Where do Celtics rank among contenders entering 2020 offseason?

With the Lakers putting the finishing touches on their 17th title win (tying the Celtics for the most franchise titles) on Sunday night against the Heat, the longest season in NBA history has come to an end. Whether or not the bubble returns in some form for the 2021 season remains to be seen but there are plenty of big questions for contenders around the league in the wake of an unprecedented season. To prepare for what lies ahead in a crucial offseason for the Celtics, let's take a closer look at where they stack up against projected contenders (according to BETUS title odds) as the offseason begins and the biggest questions each of those contenders will face this offseason as the fight towards the top begins again.

LA Lakers (3.5-to-1): How long will Anthony Davis re-sign for? Who returns with him?

For a title winner, the Lakers have about as clean of a cap sheet as you could hope for the front office to run it back with this roster in 2021. Anthony Davis is obviously the best free agent hitting the market this summer and his decision on the structure of his next contract will be fascinating. After one more season, he will be eligible for a 35 percent max contract, so he could simply opt for a one-year deal with a player option if he wants to maximize his earnings. The Lakers will have the ability right now to offer him the longest deal (five years) compared to any suitors and there are no contenders out there that look like big competitors to land him. With such few teams with cap room this summer and an NBA title to defend, the Lakers won’t really have to sweat his exit barring a huge surprise, but may only be able to count on a short-term extension.

“For the first part, I had a great time in L.A. this first year,” Davis said Sunday night. “This has been nothing but joy, nothing but amazement. Over the next couple of months, we'll figure (free agency) out. I mean, I'm not 100 percent sure, but that's why my agent is who he is and we'll discuss it and figure it out.”

Elsewhere, the only other prominent free agents are Rajon Rondo and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope who bought have player options. The Lakers have Bird Rights on both players (early Bird Rights on Rondo) so they will be able to hand out competitive offers while going well over the cap to retain both. Secondary pieces like Dwight Howard and Markieff Morris will be free agents as well looking to cash in.

Incredibly, every player on the roster outside of LeBron James (player option) that is already signed will be on an expiring contract next season. That should allow for plenty of flexibility for how the Lakers want to build going forward with a mid-level exception to add another solid role player or two. They are headed to luxury tax territory but the only drop-off we should see talent-wise is if some of their older players (James, Green, McGee, Rondo are all in their mid-30s) begin to decline.

LA Clippers (4-to-1): Which players get sent packing with Doc Rivers?

The Lakers’ crosstown rivals still are without a coach but are close to co-title favorites at the moment following the firing of Doc Rivers. However, unless owner Steve Ballmer elects to break the bank, the Clippers have some tough free-agent choices to make this fall with their secondary pieces. Marcus Morris and Montrezl Harrell are both set to become unrestricted free agents and each will be looking for long paydays, especially after Morris just settled for a one-year deal last offseason. Key reserve forward JaMychal Green (player option) is also likely to opt-out as well for a deserved raise. The Clippers will need to hand out somewhere in the $35-40 million range to retain all three, which would set the team shooting into luxury-tax territory.

Paul George and Kawhi Leonard are also set to enter contract years in 2020-21, so the pressure will be sky-high for the front office to make the right hire at head coach and retain the necessary pieces on a team that lacked chemistry in the postseason. Will moving on from Rivers be the right call? Or is the player mix around George and Leonard the bigger problem? The Clippers brass must figure that out in a hurry or otherwise, they will have given up a half-decade worth of draft picks for a couple of guys who could walk out the door in 2021.

Milwaukee Bucks (7.5-to-1): Does Giannis pass on supermax?

The whispers had quieted down in recent weeks about the reigning MVP during the NBA Finals but they will be picking up steam shortly as the Bucks prepare a super-max offer for the MVP on the first day of free agency. Given how the last two postseasons have gone for Milwaukee, it would not be a shock if Antetokounmpo keeps his options open and refuses to commit heading into his contract year in Milwaukee. That decision would put the Bucks front office in a very tricky spot about weighing whether to secure a huge haul for their star via trade now or taking one last run at the title with him on his current deal in hopes he re-signs in the 2021 offseason.

The problem for Milwaukee is that there isn’t a lot of flexibility to improve this current roster. They will have no cap room beyond the mid-level exception ($9.7 million) and there are no enticing trade chips on the roster that would lead to upgrades via trade. Signing Eric Bledsoe over Malcolm Brogdon last season to a long-term deal was a huge mistake given Bledsoe’s postseason struggles and the left of this core around Antetokounmpo are all 30 and over, limiting their value in any hypothetical trade.

Is a mid-level, free-agent signing and the No. 24 overall pick enough to put this team over the top? It’s hard to see them improving that much after disappointing in the Orlando bubble. They won’t have any trouble retaining role player free agents (Kyle Korver, Pat Connaughton) if they want but bringing those guys back won’t solve their biggest issue: A team that is a regular-season juggernaut but has struggled to match up against smaller, quicker teams in the postseason (like Miami). Unless Antetokounmpo raises his game once again in the playoffs, it’s possible we’ve already seen the best out of this team with this core.

Golden State Warriors (9-to-1): What will they do with a $17 million trade exception and No. 2 overall pick?

This could easily be the most expensive payroll in the NBA next season with nearly $130 million tied up in four players (Curry, Thompson, Green, Wiggins). That group alone is probably not enough to put them back at elite contender status (especially if Thompson isn’t the same player after his torn ACL). However, the Warriors have the ability to add another important piece to this group if ownership is willing to pax a sky-high tax bill. The team has a $17 million trade exception leftover from their trade of Andre Iguodala last offseason so they could take on a good-sized contract without sending out any money in return if they are willing to deal their best trade chip (No. 2 overall pick) as part of the deal. On the flip side, the team could simply try to use the No. 2 overall pick to try to shed some big salary (Wiggins) which would create more flexibility for the franchise in the closing years of Curry’s prime. Which direction they go in on that front should signal whether they are moving up or down on this contender list in the interim,

Boston Celtics (11-to-1): Celtics 2020 offseason primer: How can Celtics improve as a contender?

Brooklyn Nets (11-to-1): Who gets picked to be the supporting cast around Durant and Kyrie?

A new head coach in Steve Nash will be at the helm, but like the Warriors, there is not a lot of payroll flexibility here for Brooklyn on the free-agent market. They already have $135 million committed in salaries for next season and that’s before factoring in what will be a big deal for sharpshooting guard Joe Harris. There is a long list of players with big contracts that will have diminished roles with Durant and Irving getting healthy (Spencer Dinwiddie, Taurean Prince, Caris LeVert) so the biggest part of their offseason will come on the trade front in all likelihood. Can they leverage these players in better complementary pieces around their stars? Or will Nash be given the task to integrate all of these parts after they struggled to mesh together without Durant healthy next year?

Miami Heat (19-to-1): Do they run it back or plan for a max free agent in 2021?

This feels a bit low/disrespectful for a Heat team that is fully capable of running it back with their core next season. Perhaps it will be tough to replicate the magic of the bubble but their only notable free agents are Jae Crowder and Goran Dragic, and the price should be right to bring back on a short-term deal. If not, Miami is well-positioned to use some cap room ($20-25 million) to land a couple of mid-tier players or simply keep short-term deals on the book to ensure they have max cap room for 2021 free agency where a number of key stars are expected to hit the open market (a list that could include Giannis). There is a compelling case for Miami to go all-in for next season as well with Duncan Robinson, Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo all on super cheap rookie deals, giving the team plenty of flexibility to add elsewhere. Either way, I’d expect this group to be on even footing next year with the likes of Boston, Milwaukee and Brooklyn in what should be the most competitive Eastern Conference race in nearly a decade.