The NBA summer is approaching its wasteland period. Yes, Damian Lillard and James Harden could theoretically be traded at any moment. Otherwise, though, rosters are largely set after the frenzy of free agency. And plenty of teams have made big swings to their rosters in the hopes of joining the ranks of contenders. With that in mind, let’s run down five lineups that will be fascinating to watch this season.
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Warriors: Chris Paul, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green
Let’s not beat around the bush, the Warriors trading Jordan Poole for Paul was the offseason move most likely to make you involuntarily yell an expletive at your phone. Though Paul said recently conversations about his place in the rotation won’t happen until training camp, I would expect him to spend the majority of his time coming off the bench in Golden State. Having said that, he should get plenty of run with Steph, Klay, Dray and Wiggs. This is essentially a 3.0 version of the Death Lineup the Dubs made famous back in 2015.
Last season, the Poole-Steph-Klay-Wiggins-Green lineup played 155 minutes together and posted a minus-2.0 net rating. That’s a relatively small sample size, but the group never really seemed to jell after bursting onto the scene in the 2022 playoffs. In the team’s most recent postseason run, Kerr didn’t give the group major time, playing them only 20 minutes across eight games.
With the nature of the one-for-one swap, we should know pretty definitively whether Paul works in place of Poole. While CP3 will almost certainly have the opportunity to make his imprint on the second unit, I don’t think you trade for someone of his stature and not expect him to close out some playoff games.
Lakers: Gabe Vincent, Austin Reaves, Taurean Prince, LeBron James, Anthony Davis
The Lakers were lauded by many (including me) for their offseason work. What remains to be seen is how all the pieces come together. Los Angeles’s best three players are LeBron, AD and Austin Reaves. The trick will be finding the right combination around them. The version of Vincent who played for the Heat during their run to the NBA Finals seems like a given. He was a two-way guard who could defend bigger players on the wing while operating aggressively in pick-and-rolls. He can also work as a spacer off James and Davis.
The fifth spot is where the intrigue lies. Is Rui Hachimura the guy he was for the Lakers in the playoffs or the regular season? The battle to close could come down to him and Prince. The latter has bounced around the league despite seeming to be a logical 3-and-D complement on most contenders. Playing off James and Davis should be a great opportunity for Prince, and it is his best chance yet to make a significant impact on a big stage.
Grizzlies: Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Marcus Smart, Jaren Jackson Jr., Steven Adams
Another one-for-one swap type lineup, with Smart taking the place of the departed Dillon Brooks. The Ja-Bane-Brooks-JJJ-Adams group played only 128 minutes together in 2023, posting a robust 13.0 net rating. In ’22, that fivesome put up an overwhelming 24.9 net in an even smaller sample of 109 minutes.
We know this group will be good. Could Smart take them to another level and create one of the best lineups in the league? Even if the new group doesn’t set the world on fire in the regular season, Smart’s veteran savvy should pay dividends in the playoffs, as his game is more consistent than Brooks’s game. We will have to wait a while to see this group, though, because of Morant’s 25-game suspension to start the season. It could take some time before the new lineup can be properly judged.
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Celtics: Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, Kristaps Porziņģis
Is Boston better or worse than last season? How this group performs will ultimately provide the answer. Porziņģis brings more rim protection than Grant Williams and more shooting than Rob Williams III. At the same time, his defensive limitations rid the Celtics of some of the defensive flexibility that’s been key to their recent success. White, Tatum, Brown and Horford thrived together last season, whether the fifth player was Smart, Grant or Rob. That could mean Porziņģis supercharges them … or the team looks silly for letting two of those guys go.
Mavericks: Kyrie Irving, Luka Dončić, Dante Exum, Grant Williams, Maxi Kleber
Let’s get weird! Can Exum shoot now? Are these the three best defenders Dallas can play next to Kyrie and Luka? And would that even be enough to be an above-average defensive team? I loved the Williams signing for the Mavs, even if I still don’t know how the pieces will ultimately fit around Kyrie and Luka. Kleber is one of the more steady three-point shooting bigs in the league, and he can hold up defensively. Exum is a total curiosity as he has played only six NBA games since 2020. If he really has transformed into a knockdown shooter, the ceiling for this five-man unit could be higher than any Dallas has had in the last couple of years.
