NBA Team Needs: Central Division
ATLANTIC I SOUTHEAST I PACIFIC I NORTHWEST I SOUTHWEST
The NBA's Central Division has once again become LeBron James' domain over the past two years, but the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons have reemerged as playoff teams, the Milwaukee Bucks boast one of the league's most intriguing young cores, while the Chicago Bulls are entering a summer of uncertainty.
Here are the areas of concern the Central's five teams should be looking to address over the next month or so between the draft, free agency, and trades:
Related: Atlantic Division team needs
Cleveland Cavaliers
Biggest need: An antidote for the Warriors
Cleveland's summer will largely be shaped by how the next week or so plays out.
Should the Cavs stage an epic rally to claim the city's first championship in five decades, general manager David Griffin will likely make small tweaks to fuel a repeat. If the Warriors continue to throttle the Cavs en route to a repeat of their own, however, Griffin and Co. will need to think long and hard about why one of the most expensive teams in NBA history isn't even in the same stratosphere as Golden State.
Whether it's a blockbuster move involving one of Kevin Love or Kyrie Irving, the Cavs need to add length and defensive prowess to slow down the Warriors, with the ideal candidate being a modernized big man who can space the floor and defend multiple positions.
Indiana Pacers
Biggest need: Power forward/center
The closest thing to a starting-caliber big man on Indiana's roster right now is 20-year-old rookie Myles Turner. Sure, the Pacers can once again experiment with playing small, perhaps even trotting out a lineup with Turner and Paul George at the five and four, but they need to add at least another capable big to supplement their guard-heavy rotation.
Detroit Pistons
Biggest need: Shooting, backup point guard
Only two Pistons who played at least 1,000 minutes last season and are under contract for next season shot better than 33 percent from deep - Reggie Jackson and Marcus Morris.
Detroit would be wise to see what it can get from a full season of Jackson, Morris, Andre Drummond, Tobias Harris, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope playing together, and it might have something in swingmen Stanley Johnson and Reggie Bullock, but the Pistons need a capable backup to spell Jackson at the point.
Chicago Bulls
Biggest need: Youth movement
Outside of Jimmy Butler, there's nobody on the roster you can confidently say will be part of the Bulls' future. If they carve out enough cap space to add a max-level talent and give it another go with the Butler-Rose duo, they'd likely look to add a big man and some shooting.
But barring that free-agent acquisition, Chicago's best course of action might be to sell off what remaining assets it has left in an effort to usher in a rebuild.
Milwaukee Bucks
Biggest need: Shooting, ball-handling
The Bucks have youth, length, tremendous defensive upside, and a potential All-Star in the making in Giannis Antetokounmpo, and they'll add another top-10 pick to the mix later this month. Their offense is seriously devoid of spacing, though, and internal improvements alone won't be enough for a team whose only proven 3-point shooter is Khris Middleton.
It's also tough to compete in an improved East when your only competent ball-handlers are Antetokounmpo, Michael Carter-Williams, and Tyler Ennis.