With this NBA off-season looking like it is coming to an end, it looks like we now what the NBA landscape looks like heading into next year. Out west, it's going to be a battle, as more than likely the reign of the Warriors appears to be over in the West. In the east, the NBA Champion Raptors lost their best player. With this, the East will more than likely see a new contender step up and make the finals. For these contenders, many of them have reached this status through trades or acquisitions this off-season. Teams like the Clippers and Lakers got stars from teams in sticky situations. They were able to pry away these elite talents in order to make their team championship contenders. Despite the league seeing many of its stars switch teams, there are still star-caliber players out there in bad situation who could be a missing piece to a team's championship roster.

Bradley Beal: Washington Wizards

Due to the unfortunate situation of John Wall with his insane contract and injury, the Washington Wizards are left without their star point guard for a great amount of time. And even when he comes back, Wall may not be the same player he once was. With this, the Wizards still have Wall's backcourt partner in Bradley Beal. Beal broke out this past season, making an All-Star appearance and solidifying himself as one of the league's top scorers. With this, Beal has grown significant interest from teams trying to seperate themselves from the pack. Beal isn't the type of player that is a number one option on a championship team, but his scoring ability on and off the ball is something that can elevate a team. Pairing him alongside another All-NBA type player could turn that team into a real championship contender. Teams that I see as possible suitors for him include the Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat, and Denver Nuggets. This deal only works for Dallas if Doncic continues to progress and Porzingis comes back to be at least 90% of what he once was. For Miami, this deal could raise Miami up the rankings in the East, but they still would need some more depth around Beal and Butler. I believe Denver could become title favorites with this deal. They could send a package revolving around Gary Harris and some picks in Beal. Beal would be a definite upgrade over Harris, giving Jokic more talent around him.

Karl-Anthony Towns: Minnesota Timberwolves

The case with Karl-Anthony Towns is that things just haven't gone right for him. Minnesota looked like a true threat for the next several seasons when they had a trio of Towns, Butler, and Wiggins. The problem was that Butler didn't fit, and Wiggins has failed to build up his strong start to his career. With this, KAT and the Timberwolves find themselves in NBA mediocrity. They have a star player (Towns), and enough talent that keeps them from being a bottom team in the leauge. At the same time, this talent isn't enough to elevate them into the playoffs, especially in the Western Conference. There is no word as to whether or not Towns wants out of Minnesota, but with their failure to acquire D'Angelo Russell this off-season may lead to being the final straw for towns.Teams I could see KAT fitting in well with would be the Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics, and Chicago Bulls. For the Pacers, I believe that despite Myles Turner's amazing defensive skills, Towns is just so much better of a player than him. A lineup of Brogdon, Oladipo, T.J. Warren, Sabonis and Towns could for sure contend in the East. I believe a package of Myles Turner, Aaron Holiday and an assortment of picks could get this done. Add a few more bench bigs and this team could contend in the East. For the Celtics, Towns could make them elite. Failing to get Anthony Davis may not be that big of an issue if they can get Towns. I believe the price for Towns is way less, so the Celtics could throw in some of their young talent (not Brown or Tatum) and get Towns. This would make the Celtics favorites in the East and make keeping all those picks worth it. For the Bulls, I don't think they would be contenders going into next season if they traded for Towns right now. But I do believe a young core of Towns, Markkanen, LaVine and newly-drafted Coby White could be future Eastern Conference contenders.

Blake Griffin: Detroit Pistons

Once I heard Blake Griffin was moved to the Pistons back in January 2018, I knew that the Clippers had just done their franchise star dirty. Even before going there, Detroit was a team (much like the Timberwolves) stuck in NBA mediocrity. Despite the acquisition of Blake Griffin, Detroit remained in the state of NBA mediocrity. This was due to the Pistons inability to draft and acquire talent. It also doesn't help that Detroit isn't the most appealing place to live. With Griffin just finishing up his first full-season with the Pistons, he was able to show us that he is more than just that guy who dunked over a car in the dunk contest. Griffin impressed with a career high in points, as well as dazzling us with his playmaking ability and three point stroke. Griffin showed the world that he can still ball, and that he can be an asset to a team on the verge of contending. Detroit should look to move him now while his value is as high as it is. For Griffin, the teams I could see him fitting with would be the Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs, and Phoenix Suns. For Boston, I think they could ship out the Gordon Hayward contract as well as some picks or young assets. I think Griffin will give them a veteran presence on the wing and in the paint. Being able to stretch the floor and hang with the big guys down low is something that Boston would benefit from. For the Spurs, I believe he could bring some bounce and all-around play style to the Spurs. His unique set of skills is for sure something Coach Pop can tap into. A believe Griffin alongside Aldridge, DeRozan and the Spurs backcourt talent could make the Spurs one step away from being Finals contenders once again.

Devin Booker: Phoenix Suns

A very confusing player. That's how I'd describe Devin Booker. Everyone knows him as the kid that dropped 70 points on the Boston Celtics. Nobody can deny that Booker can get buckets. The real question is whether or not Devin Booker can truly elevate the team with the right pieces around him. So far in Phoenix, Booker has not been able to lead his team to 30 wins. 30 wins. That's bad. Depending on who you talk to, some will blame it on the atrocious front office of the Suns, who have been unable to surround the Kentucky product with a quality roster around him. The other people will say that the roster is actually adequate, and that the play style and player of Booker himself holds the team back. For me, I'm a believer in Devin. I believe that put in the right situation, Booker can thrive. I do believe that Devin Booker is not at all the type of player you want being the best on your team. I see him in the Klay Thompson role, minus the defense. He needs to play alongside a talent that will take attention away from him, allowing him to space the floor and pour in BUCKETS. Given the current situation, Phoenix isn't for him. It will be too long before Ayton becomes the type of player that can do that, if he were to develop into what many think he can be. Therefore the teams I think Booker can thrive on are the Atlanta Hawks, New Orleans Pelicans, and Milwaukee Bucks. The Hawks are the most realistic of these three teams to me. I believe a backcourt of Trae Young and Devin Booker can resemble the Splash Brothers in Golden State. Trae Young can be the type of player to be the number one option and take attention away from Booker. For this deal to be done, I believe it would take something along the lines of Kevin Huerter and Cam Reddish together. The Hawks would need to hold onto Hunter instead of Reddish, due to the defensive skills of Hunter to help out the weak defense of a Booker/Young backcourt. For the Pelicans, I think Booker can be a complimentary piece next to Zion Williamson. If Zion becomes the freak-of-nature we think he'll be, Booker will have no problem getting open shots up. For this to go down, the Pelicans can throw in one or two of their young players and some picks. A lineup of Ball, Booker, Ingram, Zion, and Hayes going into the future will for sure be title contenders. The Milwaukee Bucks are a stretch for getting Booker. I don't think it will happen, but seeing Booker play alongside the Greak Freak will be terrifying. The Bucks would need to give up a lot of future picks and throw in whatever talent on their roster without stripping it down completely to get this done. But Giannis driving to the paint and kicking it out to Booker would be a deadly combo. Given the youth of these two players as well, the Bucks could run the league with this Shaq-Kobe -esk trio (no, they won't be as good as Kobe and Shaq but they could emulate how they played together).