Every NBA season has a story to tell.

Well, a whole bunch of them, actually.

Stars rise and fall. Contenders emerge, and pretenders get exposed. Trade talks grow deafening, and a few even make it to the transaction log. Coaching changes happen. Front offices take big swings. Gruntled players become disgruntled.

Some of these narratives seem to surface from nothing, but others can trace their roots to the offseason—if not back even further. With training camps getting set to open sooner than you'd think, let's dissect the biggest storyline to track around all 30 teams.

Atlanta Hawks: Trae Young's Future with the Franchise

Trae Young has resided within the trade rumor mill for over a year now. While the Hawks haven't sent the three-time All-Star packing yet, the point guard's future with the franchise feels far from settled.

Atlanta, which traded away his backcourt mate, Dejounte Murray, this summer, could be on the precipice of a top-to-bottom rebuild. The Hawks might feel they can't go full-on tank mode since they don't control their next three first-round picks, but it's not like logging major mileage on the treadmill of mediocrity is doing them a lot of good.

The Hawks have quietly assembled an intriguing young core featuring Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu, Kobe Bufkin and this year's top pick, Zaccharie Risacher, and it might be in their best interest to ship out their remaining vets and focus on these players' development. Young has proven tricky to trade, though, so it's possible he and the Hawks are merely stuck with one another until a viable alternative comes along.

Boston Celtics: Kristaps Porziņģis' Health Watch

It's possible the Celtics don't actually need Kristaps Porziņģis to defend their throne. After all, the big fella only made seven appearances (three as a reserve) during Boston's 16-3 blitz through the postseason.

Still, life is a lot easier with the 7'3" floor-spacer and shot-blocker manning the middle. When he suited up this past season, Boston bullied the opposition by 11.2 points per 100 possessions.

He'll be shelved to start this season following summer surgery, though, and while he could return in November or December, who knows how he'll look when he returns to action? If his lateral mobility is limited, he could be a liability on defense and a drain on Boston's supersized payroll. You'd love to give him the benefit of the doubt, but that's impossible to do with his injury history.

Brooklyn Nets: The Liquidation

After the Nets managed to turn rock-solid (but not star-level) swingman Mikal Bridges into a pile of picks this summer, they quickly used some of those draft assets to regain control of their next two first-round picks. So, if they want to turn the upcoming season into a prolonged round of Capture the Flagg (i.e., tank for Duke's phenom freshman Cooper Flagg), that option is on the table.

That would seem to be the incentive for re-acquiring those picks, which makes it hard to imagine they are anywhere close to being done dealing. Especially when they have a batch of plug-and-play veterans sure to catch the interest of almost any win-now shopper.

Veteran wings Dorian Finney-Smith, Cameron Johnson and Bojan Bogdanović feel like the most logical candidates, but there are others if Brooklyn opts for the fire-sale route.

Charlotte Hornets: LaMelo Ball's Redemption Arc

LaMelo Ball's splashy entrance to the Association included Rookie of the Year honors and an All-Star selection as a sophomore. While his counting categories have climbed further since, so too has his number of absences: 46 in 2022-23 and 60 this past season.

Ball has since seen his position as Charlotte's face of the franchise openly questioned. Others have opined that his max contract ranks as one of the league's worst.

You wouldn't think that a 23-year-old holding career averages of 20 points, 7.4 assists and 6.2 rebounds would need a reputation repair, but Ball can only quiet these skeptics by getting on the court and staying out there. Charlotte could be sneaky fun if he does, too, as the Hornets have assembled a good amount of young talent and might have quite the trio in Ball, Brandon Miller and Mark Williams if they could ever hit the hardwood together.

Chicago Bulls: Offseason Skepticism

A sleepy summer in Chicago was never going to cut it, as the Bulls could only ignore the inevitability of their rebuilding project for so long. They kept active this offseason, but it's tragically fitting that the response to many of their major moves was a simple, "Wait, they did what now?"

They finally cashed in the Alex Caruso trade chip, yet they didn't manage to bring back a single draft pick despite dealing him to the asset-rich Oklahoma City Thunder. They let DeMar DeRozan leave by way of a three-team sign-and-trade, yet they didn't collect the best asset in that deal (the 2031 pick swap Sacramento sent to San Antonio). They made a $90 million commitment to Patrick Williams, who has shown little (if any) discernible development across four NBA seasons.

It was one head-scratcher after the next, which is why Chicago shows up on just about any list of offseason losers you'll find. The Bulls could really use some pleasant surprises to change the perceptions of their summer. Sizable steps forward from Josh Giddey (their return for Caruso) and Williams would go a long way toward quieting the critics. If you want to get really optimistic, maybe there's even a chance Chris Duarte (Chicago's biggest addition in the DeRozan deal) looks like a long-term keeper.

Cleveland Cavaliers: Frontcourt Trade Watch

It felt for a time like big changes would be coming to Cleveland this summer. Beyond the trade whispers around Donovan Mitchell, there were rumblings about Darius Garland, plus the annual discussions about the long-term viability of the non-shooting frontcourt combo of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.

The Cavaliers silenced those talks. Sort of. They committed to their core four, secured a contract extension from Mitchell and later extended Allen, too. Allen's three-year, $91 million extension might not be the commitment it seems, though. NBA insider Marc Stein relayed that Allen was "essentially obligated" to sign the deal by August 6, so he'd be eligible for a move ahead of the 2024-25 trade deadline.

So, while things largely stayed the same in Cleveland this offseason, so did the debates about whether its two bigs can coexist. Mobley and Allen might share the same frontcourt for now, but the clock could be ticking on this twin-towers tandem.

Dallas Mavericks: The Missing Piece?

When the Mavericks brought in Kyrie Irving to serve as Luka Dončić's co-star at the 2023 trade deadline, they almost immediately put opposing defenses into pick-your-poison scenarios. These are two of the league's best scorers and shot-creators, so choosing which one to go against is a can't-win proposition.

That's why Dallas' playoff opponents so often went with Option C: Flood Irving and Dončić with attention and make someone else beat them. That often meant crowding driving lanes and conceding kickouts to open threes.

With Klay Thompson and his historically potent perimeter shot in town now, the Mavs may have taken that option off the table. Thompson has never shot worse than 38.5 percent from three and hasn't averaged fewer than three triples since 2013-14. He is an all-caps ELITE shooter, and he should up the potency of what was already an electric attack. The Mavs can only hope, though, that his arrival doesn't torpedo their defense, which played such significant role in their run to last season's NBA Finals.

Denver Nuggets: Youth Movement Within a Championship Chase

Following Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's free agency exit, the Nuggets are now without three of the top seven members of their 2023 playoff rotation. (Bruce Brown and Jeff Green both bolted after Denver's title run.) They really haven't reached outside the organization to find replacements, either.

Clearly mindful of the restrictions placed on the league's biggest spenders under the collective bargaining agreement, the Nuggets are hoping their young, cost-controlled players can help fill the void. More specifically, they're banking on Christian Braun and Peyton Watson (maybe Julian Strawther, too) being ready for substantial role expansions.

Braun has served as a role-playing energizer, and Watson made his mark with defensive activity last season, but neither has handled the kind of minutes they're likely to see now. Hopefully, they're ready for the spotlight, because Denver doesn't have an obvious pivot away from this plan. It's a sizable risk given what the Nuggets could accomplish with best-player-on-the-planet Nikola Jokić being in the heart of his prime.

Detroit Pistons: Who Are the Building Blocks?

The Pistons are living proof that it takes more than a mountain of losses to develop a young core. They hopefully hit on Cade Cunningham, the top pick in 2021, but how many other long-term keepers have they found?

It'd be nice to have at least a feel for an answer by now considering Detroit hasn't had a winning percentage north of .310 since 2018-19. The Pistons have no shortage of candidates—Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren, Ausar Thompson, Ron Holland, Marcus Sasser, Bobi Klintman—but who will still reside in the Motor City whenever things finally get turned around?

The Pistons made a point of adding established shooters this summer (Tobias Harris, Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr.), so their young players will hopefully have enough room to operate now. That needs to ease the evaluation process, though, because so much of Detroit's long-term future remains a mystery.

Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry's Ongoing Wait for a Co-Star

In 2024 alone, the Warriors have made attempts to land LeBron James, Paul George and Lauri Markkanen. In other words, their inability to find a co-star for Stephen Curry hasn't come from a lack of trying.

Those attempts haven't yielded anything yet beyond juicy headlines, though. Barring a big change, Curry will head into this season hoping Draymond Green can stay on the floor, Andrew Wiggins can turn back the clock and Jonathan Kuminga can make a massive leap.

None of those things are guaranteed, though, and the odds of all three happening at once can't be great. So, unless Golden State is content with being halfway decent—it should not be if it has any hope of maximizing the remainder of Curry's career—this front office must continue turning over every stone in search of its missing co-star.

Houston Rockets: Ready for Launch?

Last season, the Rockets shifted out of their post-James Harden rebuild and laid the foundation for better campaigns ahead. While they didn't make major moves this offseason, they might still expect another step up the ladder given the nearly roster-wide potential for continued improvement.

If you allowed yourself to fully indulge in optimism, you could talk yourself into there being a legitimate handful of future stars on the roster. Alperen Şengün has arguably hit that level already, and Jalen Green looked the part through much of last season's latter half. Amen Thompson might be a serviceable jumper away from being scary. Jabari Smith Jr. flashes high-end ability at both ends. And we haven't even mentioned Tari Eason, Cam Whitmore or Reed Sheppard yet.

Houston's young core is fully loaded, and the Rockets have enough assets to support it with a fast-forward type of trade if they need the lift.

Indiana Pacers: Climbing the Ladder

The Pacers just made their first trek to the Eastern Conference Finals in a decade. It almost feels greedy asking them to do more.

Yet, that was the whole purpose of the Pascal Siakam trade, right? Giving Tyrese Haliburton a co-star and positioning this group to compete at the highest level. With a healthy Haliburton and a fully integrated Siakam, this roster might be ready to make even more noise.

But what needs to happen to take the next step? Can young players like Bennedict Mathurin and Jarace Walker fill some of the remaining gaps? Or does this front office need to consider another significant swap? Indiana isn't often mentioned among the biggest threats to Boston's reign in the East, but the Pacers have a chance to make everyone foolish for leaving them out of that discussion.

Los Angeles Clippers: What Now?

The Clippers seemingly decided that a certain price point on a new contract for Paul George was too risky. Are they sure that letting him leave in free agency wasn't the riskiest move of all?

The roster he left behind is among the hardest in the Association to figure out. They still have two name-brand stars in Kawhi Leonard and James Harden, but the former perpetually deals with injury problems and the latter is 35 years old and coming off his worst scoring season in a decade-plus. It's virtually impossible to imagine them being the best two players on a championship team.

LA obviously isn't going with a youth movement, though. The Clippers added veterans like Nic Batum, Derrick Jones Jr. and Kris Dunn in free agency. They also spent large on a new contract for head coach Tyronn Lue and brought in Jeff Van Gundy as Lue's top assistant. They expect to remain competitive; it's just hard to see how that can happen without George.

Los Angeles Lakers: JJ Redick's Impact

After keeping quiet at last season's deadline, it seemed like the Lakers could be much more active over the offseason. Nothing ever materialized, though. Outside of drafting Dalton Knecht and Bronny James, they basically didn't touch a roster that just needed a play-in win to make the postseason and only made it through five playoff games.

If they're going to be dramatically different than last season, then, new head coach JJ Redick probably has to be the reason why. He might be unproven in this profession, but he is well-versed in basketball, and he plans on using all of the tools available to modern skippers.

"I'm going to use math," Redick told reporters at his introductory press conference.

Redick surely has ideas of what the Lakers can do better, and it's on him to implement those changes in a way that gets total buy-in from the locker room. L.A. needs to feel his impact, because he's the biggest ingredient added to the recipe.

Memphis Grizzlies: Hiding in Plain Sight?

With Ja Morant hopefully clear of the injury and suspension problems that short-circuited his 2023-24 season, Memphis just might be right back in the mix among the best in the West.

In each of his last two healthy seasons, the Grizzlies snagged the conference's No. 2 seed. And that was before Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. were forced to grow their games without Morant last season. It was also before Memphis made an aggressive move for Marcus Smart, witnessed breakout seasons from GG Jackson II and Vince Williams Jr. and spent this summer's No. 9 pick on Zach Edey, who spent the past two seasons snatching up every major National Player of the Year award.

The West appears overloaded with challengers, but Memphis has been a wins machine with Morant on the floor. Some might take a wait-and-see approach with this team early on, but the Grizzlies have arguably earned our trust already as a top-shelf contender.

Miami Heat: Jimmy Butler's Fate

Heat president Pat Riley had some choice words regarding star player Jimmy Butler, who was eligible for but will not sign a contract extension. It's easy to wonder, then, just how much longer the relationship will last.

Butler has a player option for 2025-26, meaning he could opt for free agency next offseason. He'll be 35 years old by then, and his NBA resume shows a lot of games missed and even more high-mileage minutes. He has appeared, at times, to be capable of leading a championship run, but how much longer can that be the case? And how confident are the Heat that the rest of their roster would even be ready to follow his lead?

Miami was an NBA finalist just last year, but it also had just a .537 winning percentage and needed two play-in games to secure its playoff spot. The Heat again played a pair of play-in games this past season and then had their playoff run extinguished after five games. If they can't inspire more confidence by upping their regular-season win rate, it's possible Butler or this front office (or both) might start to question whether they're still right for each other.

Milwaukee Bucks: Now or Never?

With three years and only a single playoff series win between them and their 2021 title, the Bucks are against the clock. They've pulled all the levers they can, throwing caution to the wind with last summer's deal for Damian Lillard and then tasking Doc Rivers with putting this roster on a championship track.

Milwaukee wilted under Doc's direction, though, and Khris Middleton once again struggled to stay on the floor. Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo played well together on the strength of their talents, but neither seemed to bring out the other's best. The Bucks had good stretches last season, but they rarely looked great.

Their core players are mostly in their 30s now—Antetokounmpo will get there in December—and several of them could hit free agency as soon as next summer. This is not only a championship-or-bust season, it's a now-or-never moment for this nucleus.

Minnesota Timberwolves: Clearing the Last Hurdle

The Timberwolves just engineered one of their strongest seasons in franchise history. Only their 2003-04 squad, led by MVP Kevin Garnett, topped their .683 winning percentage. Those were also the only Wolves clubs to gain entry into the Western Conference Finals.

Garnett's group could never build off (or even sustain) that success, though. Minnesota should have a longer runway now with 23-year-old centerpiece Anthony Edwards still in the elevation process, yet there is a good amount of win-now pressure in the Gopher State. Their roster costs a fortune, and two of their starters are well into their 30s (Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert).

They should be in the running for the West's top seed again, but elbowing past all the other contenders will be a challenge unlike any they've faced. Unless Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr. can contribute more than expected, Minnesota basically needs to squeeze more out of the same roster. This team is close, but that last hurdle is a monster.

New Orleans Pelicans: Brandon Ingram's Future

The offseason hadn't officially started when NBA insider Marc Stein brought word that the Pelicans were expected to "aggressively explore" a Brandon Ingram trade. It totally made sense, too.

Ingram isn't the type of shooter or stopper New Orleans would really want for Zion Williamson's co-star. Plus, Ingram needs a new deal by next summer, and as a former No. 2 pick who has booked an All-Star trip and posted a lot of All-Star-esque statistics, he's looking to get paid.

Ingram might be the league's most obvious trade candidate not named Zach LaVine, yet Ingram remains a Crescent City resident. The Pelicans presumably never found a taker, and now both sides are exploring the possibility of extending their relationship. Is there a way this can actually work, or is this a marriage of convenience until something better comes along?

New York Knicks: Julius Randle's Fit

By accolades and per-game averages, Julius Randle stands as a top-two player on New York's roster. So, why does the three-time All-Star feel almost absent from the Knicks' championship plans?

Well, maybe it's because he was actually absent from New York's stretch run. A shoulder injury knocked him out in late January, meaning he was shelved for the entirety of the team's trek to the conference semifinals. The Knicks looked quicker and more decisive on both ends without him.

And yet, he still looms as a big piece of this puzzle. New York badly needed a second shot-creator to extend its playoff run, and Randle's nightly contributions of 24 points and five assists could've done the trick. His best version can really help this team, but his worst flaws could drag it down. Hang some contract uncertainty over all of this (Randle can reach free agency next summer), and this is one of the league's most fascinating situations to track.

Oklahoma City Thunder: The Acceleration

The Thunder were careful not to skip any steps of their rebuild. Even with anticipation and excitement surging last summer, lead executive Sam Presti wanted his group to "finish our breakfast" before doing anything dramatic.

At some point between their 57-win regular season and hard-fought six-game series to the Dallas Mavericks in the conference semis, Oklahoma City sufficiently feasted. The front office had seen enough; it was time to accelerate. The Thunder hit the fast-forward button twice, first by acquiring Alex Caruso and then by luring Isaiah Hartenstein to the Sooner State in free agency.

This roster already ranked favorably among the Association's best, and now it added two of the top support players on the market. This was already a powerhouse, but between the new additions and the almost limitless growth potential among the incumbents, this group should be even better—maybe by a lot, as scary as that sounds.

Orlando Magic: Finding More Perimeter Punch

Orlando's third-ranked defense is ready to contend. If its fully loaded frontcourt isn't ready to do the same, it's awfully close.

The perimeter group lags well behind that standard, though, especially on the offensive end. The Magic don't have enough shot-makers and sharpshooters in their guard group. Newcomer Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will help, but he's hardly the solution for major offensive issues.

The Magic need substantial improvement to their guard group. Hopefully, that can happen in-house, as the list of potential-rich perimeter players on this roster isn't short. If not, though, Orlando has enough trade chips to pursue a difference-maker if deemed necessary for this club to take the next step.

Philadelphia 76ers: Paul George's Addition

The Sixers willingly backed themselves into a corner and basically bet the farm on free agency providing their missing piece. Incredibly, that seems to be exactly what happened.

Paul George felt like a pipe dream, considering he was already chasing championships with his hometown team. Yet, the Clippers were hesitant to give him what he wanted, which gave the Sixers all the opening they needed.

They snatched him up without a second thought, and while the back end of his four-year, $212 million contract could get a little rough, but his scalable skill set and willingness to share the spotlight make him seem like the perfect fit for Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.

"There's no ego with me," George told reporters. "... I just want to go win. It's not about shots for me. It's not about having the ball in my hands the whole game. It's about winning."

The Sixers have had successful stretches since finding their way out of The Process, but they're still awaiting their playoff breakthrough. If this group stays healthy—and that's admittedly a massive if—that dream could become reality.

Phoenix Suns: Point Guard Upgrades

The Suns staked a small fortune of their 2024-25 success on a coaching change from Frank Vogel to Mike Budenholzer. Saying that, the new skipper can only help so much from the sidelines.

Phoenix's radically improved point guard rotation, on the other hand, could have a major on-court impact. The Suns essentially spent last season without a natural table-setter. Now, they have two of the top decision-makers in Tyus Jones (7.3 assists to 1.0 turnovers last season) and Monte Morris (2.1 to 0.2).

Their challenge runs beyond playing mistake-free basketball. They need to connect the dots in a way that squeezes more out of this 10th-ranked offense, which definitely feels doable given the type of firepower possessed by the Kevin Durant-Devin Booker-Bradley Beal trio.

Portland Trail Blazers: Tanking from the Start?

Portland could have taken the everything-must-go route last offseason when Damian Lillard decided he wanted out. The Blazers instead kept quiet on the trade front after the Dame megadeal.

Perhaps, though, there would have been much more urgency to subtract had the 2024 draft offered the kind of blue-chip prospects populating the top of the 2025 class. If Portland shares the common belief that Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper and VJ Edgecombe have cornerstone potential, then the Blazers should be doing everything they can to bottom out.

That means clearing out the remaining veterans on their roster, which it sounds like they're already angling to do. They engineered a few stretch-run tank jobs to retain protected picks in recent years, but this time around they could be stockpiling losses from the start.

Sacramento Kings: DeMar DeRozan's Fit

Two seasons back, the Kings claimed the West's No. 3 seed and hosted a first-round series. This past campaign, they hosted the 9-10 play-in tournament game, and while they won that, they didn't pick up the second victory they needed to escape the event.

That clearly didn't cut it for them, so they threw their hat into the DeMar DeRozan sweepstakes and won the darn thing. It should be a big boost to their morale and point production, though there are some spacing concerns surrounding DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox, since they all do their best work as inside-the-arc scorers.

It's tempting to bet on the talent anyway, and it helps that all three are willing and able passers. This could be one of the better ball-moving trios around, and it should typically be surrounded by reliable catch-and-shoot marksmen. This could help the Kings get their offense humming again.

San Antonio Spurs: Victor Wembanyama's Takeover

Conditions were, how can we put this, less than perfect during Victor Wembanyama's rookie season. For some reason, the Spurs spent much of the campaign's first half thinking their prized player didn't need a natural point guard on the floor but did need a non-shooting big man alongside him up front.

So, while it took him a little while to really get rolling—18.9 points on 44.2/29/79.3 shooting through the end of December; 23.1 on 47.8/34.4/79.7 the rest of the way—that really wasn't his doing. When San Antonio gave him a reasonable setup, he was absurdly dominant. As brutally bad as the Spurs were, they wound up outscoring opponents by 4.3 points per 100 possessions when Wembanyama played with Tre Jones, the roster's only natural lead guard.

San Antonio has since landed point god Chris Paul, plus steady-as-a-rock swingman Harrison Barnes. Both players should immensely improve Wembanyama's on-court conditions, potentially setting him up for a basketball-breaking kind of campaign.

Toronto Raptors: Building a Base

There's a universe in which Toronto trading away both OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam plunged this team into a rebuild. We just may not be living in it.

The Raptors shifted their focus forward last season but not to a this-might-take-a-while degree. That's because they didn't merely prioritize adding as many picks as possible. In fact, they didn't even fetch a first-rounder in the Anunoby deal, but rather picked up two players who fit the same timeline as Scottie Barnes in RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley.

They have since thrown copious amounts of cash at Barnes and Quickley, suggesting they think this pairing is one they can build around. Fleshing this out around the foundation is already underway, too, as they've hopefully found some long-term keepers in last year's lottery pick Gradey Dick and this year's draft additions Ja'Kobe Walter (pick No. 19) and Jonathan Mogbo (No. 31).

Utah Jazz: Finding a Focus

It's hard to say how seriously the Jazz considered trading Lauri Markkanen this offseason. There were trade talks, obviously, but none that ever felt super close to becoming a swap, and those were silenced (for now, at least) when the big fella inked a five-year, $238 million extension which makes him ineligible to be traded until after the deadline.

Had Utah moved Markkanen, its focus for the upcoming campaign would've been crystal-clear: Bottom out in hopes of maximizing its lottery odds. Perhaps that's the plan even with Markkanen, but this team has more established talent than the obvious bottom-feeders, especially with Jordan Clarkson, Collin Sexton and John Collins all still on the roster, too.

Will the Jazz aggressively pursue deals involving their veterans not named Markkanen, or might they not take such extreme tanking measures? Markkanen is a good player who seemingly likes it in Utah, so the rationale behind keeping him makes some sense. Having said that, his presence makes the 2024-25 plan a little harder to read.

Washington Wizards: Getting Alex Sarr Going

Alex Sarr, this year's No. 2 pick, had some atrocious moments in summer league. They shouldn't have bothered the Wizards too much. Sure, you'd prefer seeing your top pick destroy all the defenses in front of him, but Washington didn't draft him that high for his offensive polish.

His all-purpose defense was his best selling point right now, and that surfaced in a good way during the summer slate. So, too, did the ball skills that could open up the possibility of some really high-end outcomes for his offensive development—well down the line, clearly.

This was a long-term investment by a franchise that should be thinking about its future perhaps more than anyone in the Association. The Wizards essentially still reside in the blank-slate stage of their post-Bradley Beal rebuild, and all they need for now are signs that their young players could have a lengthy future with the franchise. The sooner Sarr puts that unsightly summer showing behind him, the easier it will be to imagine him handling building-block duties.