a lot of the Raptors contending hopes going into the 2020-21 season is with free agency. Guys like Serge Ibaka and Fred VanVleet are important guys that they should keep for any future deep playoff runs, but if they are unable to retain them then their contending days might be over.
So, my tentative pick for the 2020-21 title is… The LA Clippers. Keep in mind I will change this after free agency (most likely), so go easy on me.
What do you think? Who are you picking to win the 2020-21 title? Leave all of your comments down below.
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