How the rosters of the four conference finalists were built

As the NBA Finals near, all eyes are on the conference finals -- including those of the other 26 franchises looking to get to this point in the near future. The majority of the league's front offices have shifted into offseason mode, looking to either find the stars who can make them contenders or adding support with the right role players.

Brunson's 2022 departure for the Knicks in free agency forced the Mavericks to change strategy, sending out a series of first-round picks and swaps to rebuild around Luka. Because Irving was heading into free agency after requesting a trade from the Nets and coming off, leaving the Mavericks out a first-round pick and Finney-Smith for a rental. Instead, Irving re-signed a three-year contract and has only made headlines in Dallas for his play.

In many ways, Dallas' roster defies the lessons learned from the other three conference finalists. The Mavericks are the only team left that added a rotation player in free agency last summer, while Gafford and Washington played more in the conference semifinals than any other player added within the week of the deadline.

This conference finals run is the latest reminder that while adding Sabonis might have worked for the Sacramento Kings, who ended their playoff drought in 2023 by pairing him with, it's been a heist for Indiana. That part of the Pacers' rebuild will be hard to replicate but other front offices can look to emulate their success giving Nesmith and Toppin second chances in systems that better fit their talent.

The Timberwolves' brass -- led by president Tim Connelly, who also built the starting five for the Denver team that won last year's title -- can still take credit for believing in coach Chris Finch's ability to fit Gobert and Towns in the frontcourt.

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