NBA Teams Face Roster Gaps as Salary Rules Reshape Plans
Teams have entered the preseason with holes to address, even after major offseason moves. ESPN’s review points to financial rules, roster changes and health…
NBA contenders are starting the preseason with gaps that could reshape their plans, as salary-cap rules and costly roster decisions leave even top teams short of something. ESPN senior NBA writer Ben Golliver examined the biggest hole for each of the league’s 30 teams after the offseason.
The changes reach from Boston’s trade of Jaylen Brown to the New York Knicks’ loss of backup center Mitchell Robinson. The stakes are immediate: teams must find answers before those weaknesses show up on the court.
NBA roster gaps after a summer of change
Golliver framed the problem around the league’s “second apron era,” in which deep rosters can shrink and team identities can change quickly. He wrote that salary-cap rules are preventing teams from aggregating talent, leaving every team with something missing as the preseason gets underway.
The offseason brought upheaval among recent champions. The 2026 champion Knicks lost Robinson, the 2025 champion Oklahoma City Thunder shed three rotation players in cost-cutting trades, and the 2024 champion Boston Celtics traded Finals MVP Brown.
Other teams made different bets. The Minnesota Timberwolves gave up frontcourt depth to build a backcourt duo, while LeBron James left the Los Angeles Lakers after eight seasons, according to Golliver’s review.
Those moves are more than names on a transaction list. For fans, they raise practical questions about who will take on missing minutes and production; for teams, the answer could determine whether a roster’s new shape holds up through the season.
Boston must replace Brown’s pressure
Boston’s trade of Brown for Paul George may make sense financially over the long term, Golliver wrote, but it creates immediate basketball challenges. George played less than half as many minutes as Brown last season, and his 111 free-throw attempts in 2025-26 were far below Brown’s 536.
The difference matters because Brown’s ability to attack inside the arc and draw contact helped address an area where Boston struggled. The Celtics ranked last in free-throw attempts last season, even though Brown ranked fifth in the NBA.
George brings perimeter shooting and experience playing alongside high-usage stars, qualities Golliver said could fit beside Jayson Tatum in coach Joe Mazzulla’s 3-point-heavy system. Tatum is the clearest candidate to take on more of Brown’s role, but he is still working back toward full form after a 2025 Achilles injury.
There is little help expected from the center position on free throws: Mitchell Robinson, Boston’s biggest offseason addition, shot 40.8% from the stripe last season, according to ESPN.
Atlanta’s question is Jalen Johnson
The Atlanta Hawks have built a balanced rotation, adding championship experience through offseason trades for Luguentz Dort and Aaron Wiggins from Oklahoma City. Golliver identified Jalen Johnson’s development as the central question: can the forward move from All-Star to superstar and become an offensive fulcrum for a deep playoff run?
Johnson’s regular-season numbers fell sharply during a first-round series loss to the Knicks, the ESPN writer noted. He is 24 years old and entering the second year of a team-friendly extension worth $150 million over five seasons.
Atlanta has room to be patient, Golliver wrote, citing the team’s salary-cap flexibility and draft assets as tools it could use to pursue a major addition later. For now, Johnson’s growth is the issue the Hawks will be watching most closely as the preseason begins.
Source: espn.com
