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15. Toronto Raptors

Projected Starting Five: Kyle Lowry, Norman Powell, OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, Marc Gasol

Combined WAR: 14.0

The Toronto Raptors didn't just lose Kawhi Leonard, though that's the most devastating bit of news for them. The other starter on the wing, Danny Green, is gone too.

Now, with little cap flexibility, the Raptors are forced to adjust on the fly. They have a couple of young, interesting options to fill those roles. Powell and Anunoby still have some promise, but it'll be borderline impossible for them to make fans forget about Leonard and Green.

As things stand now, another leap for Siakam might be the only thing that can push the reigning champions to 2020 contention.

14. Miami Heat

Projected Starting Five: Goran Dragic, Jimmy Butler, Justise Winslow, James Johnson, Bam Adebayo

Combined WAR: 14.5

Outside of Dragic, this lineup could be very switchable on defense. And on the other end, Butler gives Miami something it's needed since Chris Bosh's career ended prematurely.

Over the last three seasons, Miami's combined offensive rating (points per possession) ranks 20th.

Butler's offensive rating swings (difference in the team's points per possession when the player is on or off the court) over the same span, according to Cleaning the Glass: 92nd percentile in 2016-17, 86th percentile in 2017-18, 71st percentile for the 76ers in 2018-19.

Now, when things get bogged down, the Heat will have a player who can consistently create efficient offense for himself or others.

13. Portland Trail Blazers

Projected Starting Five: Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, Rodney Hood, Zach Collins, Hassan Whiteside

Combined WAR: 14.6

The presence of Lillard and McCollum remains a constant, but the rest of this lineup has been drastically overhauled.

Hassan Whiteside will try to hold down the center position until Jusuf Nurkic recovers from a broken leg. Rodney Hood will hope to replicate his recent playoff performance. And Zach Collins may have to move to the 4 full time. He played 46 percent of his minutes there this past season.

The key here could be Collins. He may not have the mobility to do a ton of attacking off the dribble and from the perimeter, but the form on his jumper suggests he could be a consistent shooting threat from deep. If he develops there, this lineup will likely feel much more balanced.

12. Dallas Mavericks

Projected Starting Five: Jalen Brunson, Tim Hardaway Jr., Luka Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis, Dwight Powell

Combined WAR: 14.9

This feels like a huge jump, and you can largely thank Luka for it. That player KAT is tied with for 13th in projected WAR? It's Doncic.

Fresh off a rookie campaign in which his raw totals were matched only by Oscar Robertson, Doncic appears primed to be one of the game's top point forwards.

And he has some frontcourt mates who should be pretty tough to stop, too. FiveThirtyEight pegs Porzingis as a top-50 player next season, and Powell is top-75.

11. Boston Celtics

Projected Starting Five: Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Gordon Hayward, Enes Kanter

Combined WAR: 17.0

Last season, Kemba was 10th among point guards in real plus-minus, while Kyrie Irving was seventh. It's just one metric, but the suggestion that Walker isn't leaps and bounds behind Irving checks out. And he's yet to experience the Brad Stevens statistical bump point guards like Irving and Isaiah Thomas have enjoyed under Boston's head coach.

Even as he heads into his age-29 season, there's a chance Walker finds a new level, and that's likely to come without the drama Kyrie brought.

If that means bounce-back seasons for Brown, Tatum and Hayward, there's a chance this team is even better than it was in 2018-19.

Now, that's obviously a lot of hypotheticals, and the step down from Al Horford to Enes Kanter is significant. But considering what else could've happened this summer, the Celtics had a nice recovery.

10. Oklahoma City Thunder

Projected Starting Five: Russell Westbrook, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Andre Roberson, Danilo Gallinari, Steven Adams

Combined WAR: 17.9

Losing Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers hurts. In fact, prior to that move, the projections had OKC all the way up at No. 3. But this trade sets the Thunder up for a bright future as Westbrook approaches the end of his prime.

Gilgeous-Alexander has star potential, and the Clippers are sending five first-round picks and two pick swaps, according to Wojnarowski.

This haul of assets may be even more intriguing for a team that once assembled one of the best young cores we've ever seen through the draft by landing Westbrook, James Harden, Serge Ibaka and Kevin Durant.

9. New Orleans Pelicans

Projected Starting Five: Jrue Holiday, Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, Derrick Favors

Combined WAR: 18.0

Lady Luck offered support in the form of the draft lottery, but New Orleans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin deserves all the praise he's getting for assembling a very intriguing roster in the wake of Anthony Davis' demanding to be traded.

The lineup above could be very cramped. JJ Redick can certainly help that, but the defensive potential here is enormous. Holiday and Ball are two of the best perimeter defenders in the league. Ingram has great length. Williamson was terrific on defense at Duke. And Favors was an underrated cog in Utah's consistently stout defenses.

On the other end, the idea of 4/5 pick-and-rolls with Zion and Favors is intriguing. This particular lineup could have playmaking everywhere but the center spot.

8. Denver Nuggets

Projected Starting Five: Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, Torrey Craig, Paul Millsap, Nikola Jokic

Combined WAR: 19.6

One of the few teams that will mostly run it back, the Nuggets look poised to contend in the suddenly wide-open Western Conference.

Last season, when Murray, Millsap and Jokic were all on the floor, Denver was plus-8.6 points per 100 possessions (92nd percentile), per Cleaning the Glass.

Then in the playoffs, Jokic averaged 25.1 points, 13.0 rebounds, 8.4 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.9 blocks per game.

As his supporting cast continues to develop, the Nuggets are going to give opponents serious trouble.

7. Utah Jazz

Projected Starting Five: Mike Conley, Donovan Mitchell, Joe Ingles, Bojan Bogdanovic, Rudy Gobert

Combined WAR: 20.5

Utah went with continuity in summer 2018, and it mostly paid off. The Jazz won 50 games and finished fourth in the NBA in simple rating system (point differential combined with strength of schedule).

Then, they got steamrolled by the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs. This summer, they made some drastic changes.

Utah has, in some ways, withstood basketball's recent revolution. Starting Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert together would've been normal for most of NBA history, but it felt rebellious in this era.

Still, the team showed glimpses of more modern basketball when Jae Crowder played the 4. And this season, glimpses will give way to far more small ball.

6. Golden State Warriors

Projected Starting Five: Stephen Curry, D'Angelo Russell, Alfonzo McKinnie, Draymond Green, Kevon Looney

Combined WAR: 21.8

With the departure of Kevin Durant, the Warriors could have been stuck in a pretty tight spot. With Curry and Green's deals still on the books and Klay Thompson's max incoming, there was no cap space or conceivable route to a Durant replacement.

Working a sign-and-trade to get Russell is huge, even if the long-term fit for him and Curry isn't perfect.

With Klay recovering from a torn ACL, Curry and Russell should both get plenty of possessions next season. And if things don't work out, Golden State now has a trade asset it can use to acquire a wing who plays a position closer to Durant or Andre Iguodala's.