Yeah, their roster construction isn't done yet. They still have assets, cap space, and young players.
That said, if they are only able to fill out the roster with Reddicks and Bradleys and Bookers and Illyasovas, are they a true contender?
Even if they were able to beat to the Celtics in the ECF, are they really going to beat the Warriors? Rockets? Lakers?
Maybe, but right not they are more like a pretender than a contender. Isn't that the exact position they were trying to avoid when they started this rebuild in 2012?
And that's making huge assumptions about health, improvements, etc. too.