Loser at the end of the road in NBA playoffs

Along with the culmination of the first round comes the end of the road for the eight teams that were eliminated from championship contention. Let’s examine these eight teams and explore their most viable options going forward.

Let’s begin in the Eastern Conference with the Chicago Bulls, who were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in a hard-fought six-game series. The Bulls looked good in the beginning of the series, stealing both of the opening games on the road in Boston. However, the absence of Rajon Rondo in the subsequent four games dramatically hurt the Bulls: They were never able to recover.

Rondo played a major role in the series’ opening two games after struggling to play productively for much of the season. His role on the team for the foreseeable future is in question, as he is only under contract for one more season. Beyond Rondo, the Bulls must decide whether or not they should trade Jimmy Butler.

Dwyane Wade’s future is also in the air, as he can opt out of his contract this summer. There is major uncertainty surrounding the Bulls’ future, and they must make smart decisions this offseason. Chicago must avoid committing money to the wrong players and needs to extract as much worth from their most valuable assets as possible.

Up next are the Bulls’ division mates, the Indiana Pacers, who were swept by the defending champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Similar to the Bulls, the Pacers have some important decisions to make with regard to the future of their key players, especially Paul George. He will be entering the second-to-last year of his contract, but George can opt out of the contract and become a free agent after next season.

The Pacers were in talks to trade him during the season, and there is a growing sense that he is ready to move on from the team with which he has spent the first seven seasons of his career.

On top of the questions surrounding George, Larry Bird is stepping down from his position as the team president. It may be time for Indiana to rebuild, using promising big man Myles Turner as their centerpiece for the future.

The Milwaukee Bucks, who were outlasted in six games by the Toronto Raptors, have an extremely bright future. Giannis Antetokounmpo has as much potential as any player in the League and will likely become a superstar for years to come. Khris Middleton, Malcolm Brogdon, Thon Maker and Jabari Parker — when healthy — make up one of the League’s most promising young cores, which will be under the team’s control for several more years. However, Milwaukee’s window may be relatively brief: Once these players hit free agency, they will be difficult to retain in such a small market. The Bucks must capitalize on this opportunity before it vanishes.

The Atlanta Hawks fell to the Washington Wizards in six games and raise major concerns regarding the direction of their team moving forward. The most critical dilemma facing the Hawks this offseason will be deciding whether or not they should bring back Paul Millsap if he opts out of his contract. If Millsap does not return to Atlanta, the team will need to acquire new pieces to play alongside Dennis Schröder and Dwight Howard in order to remain a contender in the improving Eastern Conference.

They no longer have DeMarre Carroll, Al Horford, Kyle Korver or Jeff Teague from the team that had the best record in the Conference two seasons ago. However, if they play their cards correctly this summer, they have a chance to stay relevant without undergoing a complete rebuild.

Now let’s head out west, beginning with the Portland Trail Blazers, who were held without a victory against the Golden State Warriors. Portland is in an interesting situation; They were unable to replicate their surprising success from the previous season, but they still have a strong core centered around Damian Lillard and C. J. McCollum.

The Blazers certainly played better after acquiring Jusuf Nurkić from the Denver Nuggets during the season; However, he was hurt down the stretch, and his presence was sorely missed in the playoffs. With Lillard, McCollum and a full season of Nurkić, the Blazers may be one piece away from being legitimate contenders in the west. Look for the Blazers to continue building around their young and uber-talented core over the summer.

The Memphis Grizzlies fell short in six games against their division foes — the San Antonio Spurs — but have a strong outlook going into next season. Under the leadership of promising young coach David Fizdale, the Grizzlies appear to be headed in the right direction.

Veterans Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph are still putting up impressive numbers, while Mike Conley Jr., in the first year of his massive five-year, $153 million deal, had arguably the best season of his 10-year career.

One player who will be a vital component of the team’s success moving forward is Chandler Parsons. Parsons disappointed in the limited time that he played during his first year in Memphis; However, if he performs at the level that he played at in previous seasons, the Grizzlies can take their play to a whole new level and work their way up the Conference’s hierarchy.

The Oklahoma City Thunder has a lot of work to do after being ousted by the Houston Rockets in five games. Oklahoma City is completely dependent on Russell Westbrook and must add numerous offensive weapons in order to be considered a legitimate contender. During the team’s series against Houston, the Thunder was utterly embarrassed when Westbrook was off the court.

For their sake, this will hopefully be a wake-up call for them to prepare to have a busy summer. They must appease and provide help for Westbrook to insure that he remains a member of the team for the foreseeable future. Kevin Durant’s departure from Oklahoma City was a serious setback. The Thunder cannot afford to lose Westbrook as well. It would be absolutely devastating for the franchise.

The Los Angeles Clippers pushed the Utah Jazz to the brink in their seven-game series but face major questions following yet another early postseason exit. The series went down to the wire, but the Clippers’ loss of Blake Griffin turned out to be an insurmountable hurdle that they could not overcome.

Even if the Clippers had overcome the Jazz, they would have stood no chance against the Warriors. Despite having a core consisting of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, this team was still a long way off from playing in the NBA Finals, or even the Conference Finals for that matter.

The Clippers have plenty of talent, but their current group has simply not meshed well enough for a deep playoff run. It is time for this team to mix things up; The most logical solution would be trading Blake Griffin before his contract expires after next season in exchange for a player at the level of a Carmelo Anthony or a Paul George. Whether or not this type of deal is possible or if the Clippers are prepared to make significant roster changes remains to be seen. However, the Clippers have had more than enough time to become a championship-caliber team, and it is in their best interest to make a deal before their window for contention closes.

While there are not as many marquee free agents this summer as there have been in previous years, the decisions that these teams make should make for noteworthy storylines throughout the offseason.