Roundball Roundtable: Who needs to make a change in 2025?

With the league preparing to embark on a new calendar year, theScore's NBA editors answer some of the biggest questions around the league.

Which team needs to blow it up?

Miami Heat: A full-on fire sale may be excessive, but it's time to pull the plug on the current iteration of the Heat. While Pat Riley already refuted the notion of trading Jimmy Butler, it presents the best path forward for both parties, especially the franchise. Butler will leave Miami for nothing if he exits in free agency this summer, and retaining him on a lucrative, long-term deal could leave the team hamstrung under strict CBA team-building penalties if his game falters even further (his 18.5-point average is his lowest in a Heat uniform). The 35-year-old's trade value may not warrant the type of return that balances out a roster built around Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo, but Riley can still get a decent return by pitting desperate contenders against one another in negotiations. - Jonathan Soveta

Chicago Bulls: It feels like we've been having the same conversation about the Bulls for years. This team remains stuck in the middle with a first-round playoff exit as its ceiling if all things break right. Chicago allowed DeMar DeRozan to walk last offseason via sign-and-trade, but it needs to commit to a full rebuild in order to set itself up for long-term success. A Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic tandem isn't leading the Bulls back to the promised land, and adding to that core isn't worth exceeding the first apron. It's a perfect time to begin a complete teardown, as this year's draft class features multiple franchise-changing prospects. - Chicco Nacion

New Orleans Pelicans: Sitting last in the West at just 5-27, New Orleans is already nearing elimination from the 2025 postseason. It went all-in this campaign, shipping Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr., and two first-round picks to the Atlanta Hawks during the summer to acquire Dejounte Murray. But the former All-Star broke his hand in his Pelicans debut and is having his worst statistical season since 2020-21. Franchise star Zion Williamson, meanwhile, has only appeared in six games as he continues to deal with hamstring problems. Williamson has struggled to remain healthy for the majority of his career, and New Orleans reportedly has stipulations in his contract that make the final three seasons of his massive contract non-guaranteed. The Pelicans also have assets that contending teams might want. It's time to move on from this version. - Thomas Tittley

Which player has experienced the biggest falloff?

Gary Trent Jr. - Trent decided to bet on himself this past offseason, signing a minimum deal with the Milwaukee Bucks after not receiving the contract he desired elsewhere. But instead of proving himself, he's proving other teams were right to be hesitant. The 25-year-old is averaging 9.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.9 assists while shooting 41.8% from the field and 39.7% from three. His numbers are down across the board, and this is the first time he's averaging single-digit points per game since his sophomore season. He also has the second-lowest usage rate of his career (15.9), resulting in just 7.9 field goals attempted per contest. For reference, in his three-and-a-half seasons with the Toronto Raptors, he never put up less than 11.9 attempts. Trent also lost his starting job on the Bucks to Andre Jackson Jr. only seven games into the campaign. - Joseph Luca Casciaro

Tyrese Haliburton: Among the 26 players who were named All-Stars last season, Haliburton is arguably experiencing the biggest drop-off in 2024-25. His 3-point shot continues to elude him. After shooting a combined 43.8% from deep during a five-game winning streak that included wins over the Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, and Golden State Warriors, he again hit a wall against the Oklahoma City Thunder, who held him to just four points and two field goals in 35 minutes. He then finished a season-worst minus-27 in a 37-point blowout by the Boston Celtics. His 31-point performance in Sunday's rematch was promising, but he was still 1-of-6 from distance. Haliburton hasn't missed a game this season due to injury, which suggests the struggles are mental. But the Indiana Pacers have one of the toughest schedules remaining, per Tankathon. They need Haliburton to rediscover whatever he had going earlier this month. - Soveta

Jamal Murray: The Denver Nuggets guard hasn't been able to shake off his playoff and Olympic struggles. Murray's tallying his fewest points per game since Year 3 in the Association, even though he's getting to the charity stripe more than ever. The Canadian has also seen a significant drop in both 3-point percentage and field-goal percentage. Murray is making only 40.5% of his catch-and-shoot attempts and shooting 39.9% on pull-up jumpers. He's on pace to commit the most turnovers of his career as well. Murray just doesn't look like the same player that helped the Nuggets win their first NBA title two years ago. He isn't as aggressive and is having trouble at times creating separation from defenders off the dribble. Fortunately, Murray showed some life over the last few games, and perhaps it's only a matter of time until he gets back on track. - Nacion

Which team has the best bench unit?

Memphis Grizzlies: Despite having had 155 games missed due to injury - the most in the Association - no NBA second unit produces as much offensively as the Grizzlies' bench, which scores 48.8 points per game. Memphis has once again found diamonds in the rough through tough times. Scotty Pippen Jr. and Jay Huff had their two-way contracts converted into long-term deals after their strong starts. Santi Aldama has also been a revelation, averaging a career-best 13 points per game. The Grizzlies will likely add another dynamic threat off the bench when GG Jackson makes his season debut after recovering from offseason foot surgery. The second-year wing scored 20-plus 12 times in his freshman season while averaging 14.6 points per game. - Tittley

Atlanta Hawks: The Hawks rank third in the NBA in points per game off the bench this season with 43.8, and part of that is due to De'Andre Hunter. The 27-year-old is flourishing as Atlanta's new sixth man this campaign, averaging a career-high 20.6 points on 50% shooting and an absurd 45.2% 3-point shooting. He's scored less than 10 points just once in his 22 games this year. In addition to Hunter, the Hawks also boast Bogdan Bogdanovic, Onyeka Okongwu, and Larry Nance Jr. off the pine. Atlanta is also the only team in the top three in bench scoring that plays its reserves less than 100 minutes per night (90.7). - Casciaro

Oklahoma City Thunder: If we're going by the numbers, it's nearly impossible to argue against Oklahoma City's reserve contingent. The Thunder are posting an NBA-high 6.8 net rating among bench units through 31 games; that's over 1.5 points per 100 possessions better than the No. 2-rated Cavaliers (5.1) and nearly double that of the fourth-ranked Celtics bench (3.7). Oklahoma City's second unit picks up where the starters leave off on defense without missing a beat, and it tops the league in steals per game (4.6), predominantly thanks to the recently extended Alex Caruso. Caruso alone averages 1.9 steals and holds opponents to a league-best 41.1% from the floor. The Thunder's bench is also still surrendering the fourth-fewest paint points by any second unit (14.8 per game) despite Isaiah Hartenstein joining the starters in late November following Chet Holmgren's hip fracture. Easy buckets simply don't exist against any part of this OKC lineup. - Soveta

How can the league improve the NBA Cup?

Use divisions for groups: The NBA Cup remains a work in progress with lots of room for improvement, and the league can continue its progression by using the existing divisions as the groups. While I appreciate the FIFA-inspired draw ceremony for the group reveal, it's easy to forget how the teams were divided when the in-season tourney begins four months later. Having the divisions serve as the groups not only simplifies the fan experience but also pits established rivals against one another. The NBA Cup was created partly to increase the level of competition early on, and nothing spices up a rivalry more than having something meaningful to play for. - Nacion

Make the final matter: In its current format, NBA organizations don't gain an advantage for winning the NBA Cup. The only benefits, apart from the bonus that players get, are theoretical. It's nonsensical that every game of the tournament counts toward regular-season totals except for the final, but the league has a few options to rectify this problem. It can give the winner a half-game advantage over the rest of the league, officially making its regular season 82.5 games. Or, in a more radical idea, it can give an automatic playoff berth to the winner of the Cup; the lowest spot the NBA Cup champion could get, for example, is the sixth seed. This solution comes with some potential drawbacks - like the winning team sitting out top players in the second half of the season - but it would make for an electric final. - Tittley

No more Vegas: The NBA Cup took some strides in the second tournament, but it still lacked once it came down to the final four. Las Vegas as a neutral site does not seem to click, and it led to uninterested fans at a game that people are meant to care about more than others. The Hawks and Bucks put on an entertaining semifinal contest, but you could practically hear a pin drop in the T-Mobile Arena. If a team has a successful run to the NBA Cup championship game, it should be rewarded with home-court advantage to allow more energy in the arena. When it comes to a championship game, you want to hear the excitement from the crowd, and having teams play in their city would improve this. - Casciaro