Golden State has decisions to make now. Big decisions. Phoenix does, too. And Dallas. And Milwaukee. And Portland. And more.

It's the best time of year in the NBA — with the playoff field getting down to its final four on Sunday.

It'll be followed by the co-best time of year in the NBA — July, when free agency means some teams are going to wildly change.

The Warriors' reign as NBA champions ended Friday night with a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, and it served as a reminder that nobody — not even a team with four titles in nine years — can escape the need to make changes. And if the enormous-spending Warriors need changing, then a whole lot of other teams do as well.

"I still feel like this team has championship potential," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "We didn't get there this year but it's not like this is the end of the road. But the organization has some decisions to make and we'll eventually get to that point."

They're not alone.

I believe we will have a very attractive position ... We have the best player in the world. We have a championship culture and organization. We have great facilities. I think we have great respect around the league. So, I think we'll have a lot of options.

Jon Horst, general manager of the Milwaukee Bucks

Consider: Milwaukee had the best record in the NBA this season, the No 1 overall seed and home-court advantage throughout the entirety of the playoffs. The Bucks won only one playoff game, wound up firing coach Mike Budenholzer and surely will consider how much deeper they want to get into the luxury tax — while also making sure they do enough to give Giannis Antetokounmpo more title chances.

"I believe we will have a very attractive position," Bucks general manager Jon Horst said. "We have the best player in the world. We have a championship culture and organization. We have great facilities. I think we have great respect around the league. So, I think we'll have a lot of options."

ALSO READ: NBA: Devin Booker, Suns even series with Clippers

Expect a lot of comments like that in the coming days and weeks.

Coach Monty Williams paid the price for Phoenix's playoff frustration. Williams was fired on Saturday, with new owner Mat Ishbia clearly not impressed by two straight years of the Suns trailing by 30 points at halftime in elimination games at home. The Suns must also decide what to do with Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton.

Ishbia made an immediate splash after taking over by trading for Kevin Durant; he didn't do that with a second-round exit in mind. Devin Booker is probably just beginning to enter his prime, Durant is obviously closer to the end than the beginning but still elite, and the Suns will have no choice but to remain in win-now mode.

Dallas — which missed the playoffs — will need to make a decision on free-agent-in-waiting Kyrie Irving and what works best for Luka Doncic.

Portland has to figure out what to do to make Damian Lillard happy, meaning it has to either lure more talent or send him to a contender.

The Los Angeles Clippers might decide to make big changes after their season ended earlier than they wanted.

For the most part, the only teams that are truly happy with how their seasons have gone right now are probably Miami, the Lakers, Denver and the Boston-Philadelphia winner. They're going to be the last four standing.

"There's winning, and there's misery," Heat president Pat Riley famously says.

READ MORE: NBA: Bucks beat Bulls, clinch top seed in East

He's not wrong. Even some playoff teams know the current mix isn't good enough: Cleveland was exposed by the Knicks in the first round, Atlanta took two games off Boston and beat Miami in a play-in game but still must consider upgrades; Memphis was No 2 in the West entering the playoffs and went nowhere.

One team's path will get a little easier on Tuesday at the draft lottery, when a lucky club wins the right to select Victor Wembanyama next month. But that won't be any of the other teams that made the playoffs and fell short. They might go spending. They might make trades. They'll all do something.

Agencies Via Xinhua