Most of the teams have all made their moves and signings, other than the major domino to fall (Damian Lillard trade). I thought it would be a good time to rank every single team in order from 30 to 1.
30. Portland Trail Blazers
As we said above, the Damian Lillard trade is a big domino that needs to fall, but he won't be a Trail Blazer next season. I respect that Portland is finally entering a rebuild behind Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson, but I believe they have a good chance to be the worst team in the NBA.
29. Charlotte Hornets
Lamelo Ball is coming back from injury with a new massive extension, and they have a new man in town, Brandon Miller. I believe Scoot should have been the pick but I get the process. I wouldn't say the Hornets will be a bad team, but they won't be good which lands them at 29.
28. Washington Wizards
The Wizards finally went into a full rebuild, trading Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis. I think they got a good return of picks and players, but they won't be a good team at all next year. A core of Jordan Poole, Kyle Kuzma, and Tyus Jones with their young core should be good enough for 25 wins.
27. Detroit Pistons
Cade Cunningham is another player coming back from injury, and Ausar Thompson has a chance to be a star. I'm a believer in Detroit's core and I think they will be great, but I think they are at least 1 or 2 years away. Monty Williams will make them better but not that much better.
26. San Antonio Spurs
One of the most hyped prospects ever Victor Wembanyama is now a member of the Spurs. Wemby will be great but I think he will have growing pains, just like he did in Summer League. I am not a huge believer in the Spurs core outside of Wemby, even though I think Devin Vassell is an ascending player. Pop is one of the greatest coaches and makes this team a lot better than they were last season.
25. Houston Rockets
The hope for the Rockets is that Ime Udoka installs some of the good habits that he had in Boston to Houston. The Rockets played like an AAU team and had no direction at all, they need a good coach to reel it in. While overpaying for Dillon Brooks and Fred Van Vleet, I still think they are good signings because they need veterans in that locker room. I don't think they will be a play-in team but I see an improvement in this team.
24. Toronto Raptors
The Raptors lost Van Vleet, which doesn't seem too massive in a vacuum, but I feel like he was a way better PG fit than Dennis Schröder. It also just feels like this Raptors team has no direction and just needs to start a rebuild around Scottie Barnes.
23. Orlando Magic
I like the Magic's core, which is led by Paolo Banchero, I think with a year older for everyone on the team, they get slightly better but nothing screams major improvement for this team.
22. Indiana Pacers
The Pacers did overpay Bruce Brown, but he is a great role player that can help a team improve their win total from year to year. I think the Pacers are a good team and can squeak by 38-42 wins, but a lot would have to go right. Haliburton, Mathurin, and Turner is a good core but I don't know if it's enough.
21. Utah Jazz
Utah traded for John Collins, who is a decent player but I don't know if he helps this team in any way. They are pretty much bringing back the same core plus Collins and Taylor Hendricks. I expect pretty much the same result with them being a near-play-in team.
20. Brooklyn Nets
I think Mikal Bridges is a really good, fringe All-Star player, but the rest of the core leaves a lot to be desired. The Kyrie and KD trades put this team in a really bad hole. I believe this team will be around .500, like the 13-15 finish to the season after the trades.
19. Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder are a really young team, but they are led First Team All-NBA guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. They will be better just cause of development, but I think they will be a play-in team again. They are a couple of years away.
18. Chicago Bulls
I believe the Bulls are like the Raptors, they are a team with no direction, and a core that is too bad to compete and too good to tank. I do think their core is better than the Raptors and they made some decent moves this offseason, one being the Jevon Carter signing. The Bulls will probably be a play-in team again but have no real chance to compete.
17. Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks traded John Collins and drafted Kobe Bufkin. Other than that though, not much has happened with them. Quin Snyder is a good coach and I think this team will be average, just like they were last season.
16. New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans have a decent core, and I think they can be a top-10 team with a fully healthy core. The Pelicans are never fully healthy though, so I think they will be a middle-of-a-pack team in the Western Conference.
15. Dallas Mavericks
Dallas has Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, which are two top premier players in the NBA. They don't have much else though, which is why they will be another middle-of-a-pack team that can make noise, but probably won't.
14. New York Knicks
The Knicks haven't made many moves this off-season, but they signed Villanova alum Donte Divencenzo, to team with other fellow Villanova alumni Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson. Brunson broke out last season and is their best player. I believe, even with the lack of moves, The Knicks will be a top-6 team in the East.
13. Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota's season didn't end the way they hoped, with a first-round exit being the result after a tumultuous end that saw Rudy Gobert punch a teammate and Jaden Mcdaniels break his hand. I believe this core can make some noise though. They have a nice rotation of 7-8 guys that they can play and Anthony Edwards is that guy and should be the focus of the team. The West is tough but they should be at least a top-8 team, if health allows for it.
12. Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies lost Dillon Brooks, who was the motor of this team it felt like. You hope Marcus Smart can replicate that for this team, but I don't know if he will be able to. They didn't really make many moves outside of that. With Ja being out 25 games and them trading Tyus Jones, I think they will be good but a drop-off could be imminent.
11. Sacramento Kings
The Kings came into the summer with a decent bit of cap space, and I believe they just squandered it. They gave an extension to Harrison Barnes which some could say is an overpay, they traded for Chris Duarte and gave Sabonis a raise. Not a great off-season but this core surprised everyone by getting the 3 seed so I believe they will be in the playoff hunt again.
10. Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland had an embarrassing playoff loss given to them by the Knicks. They came into the off-season determined to make the roster better, and I believed they did that, even if it meant overpaying. I think the core four are good enough to compete in the East. Levert, Okoro, and Strus also round out the roster well. I believe we could see a different ending next season for the Cavs.
9. LA Clippers
The star duo of Kawhi and PG is lethal, when healthy. That has been their kryptonite every single season. You hope for them to be healthy next season but you never know with these guys. The roster is good but I don't know if the two stars can carry it to the promised land. If they aren't successful in their quest for a championship next season, it might be time to split the team up.
8. Philadelphia 76ers
Embiid and Harden will never get it done as a duo, as Embiid still hasn't gotten out of the second round and Harden requesting a trade-out, which probably won't be granted. The 76ers still have a good and respectable roster, landing them at 8 but they are pretenders every year.
7. Golden State Warriors
The Warriors made one major move, which was getting Chris Paul, in a move that doesn't make sense to me. Paul will make the team slightly better but they still have no real center. You have to respect the core they have over in the Bay, but I could see the same result as last season happening. The only reason that they are this high is because of Stephen Curry.
6. Phoenix Suns
Another super team that has Kevin Durant forms! I don't believe superteams work in this NBA, so while I believe they will be good, I don't know if they will be great. They did well on their minimum signings but we've seen before where players get played off the court. The Suns are a top-4 team in the West but I don't know if they have enough to win the whole thing, especially with health involved.
5. Boston Celtics
The Celtics finally broke up the core of Smart, Brown, and Tatum. They did it for Porzingis, which has an insane upside attached to him, but also an extreme downside. I believe they have a good rotation but I don't know if the Jays can win a championship together. They will be a contender like they are every year though.
4. Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers came into this offseason preaching chemistry and continuity. They made good on that promise and brought back Russell, Reaves, and Rui. The moves around the margins were great as well, bringing in Gabe Vincent and Taurean Prince to shore up the rotation, while also taking flyers on Jaxson Hayes and Cam Reddish. The Reaves deal might be the best in all of the NBA. I still believe in the LeBron and AD duo and the one time they won the championship was when they had a roster like this.
3. Miami Heat
Now this is with me under the belief that Damian Lillard ends up here. If that happens, I think Miami would have the best Big 3 in the league. If there was anywhere a super-team could work, it would be Miami. They have a knack for finding undrafted players and have the best coach in the league Erik Spoelstra.
2. Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks didn't have the ending they would have hoped for, but some of that can be contributed to Giannis going down with his injury. I believe this roster could work, as it just won the championship a couple of years ago. It is still a well-rounded roster around one of the league's best players. If the same result happens, Giannis and Milwaukee need to take a long, hard look in the mirror.
1. Denver Nuggets
This is more of a respect to the reigning champions ranking because I did not love their offseason. They gave Reggie Jackson the MLE when he barely played in the playoffs. They lost Bruce Brown and Jeff Green, two rotation pieces, and didn't do much to replace them other than with rookies. You are hoping Peyton Watson and Christian Braun step up with other young guys because if they don't the bench is pretty bad. The starting 5 is probably the best in the league though, and until someone knocks them off, they're the champions.
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