Album of the Week: \u201cCry Baby,\u201d Vince Staples (2026)<\/p>\n
To everyone waking up at 7 in the morning: those aren\u2019t pigs flying high on a joyride to heaven.<\/p>\n
Congratulations are in order for the New York Knicks<\/a>! And most importantly, congratulations are in order for a team that is not the Knicks, Thunder, Celtics, Nuggets, Warriors, Bucks, Lakers and Raptors. This decade\u2019s title pattern says there will be a ninth different champion in 2027, and it certainly won\u2019t be a Knicks dynasty. At least you have this summer before your downfall commences in the spring, New York. Do the Right Thing, one time to Spike Lee.<\/p>\n We\u2019re here to put a nice bow on what was the 2025-26 NBA season. After all, this is the part of the NBA calendar where fans think they can play the 82-0 game with their team\u2019s roster. We can use the tiers accordingly:<\/p>\n Top Contenders \u2014 Locked at five, these are the class of the league In The Athletic NBA Power Rankings for June, we will explore offseason outlooks for each team. Previous rankings are from April<\/a>, when we handed out fourth quarter grades; see that edition for records and efficiency ratings.<\/p>\n Tier 1: Top Contenders1. New York Knicks<\/p>\n Last ranking: 6 What happened and what\u2019s next? Well look at what we have here. The \u201cbiased New York Times\u201d (callback<\/a>!) has the Knicks atop the Power Rankings. You\u2019ve never seen it before! You didn\u2019t even see it this season! Now, I had the Knicks winning the East before the season started. They did win the NBA Cup, but they didn\u2019t look like a special team during the regular season. They weren\u2019t a 40-before-20 contender<\/a>. Their best player has a shorter wingspan than I do. They\u2019re the Knicks, a team that lost to the Spurs in the 1999 NBA Finals and then lost more games than any non-Wizards team during the next 26 years.<\/p>\n But after falling down 2-1 against the Hawks, the Knicks won 15 of their next 16 playoff games and set the record for longest title drought broken in NBA history at 53 years. It isn\u2019t their fault that the higher-seeded Celtics and Pistons lost Game 7s at home to teams the Knicks wound up sweeping. And it isn\u2019t their fault that the Thunder also lost Game 7 at home to a team that the Knicks trailed by double-digits against in every finals game, while winning four of those matchups. You\u2019ve never seen a finals team win all four games with a double-digit comeback, including the largest comeback win in a finals game ever, overcoming a 29-point deficit in Game 4. Jalen Brunson closed out the Spurs with 45 points<\/a>. They should get him to host the Saturday Night Live season opener.<\/p>\n And your team can do it too! You just need to replace Kemba Walker with Brunson, tamper so blatantly that the league strips a draft pick<\/a>, have him leave more than $100 million on the table for an extension during his prime, then flip Cam Reddish, RJ Barrett, Evan Fournier and Julius Randle in trades for Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns. Not to mention, have Mike Brown replace Tom Thibodeau as coach. Mitchell Robinson is New York\u2019s top free agent, and the Knicks still have picks in both rounds of the 2026 NBA Draft. The league was a lot of fun while the Knicks were bad. Now, we\u2019ll have the most high-profile bandwagon ever. Maybe it\u2019ll include Becky Hammon now!<\/p>\n 2. San Antonio Spurs<\/p>\n Last ranking: 2 What happened and what\u2019s next? Let\u2019s start with obvious plaudits. The Spurs didn\u2019t just have a six-year playoff drought. They were the only team in the West that failed to win 40 percent of its games in that span. The Spurs tanked before, during, and after Victor Wembanyama\u2019s rookie season. Their three-year draft run of Wembanyama, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper is essentially outlawed by the NBA now<\/a>.<\/p>\n But the neophyte Spurs were truly dominant in breaking the franchise\u2019s only multi-season postseason drought, and they carried that through the playoffs. They made short work of the Portland Trail Blazers despite Wembanyama being concussed. They beat the Minnesota Timberwolves so badly that Anthony Edwards chose to dap them up during the final blowout, eliminating a team that was in back-to-back conference finals. And then they took the belt from the defending champion Thunder, presenting themselves as ethical basketball alternatives to a suddenly vilified Oklahoma City team, and scribes and stans alike were ready to declare Wembanyama as the world\u2019s best player already<\/a>.<\/p>\n Alas, there were four rounds of these playoffs, just like there were four quarters. San Antonio would be champions if the games and playoffs ended at three. The Spurs became the fourth team ever<\/a> to make the finals after a postseason drought of at least six years, but they looked more like the 2021 Suns than the 1977 Trail Blazers or the bubble Lakers. San Antonio built double-digit leads in all five first quarters, and they wound up in clutch time in each game, winning only once. It\u2019s a hard way to go out<\/a>, especially since they couldn\u2019t keep that same energy for the Knicks that they had against the Thunder.<\/p>\n San Antonio still gets one more year with Wembanyama before his rookie-scale extension kicks in, its only finals-rotation free agent is Julian Champagnie, and the Spurs have the 20th pick in the draft thanks to the Dejounte Murray trade. But every team playing the Spurs next year should feel like a game is never over after they lost a record six games after leading by double digits this postseason.<\/p>\n 3. Oklahoma City Thunder<\/p>\n Last ranking: 1 What happened and what\u2019s next? Everyone enjoyed Oklahoma City\u2019s rise to prominence led by now two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander when it was just at the expense of the Clippers. Now that they won a championship and ended some seasons, they\u2019re getting antagonized because they defend and their star gets free throws.<\/p>\n The Thunder won the maximum number of games (11) and lost the minimum number of games (four) possible for a team that did not make the NBA Finals. Zooming out further, the Thunder wound up losing eight games to the San Antonio Spurs this season. Against the other 28 NBA teams, the Thunder went 71-14. This Thunder team was the 10th team ever to win at least 64 games in a season (or the equivalent in non-82-game seasons) and fail to make the NBA Finals. The only other team besides the 2026 Thunder to lose eight times to the same team was the 1973 Celtics, a team that went 68-14 but lost to the eventual champion New York Knicks in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals. The more things change, am I right?<\/p>\n The Jalen Williams hamstring injuries were debilitating against the Spurs, and Chet Holmgren is going to need to redeem himself<\/a> for one of the worst disappearing acts from an All-NBA player you\u2019ll ever see. Oklahoma City is going to look a lot different, and you can start with the team options on starters Luguentz Dort and Isaiah Hartenstein. There\u2019s almost no chance both players return. But they did make that Clippers trade in 2019, so they do have a lottery pick (No. 12). And the Thunder got Philadelphia\u2019s first-round pick (No. 17) as a result of acquiring Al Horford in 2020. It will be in every team\u2019s best interest for Oklahoma City to overreact to their Spurs problem.<\/p>\n 4. Cleveland Cavaliers<\/p>\n Last ranking: 7 What happened and what\u2019s next? On one hand, the Cavaliers won two Game 7s against two top-five defenses. They made their first conference finals since 2018, and their first without LeBron James since 1992. On the other hand, the Cavaliers were the rare conference finalist with a losing record in the playoffs, finishing 8-10. We haven\u2019t seen that since the 2020 bubble Nuggets went 9-10, though that team was considered inspirational because it overcame a 3-1 series deficit twice.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the rub with the Cavaliers. Because of the way they operate, and what they say during and after these playoff losses, it\u2019s hard to feel really good about them. They always seem closer to a team in turmoil than a team ready to ascend with Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley. You never want to hear a head coach discuss timeout preservation after blowing a 22-point fourth quarter lead, or analytical victories when a team is down 3-0 in a series. You never want to hear a point guard discuss how his team was better after getting swept; specifically, a point guard who had seven playoff games with more turnovers than buckets.<\/p>\n But you usually don\u2019t criticize a team too much for making the conference finals as a four-seed after trading starting point guards in the middle of the season either. Cleveland may be infuriating, but its also too good to be deemed irrelevant in the East. The Cavaliers earned another chance, even if it feels like everyone should be down to their last one. Their offseason<\/a> begins with James Harden\u2019s partially guaranteed player option.<\/p>\n 5. Detroit Pistons<\/p>\n Last ranking: 3 What happened and what\u2019s next? Basketball fans love identifying perceived frauds among good teams, as if not being a 60-win team is a badge of honor. So, the pre-slander for the Pistons was just below a rolling boil as soon as they dropped Game 1 to the Magic at home. They overcame a 3-1 deficit, extended head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, then took a 2-0 lead against the Cavaliers. But the Pistons regrettably lost Game 5 at home after squandering a double-digit, second-half lead, then went out sad in Game 7. Complicating matters are several contract decisions, with All-NBA center Jalen Duren struggling mightily in the playoffs<\/a> ahead of restricted free agency and starting power forward Tobias Harris also reaching free agency after his latest uneven postseason.<\/p>\n Detroit also had very little to show in the playoffs from recent top-five picks of the 2023 (they\u2019ve since traded Jaden Ivey) and 2024 (Ron Holland II) drafts. The Pistons have a First Team All-NBA point guard in Cade Cunningham, so that should give them a chance at sustaining the standing they have earned in the East. Cunningham must clean up his turnover problem, and Detroit\u2019s offseason moves need to be geared towards putting the kind of players around Cunningham that can help promote that area of improvement, starting with the No. 21 pick in the draft.<\/p>\n Tier 2: In a Good Place6. Los Angeles Lakers<\/p>\n Last ranking: 8 What happened and what\u2019s next? Few teams were more aware of their narrative than the Lakers. They may have been underdogs going into their series against the Rockets, but not everyone picked them to lose that series<\/a>. Now, everyone did pick them to lose to the Thunder, and they were unable to get a single game in that series. Luka Don\u010di\u0107 was nowhere close to being able to play, Austin Reaves was targeted relentlessly upon his postseason injury return, and LeBron James was just happy to have the ball in his hands after spending much of the season reminding everyone he was third in Los Angeles\u2019 offensive pecking order. It all sets up a game of chicken this offseason.<\/p>\n Reaves is due for a raise<\/a>, while Don\u010di\u0107 prioritizes rest off the floor more than last year. James, on the other hand, doesn\u2019t have a contract. The Lakers are going to hope someone takes a pay cut, and even if that happens, they\u2019ll still need meaningful upgrades at center and from an athletic standpoint. Los Angeles spent most of the season winning close games it wasn\u2019t supposed to win while getting blown out by the best teams in the league.<\/p>\n They simply need better personnel to pair with what they hope will be better injury luck, particularly for Don\u010di\u0107, if they\u2019re going to be legitimate contenders for more than a month of a season.<\/p>\n 7. Minnesota Timberwolves<\/p>\n Last ranking: 9 What happened and what\u2019s next? For the third season in a row, the Timberwolves won a series as the lower-seeded team. But for the fourth season in a row, the Timberwolves were eliminated by a team that wound up in the NBA Finals. After back-to-back seasons as the sixth seed, it might be time for another shakeup in Minnesota.<\/p>\n At the very least, the Timberwolves need to address the point-guard situation. Starting guard Donte DiVincenzo tore his Achilles against the Nuggets, former starter Mike Conley is a 38-year-old free agent and former lottery pick Rob Dillingham was traded in a deal that brought unrestricted free agent Ayo Dosunmu to Minnesota. It might be time to move on from Julius Randle as well, but if that were to happen, then Minnesota would need to get another credible on-ball threat.<\/p>\n 8. Philadelphia 76ers<\/p>\n Last ranking: 19 What happened and what\u2019s next? The 76ers were the lone Eastern Conference playoff team that was outscored during the season. And they looked like light work for the Celtics through four games of the quarterfinals. But All-NBA point guard Tyrese Maxey, All-Rookie shooting guard VJ Edgecombe, veteran small forward Paul George and former MVP center Joel Embiid put together a great week and overcame a 3-1 deficit.<\/p>\n That still wasn\u2019t enough for basketball president Daryl Morey to keep his job, as he was dismissed after the thin 76ers were eliminated by a Knicks team that took over the arena in South Philly for the second time in two seasons. It didn\u2019t help matters that Jared McCain, the rookie contract that Morey was happy to sell high on, was doing more off Oklahoma City\u2019s bench by himself than Philadelphia\u2019s collective bench. The 76ers hired former Cavaliers executive Mike Gansey as Morey\u2019s replacement, and Gansey needs to figure out what to do<\/a> about free agents Kelly Oubre, Andre Drummond and Quentin Grimes while seeking to upgrade the power forward position.<\/p>\n Tier 3: The Bubble9. Boston Celtics<\/p>\n Last ranking: 4 What happened and what\u2019s next? This was looking like such a triumphant season for the Boston Celtics. They got the No. 2 seed, Jayson Tatum was back from Achilles surgery and they welcomed Embiid back with a blowout win to take a 3-1 lead. But then Boston couldn\u2019t make corner 3s, Tatum hit the wall physically and Embiid finally led the 76ers to a playoff series win over the Celtics. Worse, Jaylen Brown decided to whine about the humiliation on Twitch.<\/p>\n We went from Boston being an unstoppable dynasty that would ruin the game of basketball with volume 3s to trade rumors involving Brown<\/a>. Time is a flat circle. Boston will need a new contract with starting center Neemias Queta while ideally adding another disruptive point-of-attack defender.<\/p>\n 10. Denver Nuggets<\/p>\n Last ranking: 5 What happened and what\u2019s next? We already knew that the Nuggets had the worst defense of any playoff team. But let\u2019s hear it from Jaden McDaniels!<\/p>\n \u201cGo at (Nikola) Joki\u0107, Jamal (Murray), all the bad defenders. Tim Hardaway. Cam Johnson. Aaron Gordon. The whole team. Just go at them\u2026 they\u2019re all bad defenders.\u201d<\/p>\n Mind you, the series was tied 1-1 when McDaniels plainly stated his lack of respect for Denver\u2019s ability to get stops. Then the Nuggets lost in six to a Timberwolves team that didn\u2019t have either of their top three guards by the end of the series. One player McDaniels didn\u2019t mention was Peyton Watson, who had a promising season derailed by recurring hamstring woes and is now a restricted free agent. The depth Denver acquired last offseason was ultimately underwhelming, and the Nuggets are going to have to try again to retool the bench<\/a>, especially if they can\u2019t retain Watson.<\/p>\n 11. Houston Rockets<\/p>\n Last ranking: 10 What happened and what\u2019s next? The playoffs were a mess for the Rockets. No one should have had high expectations for this team in general with how they fumbled fourth quarters, clutch time and overtime during the regular season. Then Kevin Durant got hurt<\/a> right before the playoffs and again in his lone playoff appearance. The worst loss wasn\u2019t their last one; they donated a Game 3 win with the kind of situational basketball meltdown that causes hair loss and discoloration.<\/p>\n Most answers to the questions about what ailed the Rockets point to Fred VanVleet, who missed the season after ACL surgery. But VanVleet is 32 years old with a player option decision to make. Even if the steady veteran can retain form and pair up with Durant, Houston needs to be for real and take the point guard position seriously, since All-Star Alperen \u015eeng\u00fcn, Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard all have relative playmaking challenges.<\/p>\n 12. Toronto Raptors<\/p>\n Last ranking: 12 What happened and what\u2019s next? The Raptors had a respectable showing against the Cavaliers, especially considering the absence of point guard Immanuel Quickley for the entire series and the forgettable showing by All-Star Brandon Ingram before he missed the final two games. RJ Barrett<\/a> had a memorable game-winner in Game 6, and Scottie Barnes further established himself<\/a> as the closest thing this franchise has to a blue-chip performer.<\/p>\n But the expectations now are that the Raptors have the lead spot on the best-of-the-rest tier of the East. Getting through another season of strong defense and seeing what a healthier lineup could do is what this group deserves to get. But Toronto needs to add another credible shooter to the roster.<\/p>\n 13. Atlanta Hawks<\/p>\n Last ranking: 11 What happened and what\u2019s next? The Hawks had a 2-1 lead on the New York Knicks! That alone might have gotten head coach Quin Snyder and promoted basketball president Onsi Saleh their contract extensions. We\u2019ll see what it means for unrestricted free-agent point guard CJ McCollum. The Hawks were the lone playoff team to get a top-10 pick in this year\u2019s draft, and it comes with the franchise at a crossroads with surprise 2024 No.1 pick Zaccharie Risacher<\/a>. Add in the team option on Jonathan Kuminga, and the Hawks could be in position to continue shaking up a respectable roster.<\/p>\n 14. Orlando Magic<\/p>\n Last ranking: 15 What happened and what\u2019s next? What a roller coaster. The Magic didn\u2019t bring an offense to Philadelphia in the Play-In Tournament, then got home and pummeled the Hornets to keep their playoff spot. Orlando took a 3-1 lead against the top-seeded Pistons, then that imaginary offense went poof to end Game 6. It would have felt good for the Magic to get into the second round, but instead, they blew a 3-1 lead to the same team with the same seeds as they did 23 years ago. This time, the Magic didn\u2019t wait until the beginning of the following season to relieve their head coach of their duties. Now, Sean Sweeney goes from Spurs defensive coordinator<\/a> to rookie head coach of the Magic. Sweeney is probably going to be asked about San Antonio blowing their own massive lead in a playoff game after what happened in Game 4 of the NBA Finals. But besides that, the Magic have to figure out where to go with a roster that is way too locked in for a team that hasn\u2019t won a playoff series since 2010. Seriously, Jonathan Isaac is still under contract for another three seasons.<\/p>\n 15. Portland Trail Blazers<\/p>\n Last ranking: 14 What happened and what\u2019s next? The Trail Blazers stole the seventh seed from the Phoenix Suns via the Play-In Tournament, stole home-court advantage from the San Antonio Spurs, then held halftime leads in Games 3 and 4 in Portland. It was all downhill from there, as the Spurs took both games in Portland and finished the Blazers in five. For a team that missed the playoffs in each of the previous four seasons and got outscored this season, this was a successful season.<\/p>\n Yet, interim head coach Tiago Splitter isn\u2019t being rewarded for his efforts after leading the team following the arrest of Chauncey Billups. Portland has Damian Lillard\u2019s return to look forward to, but all of Deni Avdija, Jrue Holiday, Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson are under contract. That\u2019s a lot of players who need touches unless someone gets traded.<\/p>\n 16. Phoenix Suns<\/p>\n Last ranking: 17 What happened and what\u2019s next? The Suns were by themselves in seventh place in the West every single day from Jan. 23 through the end of the regular season. Then they got popped at home by the Trail Blazers, sending their fan base into a week-long spiral. At least the Suns could call themselves a playoff team after eliminating the Warriors. But they were the only team in the league to get a playoff series and fail to win a single game this year. At least Jordan Ott gets to keep his job, so that\u2019s a change from the previous three Suns seasons.<\/p>\n There\u2019s no first-round pick to work with, while Phoenix\u2019s key free agents are all players they should have some interest in retaining: point guard Collin Gillespie, shooting guard Jordan Goodwin and oft-injured restricted free agent center Mark Williams.<\/p>\n Tier 4: Not the Tier to Fear17. Charlotte Hornets<\/p>\n Last ranking: 13 What happened and what\u2019s next? I really thought they\u2019d do it. The Hornets managed to knock off the Heat, better known as the Play-In Tournament Zombies, and set themselves up to get a playoff spot after being one of the hottest teams in basketball since the turn of the new year. Then they just got completely obliterated by Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr. Now Charlotte has the only 10-year postseason drought in Eastern Conference history. Do you realize how hard it is to miss the playoffs every single year in this society\u2019s East?<\/p>\n Besides that bit of ignominy, things are clearly looking up for the Hornets. They have the last pick in the lottery and an additional top-20 pick and midseason acquisition Coby White is the only notable free agent. Head coach Charles Lee also got a contract extension. The Hornets should be expected to build on their success from this season and give themselves another chance at finally getting to the playoffs.<\/p>\n 18. Golden State Warriors<\/p>\n Last ranking: 20 What happened and what\u2019s next? For one night at Intuit Dome, the Golden State Warriors oldheads produced a vintage performance, overcoming a double-digit fourth quarter deficit under a hailstorm of Stephen Curry 3s, while Draymond Green completely locked up Kawhi Leonard on the other end. Al Horford overcame what was an awful night through three quarters by making all of his fourth-quarter 3s as well. All that did was prolong the inevitable, which was a loss in Phoenix that kept the Warriors out of the playoffs for the fourth time in the last seven years.<\/p>\n This team is full of old and\/or injured players and once again, the offseason storyline surrounds how the Warriors can somehow acquire a quality player to help Curry play meaningful basketball in the spring. It worked out last year when Jimmy Butler III showed up, but now Butler is recovering from ACL surgery. All Golden State has is the No. 11 pick in the draft, the free-agent decisions involving Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is and Gary Payton II and the player options of Green, Horford and De\u2019Anthony Melton. At least they don\u2019t have to worry about Jonathan Kuminga freezing their July.<\/p>\n 19. Miami Heat<\/p>\n Last ranking: 18 What happened and what\u2019s next? Miami\u2019s playoff streak ended at six seasons. It\u2019s the first time in franchise history that the Heat failed to make the playoffs after a winning season. But Miami was also in the Play-In Tournament for a fourth-consecutive season. It\u2019s not a shock that they didn\u2019t survive it this time around, even though their exit came with the misfortune of a Bam Adebayo injury and a one-point overtime loss, the slimmest of margins.<\/p>\n So now we return to the usual Miami offseason pasttime and that\u2019s prognosticating which seemingly available star player the franchise is supposed to get that they don\u2019t actually wind up getting. Is this the year they get Giannis Antetokounmpo or at least settle for Ja Morant? Miami has the 13th pick in the draft, and they could use another true point guard option in case they want to run pick-and-rolls again after taking the year off. Perhaps the biggest question is the status of unrestricted free agent All-Star Norman Powell, who didn\u2019t even reach 20 minutes in the 9-10 overtime game against the Hornets.<\/p>\n 20. LA Clippers<\/p>\n Last ranking: 16 What happened and what\u2019s next? You have to give the Clippers some credit. They turned around a disastrous start to the season into their 15th-straight winning regular season. Then for the second time in five years, they flunked the Play-In Tournament, blowing a double-digit fourth quarter lead at home in the 9-10 game to a Warriors team they had beaten 12 out of the previous 15 meetings.<\/p>\n While there was gnashing of the teeth once it became clear that the Thunder would get yet another lottery pick at the expense of the Clippers, things worked out for L.A. yet again, as it in turn snatched Indiana\u2019s pick once the Pacers were shut out of the draft\u2019s top four. Just when you\u2019re out, they reel you back in. At some point, the Clippers and the rest of the league will get some clarity on the Aspiration scandal and what that might mean for Kawhi Leonard and LA\u2019s asset management situation.<\/p>\n There are unrestricted (John Collins) and restricted (Bennedict Mathurin) free agents here, as well as a plethora of relevant players (Bradley Beal) and team (Brook Lopez, Nicolas Batum, Bogdan Bogdanovi\u0107, Jordan Miller, Kobe Sanders) options. And the fifth pick in the draft<\/a> might be in direct conflict positionally with midseason acquisition Darius Garland. There\u2019s still enough time, and enough moving parts, for the Clippers to have one of the more volatile offseasons in the league.<\/p>\n 21. Indiana Pacers<\/p>\n Last ranking: 27 What happened and what\u2019s next? This certainly isn\u2019t a power ranking of lottery misfortune, because that was Indiana\u2019s 64th loss of a truly disastrous season. The Pacers gave up what turned out to be the fifth pick in this year\u2019s draft and the restricted free agency of scorer Bennedict Mathurin (the previous highest draft pick on the team) for what is essentially two seasons of Ivica Zubac. Now, Zubac is going to team up with what should be a decent starting lineup when accounting for Tyrese Haliburton\u2019s return from Achilles surgery. But Indiana really could have used another dynamic shot creator for the short- and long-term future. Instead, their basketball president ended up apologizing<\/a>. This is not a contender as of right now.<\/p>\n 22. Utah Jazz<\/p>\n Last ranking: 28 What happened and what\u2019s next? The Jazz said they weren\u2019t tanking, then they tanked. At least this 60-loss season worked out better than last year\u2019s, as they\u2019ll likely add AJ Dybantsa or Darryn Peterson to a roster that already has Keyonte George, Ace Bailey, Lauri Markkanen, midseason trade acquisition Jaren Jackson Jr. and restricted free agent Walker Kessler. Bailey was the only one of those players who appeared in more than 55 games for Utah last season, while Markkanen, Jackson and Kessler combined to play in 50 games for the Jazz. Will Hardy is actually going to be allowed to win games for a full season, so things are looking up for Utah, at least on paper.<\/p>\n 23. Dallas Mavericks<\/p>\n Last ranking: 24 What happened and what\u2019s next? Almost all of the principals of the Luka Don\u010di\u0107 trade are no longer here. Nico Harrison? Gone, replaced ultimately by new president Masai Ujiri. Jason Kidd? Also gone, as Ujiri decided against having a lame-duck head coach. Anthony Davis? Gone after 892 minutes. Don\u010di\u0107 played more minutes than that for Dallas in the 2024 playoffs. We hardly knew ya, AD. Khris Middleton? He was the top player contract that Davis was traded for, and his deal is up now, along with Marvin Bagley III. What\u2019s left is Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg<\/a> and the returns of Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively II, along with the No. 9 pick in the draft. The Mavericks finished 29th in 3s last season. They should be in position to address that this month.<\/p>\n 24. Washington Wizards<\/p>\n Last ranking: 30 What happened and what\u2019s next? The Wizards tanked this long for this precise moment, the top pick in a draft that matters (sorry, 2024). For good measure, they get to add their premium draft choice to a roster that already has Trae Young\u2019s player option and (allegedly) Anthony Davis! There\u2019s no reason to get any more excited for this team; you saw how nearly the exact same arrangement worked out for last year\u2019s Mavericks, and that franchise at least had a track of winning every other year or so. All of Young (if he stays), Davis (if he stays), and (insert top pick here) have something significant to prove next season on a team that has failed to win 20 games three years in a row. But there\u2019s enough talent here, along with plenty of relevant young talent in lesser roles, to suggest that the Wizards could be competitive again next season.<\/p>\n 25. Milwaukee Bucks<\/p>\n Last ranking: 22 What happened and what\u2019s next? The last time the Bucks missed the playoffs was 2016. They had Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the 10th pick of the draft, which they used on Thon Maker. Milwaukee will certainly be hoping for better draft results, but will Antetokounmpo be around<\/a>? New head coach Taylor Jenkins, formerly of the Grizzlies, was an assistant in Milwaukee under championship head coach Mike Budenholzer. But until Antetokounmpo\u2019s situation is resolved, there\u2019s not much to look forward to after the season the Bucks had.<\/p>\n Tier 5: Basement Floor26. New Orleans Pelicans<\/p>\n Last ranking: 23 What happened and what\u2019s next? Hopefully the Pelicans are happy with the All-Rookie seasons that they got out of Jeremiah Fears and especially Derik Queen, since trading for Queen during last year\u2019s draft is what cancelled New Orleans\u2019 inclusion in this year\u2019s lottery. Former Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley is here, going from one former top overall pick out of Duke (Paolo Banchero) to another (Zion Williamson). All of New Orleans\u2019 top nine players from last year are under contract, but Mosley needs to get better rebounding from this group and that needs to start with Williamson if he\u2019s going to be here.<\/p>\n 27. Memphis Grizzlies<\/p>\n Last ranking: 25
\nIn a Good Place \u2014 Could be one team, could be seven teams
\nThe Bubble \u2014 Not to be confused with Walt Disney World. The middle of the pack
\nNot the Tier to Fear \u2014 Not playing the worst ball in the league, but with a lot of work to do
\nBasement Floor \u2014 Bringing up the rear<\/p>\n
Playoffs? Beat Hawks in East quarterfinals, swept 76ers in East semifinals, swept Cavaliers in Eastern Conference finals, beat Spurs in NBA Finals<\/p>\n
Playoffs? Beat Trail Blazers in West quarterfinals, beat Timberwolves in West semifinals, beat Thunder in West finals, lost to Knicks in NBA Finals<\/p>\n
Playoffs? Swept Suns in West quarterfinals, swept Lakers in West semifinals, lost Game 7 to Spurs in Western Conference finals<\/p>\n
Playoffs? Beat Raptors in East quarterfinals Game 7, beat Pistons in East semifinals Game 7, swept by Knicks in Eastern Conference finals<\/p>\n
Playoffs? Beat Magic in East quarterfinals Game 7, lost Game 7 to Cavaliers in East semifinals<\/p>\n
Playoffs? Beat Rockets in West quarterfinals, swept by Thunder in West semifinals<\/p>\n
Playoffs? Beat Nuggets in West quarterfinals, lost to Spurs in West semifinals<\/p>\n
Playoffs? Beat Celtics in East quarterfinals Game 7, swept by Knicks in East semifinals<\/p>\n
Playoffs? Lost Game 7 to 76ers in East quarterfinals<\/p>\n
Playoffs? Lost to Timberwolves in West quarterfinals<\/p>\n
Playoffs? Lost to Lakers in West quarterfinals<\/p>\n
Playoffs? Lost Game 7 to Cavaliers in East quarterfinals<\/p>\n
Playoffs? Lost to Knicks in East quarterfinals<\/p>\n
Playoffs? Lost Game 7 to Pistons in East quarterfinals<\/p>\n
Playoffs? Lost to Spurs in West quarterfinals<\/p>\n
Playoffs? Swept by Thunder in West quarterfinals<\/p>\n
Playoffs? Did not qualify (eliminated by Magic in Play-In Tournament)<\/p>\n
Playoffs? Did not qualify (eliminated by Suns in Play-In Tournament)<\/p>\n
Playoffs? Did not qualify (eliminated by Hornets in Play-In Tournament)<\/p>\n
Playoffs? Did not qualify (eliminated by Warriors in Play-In Tournament)<\/p>\n
Playoffs? Did not qualify (finished 19-63)<\/p>\n
Playoffs? Did not qualify (finished 22-60)<\/p>\n
Playoffs? Did not qualify (finished 26-56)<\/p>\n
Playoffs? Did not qualify (finished 17-65)<\/p>\n
Playoffs? Did not qualify (finished 32-50)<\/p>\n
Playoffs? Did not qualify (finished 26-56)<\/p>\n
Playoffs? Did not qualify (finished 25-57)<\/p>\n