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Stocking Stuffers: What should each NBA team have on their wishlist this holiday season?

NBA Wishlist item

(Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)

NBA Wishlist item
(Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)

Stocking Stuffers: What should each NBA team have on their wishlist this holiday season?

Happy Holidays, to those who celebrate! As a fun holiday gimmick for the 2022 NBA season, let’s discuss what item, or items/stocking stuffers that each NBA team should have on their wishlist for this holiday season! Let’s dive into it!

Atlanta Hawks

Wishlist Item No. 1: A new home for John Collins

It’s time the Hawks trade John Collins, who’s been in trade rumors for what feels like the last three seasons. If any Hawk gets moved, Collins seems like he will be the first one out the door. But maybe I wrong yet again about prognosticating any potential Hawks trades that involve Collins. There will be suitors for him, it’s just a matter of if Landry Fields can get a reasonable haul for him.

Wishlist Item No. 2: Better comradery between McMillan-Young

The honeymoon — if there even was one — between star guard Trae Young and Nate McMillan is over. The Hawks have been treading water through the 30-plus games of the season and Young and McMillan have allegedly had drama behind the scenes. The partnership might not last much longer, depending on how long McMillan’s leash is with Fields. But in the meantime, it’s best the two sides find a way to make it work.

Boston Celtics

Wishlist Item No. 1: For the shooting to get back on track

The Celtics’ December has been marred with shooting inconsistency from distance, particularly in this recent seven-game stretch stretch. They weren’t going to light the nylon on fire forever, but a seven-game stretch of 29.0 percent shooting from deep on nearly 45 attempts per game (!) is not ideal! It’ll correct itself eventually, but the hope is that it comes sooner rather than later.

Wishlist Item No. 2: Wing depth

Boston might have the league’s best duo in Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown. If they’re not the best, the pairing is certainly up there. But behind them is a little shaky. Sam Hauser provides very good floor spacing while Grant Williams continues to be a capable 3-and-D presence. But the one thing missing is at least one rock solid wing that could provide a scoring punch behind Tatum and Brown, who carry a considerable burden on a game-to-game basis.

Brooklyn Nets

Wishlist Item No. 1: Ben Simmons to continue to play good basketball

Ben Simmons‘ recent play might be overshadowed by Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving both averaging north of 26 points over their most-recent 14-game stretch, where they’ve gone 12-2. But Simmons has played very good basketball, not all of which shows up in the box score. He’s averaging 8.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 6.1 assists over that stretch, but he’s been one of Brooklyn’s top playmakers, defenders, screeners and overall glue guys. If he, Nic Claxton, Joe Harris and Yuta Watanabe (!!!) continue their dominant play, Brooklyn can compete with anyone in the East.

Charlotte Hornets

Wishlist Item No. 1: Re-think the Miles Bridges situation

Seriously, Charlotte. What are we doing?

Wishlist Item No. 2: Hope and pray for Wembanyama

Could you imagine how fun LaMelo Ball and Victor Wembanyama would be together? I get goosebumps just thinking about it. Talk about a match made in heaven, especially considering Charlotte’s longstanding need at center.

Chicago Bulls

Wishlist Item No. 1: To tear it down?

Without Lonzo Ball, the Chicago Bulls have plummeted. No, it’s not just because of Ball, though he would certainly help. It’s no secret that Chicago’s regressed both offensively and defensively. If this slide continues, could the Bulls look to trade one, or both of DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine? And could Nikola Vucevic, who’s been underwhelming since arriving in Chicago in 2020-21, be on the block as well? Only time will tell.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Wishlist Item No. 1: Better flow in the backcourt

I’ll be honest, I’m not sure there’s many more things that Cleveland could add to its wishlist here (other than a championship/deep playoff run, obviously).

Yes, they’re not going to completely outscore teams with their offense, but the Darius GarlandDonovan Mitchell pairing has taken the slightest of steps back over the last 10-15 games in terms of its combined flow. Neither are necessarily playing bad; in fact, aside from Mitchell’s ice-cold 12-point outing against Toronto, he’s in the midst of his best offensive stretch of the season.

But the flow between the two backcourt mates doesn’t feel as smooth as it was to start (after Garland returned from his eye injury). That could be attributed to Garland’s lack of aggression or him continuing to learn how to play off-the-ball more — I think it’s more the latter, but it could be a combination of multiple different things. Heck, maybe it shouldn’t be labeled a problem at all!

This team has been an absolute joy to watch, and I have hardly any complaints about them in general. So, this was a very nit-picky one, I know.

Dallas Mavericks

Wishlist Item No. 1: A supporting cast for Luka Doncic

Luka Doncic has been outstanding this season. He’s averaging 32.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 1.7 steals on 49.7 percent shooting, including 35.2 percent from 3-point range and 74.1 percent from the free-throw line. But his supporting cast has been abhorrent and the offense has been stagnant. Dallas in the bottom-third in points, passing and rebounding and lack creators outside of Doncic — they could really use a player like J***n B*****n right now.

Denver Nuggets

Wishlist Item No. 1: Help defensively

Nikola Jokic is better-than-advertised on the defensive end while Aaron Gordon and Bruce Brown will hold their own, but the Nuggets — who are No. 23 in defense and No. 20 in 3-pointers allowed per 100 possessions — lack point-of-attack stoppers and backline rotators that surrounds the three aforementioned players. It’s not a very cohesive unit that’s always connected; some nights look far better than others, but it’s a big question mark.

They have been one of the league’s top teams so far this season, but at least one other defensive cog to allow Jokic/Gordon/Brown to play more freely would certainly vault them into championship contention, if they’re not there already.

Wishlist Item No. 2: Respect for Jokic

O.K., maybe a back-to-back MVP does technically earn at least respect. But he’s playing at an MVP level, again, even though he likely won’t win because of voter fatigue (why is that a thing, again?).

Detroit Pistons

Wishlist Item No. 1: Playmakers

The Pistons lack playmakers outside of Cade Cunningham, who’s out for the season after undergoing shin surgery. Bojan Bogdanovic has had an excellent season; Alec Burks has been a scoring threat off the bench; Killian Hayes had shown brief improvements as a former top-10 pick; Kevin Knox has had a bounce back campaign. But there’s not much playmaking to go around, which is one reason why the Pistons remain arguably the worst offensive team in basketball.

Golden State Warriors

Wishlist Item No. 1: Alex Caruso

You might’ve heard this 1,000 times already, and you might hear it 1,000 more between now and the trade deadline, but Alex Caruso is such a Steve Kerr player. I’m not sure Golden State necessarily needs him, but he fits the smart, highly competitive, unselfish mold that Kerr has whisked into his rosters since he’s taken over. Kerr would “love to have” him — his words, not mine.

Wishlist Item No. 2: Healthy

Get healthy, stay healthy and figure out the road dissonance and that should be fine. O.K., maybe that doesn’t solve everything. Though it’s a start!

Houston Rockets

Wishlist Item No. 1: A top-four pick

Victor Wembanyama. Scoot Henderson. Nick Smith. Amen Thompson. Any one of you are a Houston Rocket (maybe).

Indiana Pacers

Wishlist Item No. 1: Continue to stack additional assets for future?

The Pacers have been another fun surprise story at 17-16, led by star guard Tyrese Haliburton. But up until the Feb. 10 trade deadline, there’s going to be trade scuttlebutt surrounding Buddy Hield and Myles Turner, two of Indiana’s most seasoned veterans.

They might elect to keep either one — Turner might be getting an extension very soon — but if general manager Kevin Pritchard can find a good enough deal for either Hield or Turner, he should pull the trigger. I wouldn’t be surprised if he looks to move a smaller piece — ahem, T.J. McConnell — but I think the Pacers can and probably should continue stacking assets while preserving its core for the future.

Wishlist Item No. 2: Build Wally Szczerbiak an honorary statue?

Haliburton’s averaged 38.0 points on 59.1/55.2/88.9 shooting splits, with 7.5 assists in the two games since Szczerbiak’s comments.

Los Angeles Clippers

Wishlist Item No. 1: Health

Kawhi Leonard and Paul George need to stay healthy for the Clippers to be a contender. Point. Blank. Period.

Los Angeles Lakers

Wishlist Item No. 1: Health for Anthony Davis

This one felt pretty obvious. Anthony Davis has missed the last four games, and is expected to miss at least the next month after suffering a stress injury in his right foot.

Davis has played an MVP level this season, posting averages of 27.4 points, 12.1 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 2.1 blocks per game on 59.4 percent shooting. But he hasn’t been able to stay healthy. The 29-year-old has played in only 52 percent of available games (reg. season plus postseason) over the last three seasons, which will drop over the following month or so.

The Lakers currently don’t field a contender with him, let alone without him. They need him to stay healthy.

Wishlist Item No. 2: Quit the reluctancy

The Lakers have ultimately stood pat on the trade market for the last year. They were going to trade Russell Westbrook until they didn’t, and instead continued to holster the smallest roster in the NBA — and one that isn’t adept at shooting, at that. It hasn’t worked. At some point, if the Lakers want to fulfill LeBron James‘ continued demands at possessing a championship roster, it will need to part with those 2027 and 2029 first-round picks. It might be impossible to acquire a star-level player with so few assets, but at least work around the edges a little bit?

Memphis Grizzlies

Wishlist Item No. 1: Stay healthy!

As you can see, this could be the top stocking stuffer for plenty of NBA teams. The Grizzlies have carried the #GritAndGrind™ and #NextManUp™ mentalities in the separate injuries to Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. But the Grizzlies have been arguably the league’s best defense since JJJ’s returned, and that’s been without Bane, who’s a very good defender in his own right.

Memphis can’t go on a deep playoff run without Morant for a prolonged period of time, regardless of how good their record was without him last year. As long as they stay healthy, they’re a contender.

Miami Heat

Wishlist Item No. 1: An offensive identity

Currently, the Heat — who are No. 26 in offense — lack a true offensive identity. Their roster construction is predicated on 3-point shooting, but they’re No. 21 in 3-point shooting, including No. 29 in catch-and-shoot 3-point shooting (after placing No. 3 in 2021-22). They delve into too much isolation-ball, which is inherently bad offense, and are far more stagnant than previous Heat squads led by Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra. The defense has been on-par, but the offense hasn’t, which is a problem since they lack shot creators.

Wishlist Item No. 2: Size

An unathletic roster needs size (in most cases). The Heat lack both athleticism and size; the one player in the rotation who’s taller than 6-foot-10 is Dewayne Dedmon (7-foot), who’s been a tire fire so far this season. Acquiring (two-way) wings/centers with size/athleticism should be at the top of Pat Riley’s duties for the trade deadline, and for the foreseeable future.

Wishlist Item No. 3: Stay healthy

Building off the first point — it’s hard to find any identity or rhythm when you don’t know who’s playing each night. Health has been a real question mark for the Heat this season; one of their healthiest players has been Kyle Lowry, who sits just outside the top-30 in total minutes played. He’ll likely miss time at some point, too, but I digress. We saw what happened last May when they weren’t healthy (nobody was, to be fair). They can’t travel down that path again if they have any playoff aspirations.

Milwaukee Bucks

Wishlist Item No. 1: Better offense?

This feels weird to type for a roster including arguably the league’s top players in Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday. Antetokounmpo has looked outstanding, but Middleton hasn’t been healthy the entire season, and has looked understandably rusty when he has played. Holiday can be a little more shaky offensively than one could prefer as a lead creator, but he’s still averaging 18.7 points on 55.6 percent true shooting. Brook Lopez is also punishing any mismatch known to mankind inside 15 feet, which is never a bad thing! But Milwaukee’s offense, which ranks No. 17 across the Association, has left a little more to be desired — despite possessing a top-3 defense. But I expect it to improve throughout the season, so I’m not worried about it.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Wishlist Item No. 1: Find more shooting

The Wolves have the seventh-worst 3-point percentage with the eighth-fewest long-range attempts per 100 possessions. They’ve dealt with a slew of injuries, but for an average defensive team with one of its pillars being Rudy Gobert, having good perimeter shooting is paramount. So far, the Timberwolves — who ranked in the top-3 in 3-point rate and just outside the top-10 in 3-point percentage in 2021-22 — are still trying to figure that part out with this current group. And they will need to if they plan on making any noise in the Western Conference. It’s not going to be an easy task, since they forked away all of their draft capital for Gobert, but never say never when it comes to the NBA and making trades!

New Orleans Pelicans

Wishlist Item No. 1: A healthy Brandon Ingram

The Pelicans have been one of the most fun stories of the season. They’re incredibly deep and flexible, have size and an identity with no one single player ever trying to do too much. Each player knows their role. But a healthy Brandon Ingram — an additional shot creator with great length who can can space the floor and generate gravity whenever he’s on the floor — is the (current) missing piece to an already loaded roster.

New York Knicks

Wishlist Item No. 1: To keep the hot streak cooking?

Jalen Brunson has been a revelation for a Knick offense that forms a top-10 attack, including No. 3 in the month of December. He’s helped Julius Randle look more akin to his 2020-21 self and RJ Barrett snap out of an early-season funk. Ever since Tom Thibodeau tightened the rotation with Quentin Grimes and Miles McBride making the final cuts, the Knick (guard) defense has been spectacular; their containment, screen navigation and active hands have made it incredibly difficult on opposing backcourts. It’s hard to ask for any trades or demand Thibs change anything because the Knicks have been cookin’ with fish grease, so I’m just going to leave it at that for now.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Wishlist Item No. 1: Continued development

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has played like a top-15/20 player in the NBA; Luguentz Dort, when healthy, is a disruptor on the defensive end; Josh Giddey continues to improve his offensive repertoire; Jalen Williams, as Jarrod’s previously’s mentioned, has blossomed as a rookie; Poku is Poku, which is awesome. The Thunder might not win a lot of games, but head coach Mark Daigneault has done a brilliant job developing his young talent and trying to squeeze every last juice out of whomever’s on the floor.

If they continue adding young studs with the gagillion picks they own, as well as possibly using a few of those picks as trade assets, they will continue moving up on the pyramid. The latter won’t come right away, but continued development is paramount for their long-term success. Oh, and don’t forget they still have Chet Holmgren waiting in the wings, too.

Orlando Magic

Wishlist Item No. 1: Read OKC Thunder

When you have the favorite for rookie of the year in Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, most-improved candidate Bol Bol and Wendell Carter, you know your future is pretty bright if the cards fall right. Again, they might not win a lot of games, but there’s definitely pieces there to build around; it’s just a matter of if the brain trust can.

Philadelphia 76ers

Wishlist Item No. 1: Cap Flexibility

One of the biggest reasons why I didn’t like the contracts given to P.J. Tucker and Danuel House this offseason was because now the Sixers are hard-capped, meaning they are not allowed to exceed the $156.9 million luxury tax threshold. The Sixers signed Tucker to a three-year, $33 million contract this offseason with their non-taxpayer mid-level exception, while House signed a two-year, $8.4 million deal with the bi-annual exception.

The Sixers have roughly $5.5 million to work with, so it will likely need to move a combination of Tobias Harris ($37.6M), Tucker, De’Anthony Melton ($8.3M), Furkan Korkmaz ($5.0M) and Matisse Thybulle ($4.4M), among others, if Daryl Morey has any plans on swinging for the fences again this upcoming trade deadline. Don’t get your hopes up too much though, Philly.

Phoenix Suns

Wishlist Item No. 1: #FreeDeandreAyton

I won’t rehash the blowup that Deandre Ayton and Monty Williams had last week. That happens between players-coaches more than we’d like to probably admit. But the tea leaves have suggested that it might be best for both sides to separate at some point. It might be before or at the trade deadline, or next offseason (the most likely scenario, if anything), but a divorce between Ayton feels like not an if, but when.

Portland Trail Blazers

Wishlist Item No. 1: Another big behind Nurkic

I’m not sure if the Blazers will go buying or selling come the trade deadline, but they have built a roster with an array of athletic, lengthy wings that surround Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons — something they lacked for way too long. If they go buying, I’d suggest getting another big behind Jusuf Nurkic. And that’s not a knock on Drew Eubanks, who’s had good moments with them this year, but I’d suggest adding another big (if attainable) to lengthen the big rotation, and take some more load off Nurkic, who has an injury history.

Sacramento Kings

Wishlist Item No. 1: The beam celebration to never go away!

Best post-game celebration in sports.

I like this team too much to say anything about them in these spaces right now. Enjoy the holidays, Kings fans!

San Antonio Spurs

Wishlist Item No. 1: Victor Wembanyama

Come on. This was too easy. Get Victor to San Antonio and let Gregg Popovich work his international-player magic on one of the best draft prospects that any of us has seen in our lifetimes.

Toronto Raptors

Wishlist Item No. 1: Re-engage Scottie Barnes

Barnes hasn’t taken the leap that I — and many others — anticipated heading into the season. He’s averaging fewer points, rebounds, shooting at a worse efficiency and doesn’t look as engaged defensively at the point-of-attack. Pascal Siakam is playing at an All-NBA level while O.G. Anunoby has been Toronto’s unsung hero. But Barnes playing at a high level is pretty high on the list for Toronto’s success.

Wishlist Item No. 2: Find some halfcourt offense

The Raptors can steal as many possessions as they’d like on the defensive end and on the offensive glass, but their halfcourt offense has been one of the most dreadful in the league! Get them some halfcourt offense!

Wishlist Item No. 3: A water break and some bench depth

These go hand-in-hand. Fred VanVleet, Anunoby and Pascal Siakam are all in the top-15 in minutes averaged…again. I’m not sure how much longer they all can survive before being burnt out. Toronto’s bench is averaging the fifth-fewest minutes with the seventh-fewest bench points per 100 possessions. Get some bench depth … and if they can secure a backup (or even starting) rim-protecting center plus more shot creation, they’ll be in a better spot in the second half of the season. Jakob Poeltl, anyone?

Utah Jazz

Wishlist Item No. 1: A little more clarity

The Jazz are currently 19-16 and tied with the Kings for the No. 6 seed in the West and just three back of the Grizzlies and Nuggets, who are tied for the West crown. We all thought they were tanking, and now I’m not completely sure they’re bought into that mindset. With Danny Ainge driving the bus, you could tell me anything and I’d probably believe you. Utah’s offense with the collection of Mike Conley, Lauri Markkanen, Jordan Clarkson, Malik Beasley and Kelly Olynyk, among others, has been aesthetically pleasing, despite a shaky defense. But I’m honestly not sure if anyone has any clarity on what they’ll do come February and beyond. Just because of the treasure trove of picks they got for Royce O’Neale, Mitchell and Garland — they’re in a good spot regardless.

Washington Wizards

Wishlist Item No. 1: Rebuild

Washington, we have a problem. Well, you have a problem. At some point, the Wizards are going to need a roster shake up — and by shake up, I mean tear that sucker apart. Bradley Beal, who signed a five-year extension in the offseason, can’t be traded until Jan. 15, but they have tradeable assets in Kristaps Porzingis, Kyle Kuzma, Will Barton, Monte Morris, Daniel Gafford, Rui Hachimura, Delon Wright, etc. They can only be in purgatory for so long. It’s time.

***

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