One bold prediction for every NBA team heading into next season

Sacramento Kings: The Kings will go with a three-guard starting lineup

De’Aaron Fox has a shiny new max contract and is a lock to start for the Kings next season. Buddy Hield’s shooting stroke makes him the right player to start alongside him in the backcourt.

On the surface, that seems like it should relegate rookie Tyrese Haliburton to the bench. However, Sacramento’s lack of quality options at small forward gives the Kings an interesting opportunity to do something innovative. Starting Fox, Hield, and Haliburton all at the same time could give opponents fits during the regular season.

San Antonio Spurs: DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge won’t start

The Spurs should have offloaded veterans like DeRozan, Aldridge, and Patty Mills this offseason. All three remain serious in-season trade candidates.

Even if they aren’t moved, San Antonio won’t let them restrict the development of their young players. DeRozan and Aldridge won’t be frozen out entirely, but both will head to the second unit to create room for younger players to learn on the job.

Toronto Raptors: DeAndre Bembry will be reborn

Bembry showed some intriguing talent during his early days with the Hawks, but his lack of shooting ability derailed his career in Atlanta.

Toronto has a great ability to help distressed players like Bembrey find their footing. He won’t become a star north of the border, but he will become a valuable part of Nick Nurse’s rotation. That’s a big step up for a guy who got dumped by the Hawks.

Utah Jazz: Rudy Gobert will be traded

Part of the reason Utah chose to bring Derrick Favors back to town was to provide insurance in case their contract extension talks with Gobert didn’t go as planned. The Jazz don’t seem interested in giving the towering center the max contract he covets.

That makes an in-season trade an intriguing possibility. Someone like Boston might view Gobert as the missing piece to their championship puzzle. It’s easy to envision a scenario where Utah decides breaking the Donovan Mitchell-Gobert pairing up is the right long-term play for the franchise.

Washington Wizards: Rui Hachimura falls out of the rotation

Hachimura got minutes for Washington as a rookie, but it’s hard to say his play was good enough to merit the responsibility he received. The arrival of Russell Westbrook will make it really difficult for a non-shooter like Hachimura to stay on the floor.

Playing him over guys like Davis Bertans, Deni Avdija, or even Anthony Gill just doesn’t make sense for a team with postseason dreams. Hachimura will get plenty of DNPs as long as Washington stays in the mix for a postseason berth.