NBA Teams Face Key Roster Gaps as 2025-26 Camps Approach
nba-roster-holes-and-g-league-trades
With NBA training camps set to open in a few weeks, ESPN’s Kevin Pelton surveyed the most pressing roster needs for all 30 clubs heading into the 2025-26 season.
Pelton noted that the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder are the lone team bringing back their entire playoff rotation; their biggest concern, he wrote, is securing a new arena rather than adding players.
Among Eastern Conference contenders, Pelton pointed to the Cleveland Cavaliers’ need for wing depth while swingman Max Strus recovers from an injury expected to sideline him for several months. He also suggested the New York Knicks could benefit from additional seasoned reserves to solidify their bench.
Out West, Pelton identified the Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets as teams that could use help at point guard, while the Minnesota Timberwolves might improve with more perimeter scoring options.
G League Transactions
The Detroit Pistons’ affiliate, the Motor City Cruise, sent the returning player rights to forward Cameron Martin and guard Javante McCoy to the Denver Nuggets’ affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold. In exchange, Motor City received the rights to center Charles Bediako and a 2026 international draft pick.
In a separate move, Raptors 905 traded the rights to guard Kennedy Chandler to the Philadelphia 76ers’ affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, for wing Patrick McCaw and a future first-round G League pick. According to Sportsnet’s Blake Murphy, several EuroLeague clubs pursued McCaw earlier in the offseason, and it remains unclear whether he will stay in the G League or head overseas after four seasons in the NBAGL.
International Note
Newly crowned EuroBasket MVP Dennis Schröder credited Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki as a key influence in Germany’s rise on the international stage.
Source: Hoops Rumors
