Teams That Could Be Left in Shambles After NBA Free Agency

NBA free agency exists at the intersection of hope and terror.

On the optimistic end, it can be the point of origin for historically powerful superteams and a time when roundball fantasies become reality. But from a pessimist's view, it's the greatest threat to roster construction and the continuity that's often a prerequisite for success.

We're pulling up a chair alongside the glass-half-empty crowd and examining five teams with everything to fear in 2017 free agency.

All five were playoff participants, meaning they all employ free agents who won't struggle to attract suitors. All five were also eliminated in the second round or earlier, meaning they have enough holes that a few key deflections could necessitate a full-blown rebuild.

While other front offices prepare to attack this free-agent crop, these executive staffs should bear down and defend against the external recruiting efforts that could decimate their rosters.

The 60-win Atlanta Hawks of 2014-15 have almost been erased from the NBA's memory bank. Four of the five starters are already gone. So too are the uniforms that preceded the current heavily highlighted threads.

Four-time All-Star Paul Millsap, the lone starter still around, could break both the bank and the link to that almost-contending team. The 32-year-old, who operates as the hoops version of a five-tool player, has declined his $21.4 million player option for next season, league sources told The Vertical's Shams Charania. That's as far as certainties go with regard to his future.

"I want to be here," Millsap said, per Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I think talks have been pretty good, so we'll see what happens. ... The decisions I make with my career is not just about me. It doesn't affect just me. I'll talk to my family and see what happens."

With the franchise's foundation demolished around Millsap, he functions as the backbone. He led this season's outfit in points (18.1 per game) and minutes (34.0), while sitting second in rebounds (7.7), assists (3.7), steals (1.3) and blocks (0.9).

But he can't be the best player on a great team, meaning Atlanta is highly unlikely to hold that distinction before the 32-year-old starts to decline. Other suitors can better sell that vision with more present talent or more up-and-coming prospects (or both).

And if Millsap walks, the Hawks can finally finish their years-long tear-down. Restricted free agent Tim Hardaway Jr. is young enough to pay, but 30-somethings Ersan Ilyasova, Kris Humphries and Thabo Sefolosha could all follow Millsap out. This could also send Atlanta to the trade market, as their $70 million investments in both Dwight Howard and Kent Bazemore last summer provided middling returns in 2016-17. 

For exactly two games, the Chicago Bulls looked like a tough, savvy, pesky playoff participant capable of playing above its seed. They drew first and second blood on the road against the top-ranked Boston Celtics, perhaps putting the league on notice after a regular season riddled with dysfunction and disappointment.

Then Rajon Rondo broke his thumb, and reality returned. Consistent inconsistency was replaced by consistent ineptitude, as the Bulls were buried beneath four straight losses by a combined 59 points.

The playoff collapse might be remembered as a necessary gut punch if it serves to disassemble Chicago's cracked core. With Jimmy Butler forever bouncing around the trade block, Dwyane Wade holding a $23.8 million player option and Rondo having only a partial guarantee on next season's salary, this summer could take a wrecking ball to the Bulls.

"Exactly five years after Derrick Rose suffered his first knee injury against the 76ers, the Bulls entered the offseason facing another crossroads," David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune wrote. "The futures of Butler, Rondo and Dwyane Wade must be addressed. The status of [coach Fred] Hoiberg should be discussed. Everything must be considered, nothing is off-limits."

The Bulls can't control what happens with Wade; they can only hope he provides an assist to his hometown. (Perhaps a draft-night deal involving Butler might nudge Wade toward the exit.) They can cut ties with Rondo to find any backcourt shooting and replenish their asset collection in a Butler exchange.

Assuming they extend qualifying offers, they can let the market set the rates for restricted free agents Nikola Mirotic, Michael Carter-Williams, Joffrey Lauvergne and Cristiano Felicio. Those four aren't too old to force out, but they're also not talented enough to overpay. The decision as to whether to overhaul the bench should come down to dollars.

The Lob City iteration of the Los Angeles Clippers never soared as high as that moniker or their star-laden roster suggested they should. Bad breaks were the most common culprit for six consecutive postseason exits in the first and second rounds, but bad basketball shouldered some of the blame, too.

Maybe the Clippers are cursed—but the more critical question is whether they're finished or at least permanently changed. Point god Chris Paul, highlight-reel regular Blake Griffin and steely sniper J.J. Redick are all bound for free agency, where their playoff failures and expected earnings threaten to split them apart.

The organization, relevant for arguably the first time in its West Coast existence, unsurprisingly hopes this isn't the breaking point.

"I love those guys, and I want those guys back," Clippers owner Steve Ballmer said, per ESPN's Kevin Arnovitz. "If we're in it and we're playing for a championship, I don't mind [paying] the [luxury] tax."

But this isn't up to the Clippers. Sources told Arnovitz that while they expect Paul to re-sign, they're less certain about Griffin. Redick reportedly targets a salary of at least $18 million, league officials told Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times, which is "probably" more than Clippers want to spend.

The trio finished each of the last three seasons in the top three spots of the squad's scoring ranks. Losing one would fundamentally alter the offense. Losing more than one could prove catastrophic.

On a lesser scale, Marreese Speights declined his player option Tuesday, according to Turner, while Luc Mbah a Moute could do the same between now and June 29. Unrestricted free agency already awaits Raymond Felton, Alan Anderson and Brandon Bass, too.

Accordingly, the Clippers could be almost unrecognizable come training camp.

The Toronto Raptors should plan better vacations. While some of their NBA peers travel to the world's most exotic locations this summer, the dinosaurs booked a stay in the claustrophobic crevice between a rock and a hard place.

Four key contributors are bound for free agency: Kyle Lowry, the resident All-Star leader; Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker, the midseason additions tasked with fixing the defense; and Patrick Patterson, a floor-spacing big who always finds his way to major minutes.

If Ibaka and/or Tucker move on, the Raptors could re-open a fatal flaw. Their defense ranked a forgettable 16th before the All-Star break and then flew up to fourth after the deadline deals. If Patterson goes, Toronto loses a nearly four-year fixture in the rotation.

If Lowry seeks out greener pastures, the Raptors could easily snowball down the standings. They were 7.5 points worse per 100 possessions without him in the regular season, and even though he succumbed to injuries in the playoffs, the on/off gap actually widened (minus-1.9 with, minus-14.5 without).

"We know what we have with him, with him at his best," Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri told reporters. "The last couple months we saw without him, we didn't jell." 

That said, bringing everyone back carries its own risk. It might cost $200 million to keep Lowry, a 31-year-old with a spotty playoff track record. Ibaka could have the price tag of a franchise player without the skill set. Tucker and Patterson seem worth having, but the market may push their rates to unreasonable levels.

There's danger in paying a premium on being good-not-great. There's also something deflating about steering a 50-win roster into the lottery. But change feels imminent, whether it comes in free agency or cost-cutting trades involving Jonas Valanciunas, DeMarre Carroll or Cory Joseph.

The Utah Jazz just completed their most successful season of the 2010s, snapping a four-year playoff drought and employing an All-Star for the first time since 2011. Free agency threatens to unravel much of the progress made.

The aforementioned All-Star, Gordon Hayward, is arguably the most attractive target on the realistic market. The 27-year-old was one of only four players to average at least 21 points, five rebounds, three assists and two three-pointers, all while posting personal bests in player efficiency rating (22.2) and true shooting percentage (59.5). He also counts durability among his strengths, having never missed more than 10 games in a season.

Utah's starting point guard, George Hill, and sixth man Joe Ingles are also coveted commodities. Ranked sixth among all point guards in ESPN.com's real plus-minus, Hill boasts defensive versatility, a potent three ball (40-plus percent the last two seasons) and more than a season's worth of playoff experience. Ingles is a glue-guy extraordinaire, simultaneously shining as a playmaker, floor-spacer and defender.

Hence, the Jazz's offseason strategy boils down to three words: Run it back.

"Our biggest step this summer will be player retention," Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey told reporters. "We want to have player retention and then complement the group."

This season didn't feel like a ceiling, as the Jazz are properly loaded with in-prime contributors and up-and-comers. With external draft assets coming in and none heading out, Utah appears positioned to parlay this year's breakthrough into something greater.

But losing a backbone like Hayward would crumble the infrastructure. Having Hill or Ingles bolt would move this group in the wrong direction. Continuity is key to keeping this organization trending the right way.

Statistics used courtesy of NBA.com and Basketball Reference, unless otherwise noted. Salary information obtained via Basketball Insiders.

Zach Buckley covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @ZachBuckleyNBA.