Not many franchises project to have real spending power this summer. The exceptions include the Pistons (up to $68 million), Sixers ($62-$65 million, depending on what the team does with its No. 16 pick, Paul Reed Jr. and other free agents) and Magic (about $53 million).

The Pistons have new leadership under Trajan Langdon, and competing executives are eager to learn what direction he will take the franchise. Currently, Detroit is a wild card.

The Sixers were believed to be targeting George, but Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium recently noted that interest "has significantly waned in recent days."

That news made many in the industry wonder if the Sixers had found an alternative player—perhaps Jimmy Butler or Brandon Ingram—via trade or if George and the Clippers had made enough progress for Philadelphia to look elsewhere.

After an impressive run to the playoffs, the Magic can make significant add-ons to what is already a solid squad. But some wonder if the team is willing to invest heavily in players over multiple years, given the pending raises for Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner and eventually Paolo Banchero.

If George doesn't gain traction with the Clippers and the three teams aren't willing to offer him an extension, he may need to opt in to try to secure a trade to a team willing to give him one.

Others like Thompson, if not returning to the Warriors, and D'Angelo Russell (who can opt out of his deal with the Lakers) need spenders to relocate.

The Utah Jazz are expected to use their cap space to renegotiate Lauri Markkanen's deal. After acquiring Caruso, the Thunder still have around $31.5 million to spend. That's slightly less than the Hornets (about $33 million), but with new ownership and leadership, direction is also challenging to predict.

That leaves the Toronto Raptors, who are expected to stay over the cap instead of dropping to about $30 million under, and the San Antonio Spurs, who can be near $19 million. Everyone else is limited to the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($12.9 million) or below.

Few teams have money to spend, and the ones that do will define the offseason.