Next Steps for Each 1st-Round NBA Playoff Loser

The sting of losing may have subsided for teams eliminated in the first round of the NBA playoffs, but the dull ache of defeat lingers as a reminder, throbbing with a critical question.How do we avoid this feeling next year'The answer's different for every first-round loser, and some may even have longer-term goals that make returning to the playoffs at all a secondary concern.Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder, for example, have a league-altering summer on deck.We'll work big to small, highlighting each eliminated team's overarching offseason issue and then addressing the follow-up priorities. Some arepraying their free agents stay. Others may be searching for ways to cut stars loose and start over.For these teams, the offseason started the second they were bounced from the playoffs. They've all got serious work ahead.Begin Slideshow
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