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Los Angeles Clippers

No team will have more at stake this summer than the Clippers. Three of their top four players—Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and J.J. Redick—will be eligible for free agency in July. Another postseason shortfall could all but seal the departure of at least one of those mainstays.

Losing Redick and either Griffin or Paul would put L.A. in a tough spot. Watching all three walk would send the Clippers back to the Dark Ages, lest Austin Rivers and All-Star DeAndre Jordan morph into more dynamic players.

In all likelihood, the Clippers will retain no fewer than one of their available superstars come July. But don't discount the impact that another acrimonious postseason exit—perhaps as early as the first round, if L.A. slips into a matchup with the third-seeded Houston Rockets—could have in the City of Angels.

Philadelphia 76ers

The Sixers' search for a superstar might already be over despite persistent injury-bug infestations.

Joel Embiid looked like a franchise-changing talent during his 31 games for the Sixers this season. Ben Simmons, the No. 1 pick in 2016, could be as impactful as advertised once he's cleared to play after suffering a Jones fracture in his right foot during training camp.

If neither of those guys can stay healthy long enough to form Philly's foundation, the Sixers can always turn to Dario Saric, who's seized the lead in the Rookie of the Year race by averaging 17.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists over the past two months.

Utah Jazz

The Jazz will be sweating out free agency this summer, with All-Star Gordon Hayward and George Hill both slated to hit the market. Losing Hayward, in particular, would be a devastating blow to Utah's hopes of contention going forward, though the team feels it might still have a star to build around in Rudy Gobert.

"Rudy’s never been one to want to see a ceiling placed on him, and that's not something that I want to do because he continues to push towards it," Jazz head coach Quin Snyder told Bleacher Report. "I don't want to stifle any of that."

Nor would Utah have any reason to resist unleashing Gobert's full force should Hayward take his talents elsewhere.