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The matchups are set for the 2025 NBA conference finals, as the Thunder will meet the Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals and the Knicks will play the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. You can find everything you need to know about those series in the links below.
For the purposes of this roundtable, we got NBC Sports’ Kurt Helin and Rotoworld’s Raphielle Johnson and Noah Rubin together to offer their thoughts on the teams who were eliminated in the conference semifinals and their respective paths moving forward. We also asked for a temperature check on their NBA Finals predictions. Check it out!
2025 NBA Conference Finals Previews:
The old guard is out — no LeBron or Curry remain — and the young guard is taking over, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
1) Given the Jayson Tatum Achilles injury, what are your expectations for the Celtics in 2025-26? Should they consider significant changes due to the salary/luxury tax bill coming their way?
Kurt Helin: The winds of change were sweeping over Boston this summer long before Tatum’s injury. The buzz around the league for a year has been that the Celtics would move on from one of Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, say goodbye to Al Horford, and might want to find a new home for Kristaps Porzingis as well (how strong the trade market is for Porzingis is up for debate).
However, the Tatum injury turning next season into a “gap year” for the Celtics means Brad Stevens and Boston’s new ownership need to take a step back and ask the bigger question: Should they consider trading Jaylen Brown? If they can get a package of quality young players and picks (as Houston or San Antonio could offer), allowing Boston to retool everything around Tatum’s full-speed return for the 2026-27 season, they have to seriously consider it. The rumors will fly, but my bet is they stick with the Tatum and Brown era in Boston. However, everyone else on that roster is and should be available at the right price.
Noah Rubin: They have to. Even in the weaker conference (which could get weaker if Giannis Antetokounmpo gets traded out West), Boston probably doesn’t have enough to win a championship next season without Tatum, even if he could be back a couple months before the playoffs. With multiple teams needing center help (hello Rob Pelinka) and everyone else in the East likely looking to take advantage of the Celtics not having Tatum, it’s the perfect year for Boston to zig while everyone else zags.
Not many contending teams also have control of their draft capital like the Celtics do. The question is how proactive does Brad Stevens want to be? Assuming next season is a wash (and this isn’t a given), Jaylen Brown will be 31 at the start of the 2026-27 season. Derrick White will be 33, Jrue Holiday will be 37, Kristaps Porzingis will be 32, etc. Do they feel confident that Tatum, coming off an Achilles tear, can win a championship at 29 with this cast? It seems unlikely that they will keep this team together, though that doesn’t mean everyone will be gone. If I were in charge, I’d think long and hard about taking advantage of a stacked 2026 class, highlighted by Cam Boozer, Darryn Peterson and AJ Dybantsa, to give the Celtics their own version of the Tim Duncan-David Robinson Spurs. Or potentially trade an early pick in that draft for a different co-star for Tatum.
Raphielle Johnson: At surface level, the Celtics are in a position where it makes sense (and saves some cents) to consider what they can do via the trade market. Kristaps Porzingis is heading into the final year of his contract, likely making him the easiest player to move if ownership were to go this route. However, he remains a medical question mark due to the late-season illness that impacted his stamina during the postseason. Acquiring him without clarity on that situation would be a significant risk for any team. Jrue Holiday will be 35 in June and has three seasons remaining on his contract, and 38-year-old Al Horford will be a free agent this summer.
However, the fact that a new ownership group has taken over makes this difficult to read. Would it make a good impression on the fan base if your first course of action were to cut costs and break up a team that would remain one of the best in the East, even with Jayson Tatum out for most of next season? I would say no. I think Boston looks to make another run at advancing out of the East, with a player like Payton Pritchard taking on an expanded role. Who knows whether or not it works? But I believe Boston won’t go into a complete rebuild just yet.
2) Will the Warriors truly contend next season? What moves can they make to give them a chance?
Helin: Father Time wins every race. A year from now Curry will be 38, while Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green will be 36, as much as experience helps at some point the combination of talent and youth with teams like Oklahoma City, Houston and Minnesota will overwhelm them (and that’s not even getting into a retooled Lakers squad, and the Nuggets still have Nikola Jokic). Truly contending next season is off the table.
That doesn’t mean you don’t try. Mike Dunleavy and the Golden State front office need to spend the offseason finding a legitimate center, adding athleticism and shooting, and do all that while keeping under the second apron. The Warriors will be a lot of fun next season, but come the playoffs, they will just be an appetizer for the better teams.
Rubin: Steph Curry is a player that I just won’t ever write off. After the All-Star break last season, the Warriors had the best defensive rating and seventh-best offensive rating in the league, per NBA.com. That’s while inserting Jimmy Butler into the rotation and having him figure things out on the fly.
There are two factors that will give Golden State a chance next season. The first is health, which is entirely out of their hands. The second is to truly commit to building a winning team. There should be no reports that anyone not named Steph is “off the table.” They’ve slowly veered away from the two timeline approach, but there needs to be more commitment. Jonathan Kuminga is a restricted free agent, and he could be part of a sign-and-trade. Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski and every other young player that holds trade value, as well as any picks, should all be up for grabs. It’s entirely possible that the Warriors would rather keep a player like Podz because they like him long-term. That’s fine. He’s a talented player. I just think the path to contention is to truly upgrade the roster and worry about picking up the pieces after 30 calls it a career.
Johnson: Stephen Curry is the key. As long as he’s healthy, the Warriors will have a chance to make noise in the West, even with that being the stronger conference of the two. Having Jimmy Butler with the team from the start of training camp would also help. However, the depth is a concern for me. What do they truly think about Jonathan Kuminga as a consistent contributor? He didn’t get back into the rotation until Curry’s hamstring injury forced Steve Kerr’s hand, and there’s no guarantee that another team won’t make Kuminga an offer he can’t refuse…and Golden State can’t match.
It would likely be in Golden State’s best interest to work out a sign-and-trade, potentially fortifying the roster with multiple players who can remain in Kerr’s rotation. They’ll need Brandin Podziemski to continue to improve, but there is a path to this group being a contender next season. They’ll likely need some help in the form of a team with considerable cap space putting a lucrative offer in front of Kuminga to make that happen, though.
3) Was this the start of a dynasty in Cleveland, or was this a “one-year wonder” season for them that was cut short by injuries?
Helin: There is no dynasty in Cleveland, but the Tatum injury opened the door for this to be more than a one-and-done roster. The Cavaliers should run it back next season and try to take a step forward. Two things became clear this postseason: 1) Darius Garland is critical to this team and they need him to stay fully healthy; 2) The front office needs to add some toughness, some grit to the roster. A veteran built for the playoffs. Do that and this should be more than a one-year thing in Cleveland.
Rubin: I think if they play their cards correctly, Cleveland will be among the top teams in the East for a while. If injury luck was on their side, they would have at least been more competitive in the Indiana series. It was the first season with Kenny Atkinson at the helm, and they added De’Andre Hunter halfway through the season. Continuity will be helpful, but the growth of both Darius Garland and Evan Mobley will be critical. Donovan Mitchell is still the superstar, but Garland and Mobley have plenty of upside. Their core four is under contract through 2028, and there’s no reason for them to break things up. It was a disappointing end to the season, and there is room for improvement, but it’s difficult to not be encouraged by a 64-win season.
Johnson: To be fair, the definition of the word “dynasty” appears to be changing in the NBA, as we’re headed toward a seventh different champion in seven years. I can’t buy into Cleveland unless the front office makes significant adjustments in the toughness department. Does this mean they part ways with one of their “core four”? Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley should not go anywhere, but the Cavaliers may have to consider potential offers for Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen. Given the current state of the East, especially with Jayson Tatum’s Achilles injury, the Cavaliers should believe they can remain among the best for the next few seasons. But the postseason is an entirely different animal, and they’ll need to remember that this summer.
4) Has Denver’s core run its course?
Helin: Not as long as Nikola Jokic is the best player walking the face of the earth, he gives them a chance even when the talent around him is not up to the level needed (see this last series against OKC). That said, it might be time to tweak the team’s core if that means trading away Michael Porter Jr. for depth and defense.
Rubin: It’s a new era in Denver with interim head coach David Adelman and interim general manager Ben Tenzer both hoping to have their interim tags removed. The Nuggets had relied on continuity for success in recent years, but it may be time for a change. Today’s teams rely on depth more than ever, and the Nuggets’ lack of it was a glaring issue that was exposed in consecutive seven-game series. I don’t think it’s time to clean house, but I don’t think anyone other than Jokic should be off the table in a potential deal. Having more than eight players you can trust in the playoffs is helpful.
Johnson: Like Kurt said, as long as you have a player of Nikola Jokic’s caliber on your roster, you have a shot. But they’ll need to make moves to improve the team’s depth and athleticism to contend in the West. Of course, many will zero in on Michael Porter Jr. and his hefty contract, and with good reason. It would not surprise me if he were the subject of trade rumors this summer.
5) Who is your updated pick to win the NBA Finals?
Helin: I picked the Oklahoma City Thunder to win it all before the playoffs started, I’m not getting off that bandwagon now.
Rubin: I’m going with the Timberwolves. I think the combination of elite defense and go-to scorers will give them a chance to beat anyone. Plus, Julius Randle is just playing at a much higher level than I expected him to. I think he poses matchup problems for every remaining team.
Johnson: I liked the Thunder to win the title before the postseason began, and I will stick with them. Their ability to answer nearly any problem thrown their way makes them the favorite heading into the conference finals.
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