The opening tip  Bradley Beal and the Wizards, Luka Doncic and the Mavericks and Pascal Siakam and the Raptors all need some improvements to their teams in the new year. (AP) | These three teams need New Year's makeovers In this week of New Year's resolutions, even the NBA's functional franchises have things to work on. The defending champion Golden State Warriors must figure out how to win on the road again. The scorching Brooklyn Nets must do everything in their power to keep Kyrie Irving focused on basketball. And the Memphis Grizzlies should consider toning down the trash talk until they're ready to back it up in high-profile matchups. Of course, there are other teams that won't be saved by a little self-improvement around the edges: The Chicago Bulls have an expensive and underperforming veteran core that needs to be disassembled, while the Los Angeles Lakers are dealing with an impatient LeBron James, an injured Anthony Davis and another season of unfulfilled expectations. Beyond those conspicuous failures, there are three teams facing existential crises that demand action in 2023, lest their current predicaments fester into something even worse. Washington Wizards There's no need to mince words: Washington is the most aimless team in the league, ranking 30th in home attendance percentage and barely appearing on national television. Despite a brief upturn recently, the Wizards are on pace for their fifth straight losing season and have made precious little progress in assembling a young core for the future. Thanks to a string of underwhelming first-round picks, the Wizards have one of the NBA's least impressive collections of 25-and-under talent. Re-signing Bradley Beal last summer provided a measure of constancy, but it's unclear how the franchise will get its money's worth on the five-year, $251 million agreement. Beal's pairing with Kristaps Porzingis has delivered a below-average offense, and Washington now faces a decision on whether to pay or trade Kyle Kuzma. Given their existing salary commitments, lack of prospects and difficulties attracting premier free agents, the Wizards have limited options to improve their lot in life. Their best path out of this purgatorial mediocrity is to be so bad that they are repeatedly drafting in the blue-chip range of the lottery. This year, that should mean moving Kuzma before the trade deadline and shutting down Beal and Porzingis in March or early April, rather than chasing a meaningless play-in berth. This summer, Washington should seriously explore the trade market for Beal in hopes of finding an aspiring contender willing to take on the balance of his contract. Moving Beal would immediately position the Wizards for a San Antonio Spurs-like drop in next year's standings, which is exactly what they need. Remember, the franchise's most successful era since its 1970s heyday was made possible by high picks across four successive drafts: John Wall (No. 1 in 2010), Beal (No. 3 in 2012) and Otto Porter (No. 3 in 2013). It's well past time for Washington to take that type of multiyear plunge again. Dallas Mavericks The Mavericks and Dirk Nowitzki enjoyed a fruitful 21-year marriage that produced the 2011 title and a brilliant bronze statue in downtown Dallas to honor the future Hall of Famer. As Luka Doncic adds his name next to Nowitzki's in the franchise's record books, it's important to remember that enduring marriages have been replaced by mutually beneficial "partnerships" between franchises and superstars in the modern NBA. Indeed, the 23-year-old Doncic exists in the player empowerment era's second generation. Most of the high-profile players who excelled in the years between Nowitzki's peak and Doncic's rise — LeBron James, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard, and Carmelo Anthony, among others — have all jumped from team to team to suit their individual interests. Recent history suggests that a player of Doncic's caliber is far more likely to seek greener pastures if he isn't competing for titles than he is to spend 13 long years to win a ring like Nowitzki once did. This year's Mavericks are starting to pick up steam, but they hardly look like world-beaters. Dallas's surprising run to the 2022 Western Conference finals, then, functions as both a gift and a curse. The Mavericks proved that they could perform at a high level with Doncic as their singular star, but they also inflated expectations for the foreseeable future. Much like the Cleveland Cavaliers, who reached the 2007 Finals thanks to a 22-year-old James, the Mavericks must now guard against regression or stalling-out in future postseason runs. Otherwise, Doncic might start weighing his own "Decision." This summer was an ominous start to Dallas's new reality: Jalen Brunson departed for nothing, and the top incoming talent was Christian Wood, a productive but polarizing journeyman. While this is the first season of Doncic's $207 million supermax extension, time is of the essence. Consider: Jayson Tatum, Ja Morant, Zion Williamson, Devin Booker and Donovan Mitchell all have better sidekicks and more auxiliary talent at their disposal than Doncic, who is getting by with three-and-D wings and limited big men who mostly function as lob targets. The Mavericks must not be paralyzed by the bad memories of their ill-fated blockbuster deal for Porzingis, whom they intended to be Doncic's No. 2 option before the pairing fizzled. They must make some splashy upgrades this summer — something like the Milwaukee Bucks' 2020 trade for Jrue Holiday — or risk the vultures descending upon Doncic in the not-too-distant future. Toronto Raptors The Raptors entered this season in an enviable position: They boasted two all-stars in Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet, the 2022 Rookie of the Year in Scottie Barnes, a salary cap sheet free of onerous contracts and all of their future first-round picks for use in trades. Unfortunately, Toronto has been one of the NBA's biggest disappointments, falling below .500 after raising expectations with a 48-win season last year. It's time to pivot. Toronto has collected a deep collection of versatile wings and forwards, but its goal of crafting an interchangeable, high-energy defense that overwhelms opponents hasn't consistently come to fruition. Meanwhile, the Raptors' offense has been unreliable, as they rank 29th in three-point percentage and have sorely lacked an organizer since Kyle Lowry's 2021 departure. Coach Nick Nurse has turned to Siakam, VanVleet and O.G. Anunoby for huge minutes again this season, and he's been met with some diminishing returns. Pursuing a tanking strategy would require a fire sale at the trade deadline, a drastic approach that would be out of character for Raptors president Masai Ujiri. Instead, Toronto should aim to rebalance its roster by exchanging one of its many forwards for another backcourt creator to ease VanVleet's load. Toronto can still pursue its vision of building a long, athletic and exhausting roster, but it must admit that it needs better ballhandlers and more reliable shooters if its longer-term plans are ever going to take shape. Besides Barnes, an aspiring point forward with significant upside who has struggled in his second season, Ujiri should weigh offers for everyone else on his roster. That includes Siakam, as his two-way game would be a fit on virtually any contender. | 
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