By Law Murray | The Athletic, 2026-06-15 12:30:05
本周推荐专辑：《Cry Baby》，文斯·斯台普斯 (Vince Staples) (2026)
致所有在清晨7点醒来的人们：天上飞的可不是什么去天堂兜风的猪。
恭喜纽约尼克斯队夺冠！最重要的是，也要恭喜那些不是尼克斯、雷霆、凯尔特人、掘金、勇士、雄鹿、湖人和猛龙的球队。这十年的夺冠规律预示着2027年将诞生第九个不同的冠军，而那绝对不会是尼克斯王朝。纽约，至少在明年春天的衰落开始之前，你们还有这个夏天可以尽情狂欢。向斯派克·李 (Spike Lee) 致敬，来一次《为所应为》（Do the Right Thing）。
我们在这里为刚刚过去的2025-26赛季NBA画上一个圆满的句号。毕竟，在目前的NBA日程表里，球迷们正处于那种觉得自家球队阵容能打出82胜0负战绩的幻想期。我们可以据此划分出以下档次：
- 顶级争冠梯队 —— 锁定五支球队，他们是联盟的佼佼者
- 处境优渥 —— 可能是1支球队，也可能是7支球队
- 泡泡圈（中游群体） —— 别和华特迪士尼世界的“隔离泡泡”搞混了。这里是联盟的中游球队
- 无需畏惧的梯队 —— 虽不至于打出联盟最烂的表现，但仍有大量工作要做
- 地下室（垫底梯队） —— 敬陪末座
在《The Athletic》6月份的NBA实力榜中，我们将探讨每支球队的休赛期前景。上期排名来自4月份，当时我们给出了第四季度的评分；战绩和效率值评级请参见那一期。
第一档：顶级争冠梯队
1. New York Knicks
上期排名： 6
季后赛表现？ 东部首轮击败老鹰，东部半决赛横扫76人，东部决赛横扫骑士，总决赛击败马刺夺冠
发生了什么，接下来该怎么办？ 瞧瞧我们看到了什么。“带有偏见的《纽约时报》”（呼应前文！）竟然把尼克斯排在了实力榜首位。这可是破天荒头一遭！甚至在这个赛季里你都没见过这种景象！说实话，在赛季开始前，我曾预测尼克斯会夺得东部冠军。他们确实赢得了NBA杯，但在常规赛期间，他们看起来并不像一支特别的球队。他们并不是“20败前拿40胜”的争冠热门。他们最好的球员臂展甚至比我还短。他们可是尼克斯啊，一支在1999年总决赛中输给马刺，然后在接下来的26年里输掉的比赛比除奇才外任何球队都要多的队伍。
但在大比分1-2落后老鹰之后，尼克斯在接下来的16场季后赛中赢下了15场，并打破了NBA历史上最长的冠军荒纪录（53年）。种子顺位更高的凯尔特人和活塞在抢七大战中主场告负，输给了最终被尼克斯横扫的球队，这不能怪尼克斯。雷霆同样在主场抢七中输给了一支让尼克斯在总决赛每场比赛中都曾落后两位数、却最终赢下其中四场对决的球队，这也不能怪尼克斯。你从未见过一支总决赛球队在赢下的全部四场比赛中都完成了两位数的分差逆转，其中包括总决赛历史上最大分差的逆转胜利——在第四场比赛中克服了29分的落后。杰伦·布伦森 (Jalen Brunson) 狂砍45分终结了马刺。他们应该让他去主持《周六夜现场》（Saturday Night Live）的季初首秀。
而且你的球队也能做到！你只需要用布伦森替代肯巴·沃克 (Kemba Walker)，进行如此明目张胆的违规引诱以至于联盟罚掉了一个选秀权，让他在巅峰期放弃超过1亿美元的薪水签下提前续约合同，然后通过交易送走卡姆·雷迪什 (Cam Reddish)、RJ·巴雷特 (RJ Barrett)、埃文·富尼耶 (Evan Fournier) 和朱利叶斯·兰德尔 (Julius Randle)，换来乔什·哈特 (Josh Hart)、OG·阿奴诺比 (OG Anunoby)、米卡尔·布里奇斯 (Mikal Bridges) 和卡尔-安东尼·唐斯 (Karl-Anthony Towns)。更不用说，还要让迈克·布朗 (Mike Brown) 接替汤姆·锡伯杜 (Tom Thibodeau) 担任主教练。米切尔·罗宾逊 (Mitchell Robinson) 是纽约今夏最重要的自由球员，而且尼克斯在2026年NBA选秀中依然拥有两个轮次的选秀权。在尼克斯还很烂的时候，这个联盟充满了乐趣。而现在，我们将迎来史上最瞩目的“跟风球迷潮”。也许现在连贝基·哈蒙 (Becky Hammon) 也会加入其中了！
2. San Antonio Spurs
上期排名： 2
季后赛表现？ 西部首轮击败开拓者，西部半决赛击败森林狼，西部决赛击败雷霆，总决赛输给尼克斯
发生了什么，接下来该怎么办？ 让我们先从显而易见的赞美开始。马刺不仅经历了长达六年的季后赛荒。他们还是在此期间西部唯一一支胜率未能达到40%的球队。马刺在维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 的新秀赛季之前、期间和之后都在摆烂。他们连续三年在选秀中拿下文班亚马、斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle) 和迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper) 的神来之笔，如今基本上已被NBA明令禁止了。
但这支年轻的马刺在打破队史唯一的连续多赛季季后赛荒时表现得极其强势，并将这种势头带到了季后赛中。尽管文班亚马遭遇了脑震荡，他们还是轻松解决掉了波特兰开拓者。他们把明尼苏达森林狼打得落花流水，以至于安东尼·爱德华兹 (Anthony Edwards) 在最后一场惨败的垃圾时间里甚至选择与他们击掌致意，就这样淘汰了一支连续打进分区决赛的球队。接着，他们从卫冕冠军雷霆手中夺走了金腰带，将自己塑造成了对抗那支突然被妖魔化的俄克拉荷马城球队的“正义篮球化身”，媒体记者和粉丝们甚至都准备好直接宣布文班亚马已经是世界上最好的球员了。
唉，季后赛和比赛一样，都有四个回合。如果比赛和季后赛在第三个回合就结束，圣安东尼奥人现在已经是冠军了。马刺成为了历史上第四支在经历至少六年季后赛荒后打进总决赛的球队，但他们看起来更像2021年的太阳，而不是1977年的开拓者或泡泡赛区的湖人。圣安东尼奥在全部五场比赛的第一节都建立起了两位数的领先优势，但每场比赛最终都打到了关键时刻，而他们只赢下了一次。以这种方式出局确实令人难以接受，尤其是因为他们没能把对阵雷霆时的那股劲头延续到对阵尼克斯的比赛中。
在文班亚马的新秀合同提前续约生效前，圣安东尼奥还能再享受一年的红利，他们总决赛轮换阵容中唯一的自由球员是朱利安·尚帕尼 (Julian Champagnie)，而且得益于德章泰·默里 (Dejounte Murray) 的交易，马刺还拥有今年选秀的第20号签。但在今年季后赛创纪录地输掉了六场曾领先两位数的比赛之后，明年任何与马刺交手的球队都会觉得，比赛在终场哨响前永远没有结束。
3. Oklahoma City Thunder
上期排名： 1
季后赛表现？ 西部首轮横扫太阳，西部半决赛横扫湖人，西部决赛抢七输给马刺
发生了什么，接下来该怎么办？ 当俄克拉荷马城在如今已两夺MVP的谢伊·吉尔杰斯-亚历山大 (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) 带领下强势崛起、且代价仅仅是让快船买单时，每个人都乐见其成。而现在，随着他们拿过冠军并终结了其他球队的赛季，他们开始遭到敌视，原因仅仅是他们防守强硬，而且他们的当家球星总能走上罚球线。
雷霆赢下了未进总决赛球队所能赢下的最多场次（11场），也输掉了最少场次（4场）。放眼整个赛季，雷霆最终输给了圣安东尼奥马刺八次。而面对其他28支NBA球队时，雷霆的战绩是惊人的71胜14负。这支雷霆是历史上第10支单赛季至少赢下64胜（或在非82场赛季中折算同等胜场）却未能打进总决赛的球队。除了2026年的雷霆之外，历史上唯一一支单赛季输给同一支球队八次的队伍是1973年的凯尔特人，那支球队打出了68胜14负的战绩，却在东部决赛抢七中输给了最终夺冠的纽约尼克斯。真是万变不离其宗，对吧？
杰伦·威廉姆斯 (Jalen Williams) 的腿筋伤势在对阵马刺时对球队造成了致命打击，而切特·霍姆格伦 (Chet Holmgren) 需要为自己正名，因为他贡献了你所见过的最佳阵容球员中最糟糕的一次“隐身”表现。俄克拉荷马城接下来的面貌将大不相同，你可以先看看首发球员卢根茨·多尔特 (Luguentz Dort) 和伊赛亚·哈尔滕施泰因 (Isaiah Hartenstein) 的球队选项。这两名球员几乎没有可能同时回归。但由于他们在2019年做过了那笔快船交易，所以他们确实拥有一个乐透签（第12顺位）。此外，由于在2020年交易得到了阿尔·霍福德 (Al Horford)，雷霆还获得了费城的首轮签（第17顺位）。对其他所有球队来说，最希望看到的就是俄克拉荷马城对他们的“马刺克星”问题做出过度反应。
4. Cleveland Cavaliers
上期排名： 7
季后赛表现？ 东部首轮抢七击败猛龙，东部半决赛抢七击败活塞，东部决赛被尼克斯横扫
发生了什么，接下来该怎么办？ 一方面，骑士在面对两支防守前五的球队时赢下了两场抢七大战。他们自2018年以来首次打进分区决赛，也是自1992年以来首次在没有勒布朗·詹姆斯 (LeBron James) 的情况下打进分区决赛。但另一方面，骑士是罕见的在季后赛中胜率不足50%的分区决赛球队，最终战绩为8胜10负。自2020年泡泡赛区的掘金打出9胜10负以来，我们还没见过这种情况，不过那支掘金当时被视为励志典范，因为他们两次克服了大比分1-3的落后。
这就是骑士令人纠结的地方。由于他们的运作方式，以及他们在这些季后赛失利期间和之后的言论，让人很难对他们产生真正的好感。他们似乎总是更接近一支处于动荡之中的球队，而不是一支准备好与多诺万·米切尔 (Donovan Mitchell) 和埃文·莫布里 (Evan Mobley) 一起腾飞的队伍。你绝对不想听到一位主教练在第四节痛失22分领先优势后还在讨论“保留暂停”，或者在球队大比分0-3落后时还在谈论“数据分析上的胜利”。你更不想听到一个控球后卫在被横扫后还在讨论他的球队如何变得更好了——尤其是这个控卫在季后赛中有极具讽刺意味的七场比赛的失误次数比进球数还要多。
但通常情况下，你也不会对一支在赛季中期交易了首发控卫、最终以四号种子身份打进分区决赛的球队苛责太多。克利夫兰或许令人抓狂，但他们也足够优秀，不至于在东部被视作无足轻重。骑士赢得了另一次机会，即便感觉每个人都快到了最后的底线。他们的休赛期将从詹姆斯·哈登 (James Harden) 的部分保障球员选项开始。
5. Detroit Pistons
上期排名： 3
季后赛表现？ 东部首轮抢七击败魔术，东部半决赛抢七输给骑士
发生了什么，接下来该怎么办？ 篮球迷们最喜欢在强队中寻找所谓的“伪强队”，仿佛没能拿到60胜是一种荣誉勋章似的。因此，当活塞在主场输掉对阵魔术的第一场比赛时，针对他们的冷嘲热讽就已经快要沸腾了。不过他们克服了大比分1-3的落后，续约了主教练J.B.·比克斯塔夫 (J.B. Bickerstaff)，随后在对阵骑士时取得了2-0的领先。但令人遗憾的是，活塞在主场丢掉了第五场比赛——当时他们挥霍了下半场两位数的领先优势，最终在抢七大战中黯然出局。让情况更加复杂的是几项合同决定，入选最佳阵容的中锋杰伦·杜伦 (Jalen Duren) 在季后赛中表现挣扎，而他即将面临受限制自由球员市场；首发大前锋托拜厄斯·哈里斯 (Tobias Harris) 在经历了又一个起伏不定的季后赛后也成为了自由球员。
底特律在季后赛中也几乎没能从他们近年来的前五顺位新秀身上获得什么回报——包括2023届（他们此后交易了杰登·艾维 (Jaden Ivey)）和2024届（朗·霍兰二世 (Ron Holland II)）。活塞拥有一名入选最佳阵容第一阵容的控球后卫凯德·坎宁安 (Cade Cunningham)，这应该能让他们有机会维持自己在东部赢得的地位。坎宁安必须解决自己的失误问题，而底特律的休赛期运作需要围绕着在坎宁安身边配备能够帮助他改善这一领域的球员展开，这一切将从选秀大会的第21号签开始。
第二档：处境优渥
6. Los Angeles Lakers
上期排名： 8
季后赛表现？ 西部首轮击败火箭，西部半决赛被雷霆横扫
发生了什么，接下来该怎么办？ 很少有球队比湖人更清楚围绕在自己身上的舆论叙事。在对阵火箭的系列赛开始前，他们或许不被看好，但并不是所有人都预测他们会输掉那轮系列赛。然而，在对阵雷霆时，确实所有人都预测他们会输，而他们在那轮系列赛中也确实没能赢下一场。卢卡·东契奇 (Luka Dončić) 的身体状况根本无法上场，奥斯汀·里夫斯 (Austin Reaves) 在季后赛伤愈复出后被对手无情针对，而詹姆斯在度过了大半个赛季不断向所有人强调自己只是洛杉矶进攻端第三选择的时光后，终于乐得把球权掌控在自己手中。这一切为今年夏天的休赛期博弈埋下了伏笔。
里夫斯该涨薪了，而东契奇在场下比去年更注重休息。另一方面，詹姆斯目前还没有合同在身。湖人将寄希望于有人能降薪，但即便如此，他们仍然需要在中锋位置和运动能力上进行实质性的升级。洛杉矶在这个赛季的大部分时间里都在赢下那些本不该赢的险胜局，同时又被联盟顶级强队打得溃不成军。
如果他们想在赛季中保持超过一个月的真正争冠竞争力，他们只需要更好的阵容配置，以及祈祷能有更好的伤病运气——尤其是对于东契奇而言。
7. Minnesota Timberwolves
上期排名： 9
季后赛表现？ 西部首轮击败掘金，西部半决赛输给马刺
发生了什么，接下来该怎么办？ 森林狼连续第三个赛季以低顺位种子身份赢下了一轮系列赛。但他们也连续第四个赛季被最终打进总决赛的球队淘汰。在连续两个赛季位列西部第六之后，明尼苏达也许是时候迎来又一次大洗牌了。
至少，森林狼需要解决控球后卫的问题。首发后卫唐特·迪温琴佐 (Donte DiVincenzo) 在对阵掘金时遭遇了跟腱断裂，前首发迈克·康利 (Mike Conley) 是一位38岁的自由球员，而前乐透秀罗布·迪林厄姆 (Rob Dillingham) 在一笔交易中被送走，换来了非受限制自由球员阿约·多苏穆 (Ayo Dosunmu)。也许也是时候放弃兰德尔了，但如果真的这样做，明尼苏达就需要引进另一个靠谱的持球进攻威胁。
8. Philadelphia 76ers
上期排名： 19
季后赛表现？ 东部首轮抢七击败凯尔特人，东部半决赛被尼克斯横扫
发生了什么，接下来该怎么办？ 76人是东部唯一一支在常规赛中净胜分为负的季后赛球队。在首轮前四场比赛结束后，他们看起来很容易就会被凯尔特人解决掉。但入选最佳阵容的控卫泰雷斯·马克西 (Tyrese Maxey)、入选最佳新秀阵容的得分后卫VJ·埃奇科姆 (VJ Edgecombe)、老将小前锋保罗·乔治 (Paul George) 以及前MVP中锋乔尔·恩比德 (Joel Embiid) 在随后的一周里打出了精彩表现，克服了大比分1-3的落后。
但这仍不足以保住篮球运营总裁达里尔·莫雷 (Daryl Morey) 的饭碗，在这支阵容单薄的76人被尼克斯淘汰后，他被解雇了——这也是尼克斯连续两个赛季在南费城反客为主占领球馆。更糟糕的是，莫雷此前乐于在高位套现的处于新秀合同期的贾里德·麦凯恩 (Jared McCain)，在俄克拉荷马城替补席上单枪匹马做出的贡献，比费城整个替补席加起来还要多。76人聘请了前骑士高管迈克·甘西 (Mike Gansey) 接替莫雷，而甘西需要想清楚如何处理自由球员凯利·乌布雷 (Kelly Oubre)、安德烈·德拉蒙德 (Andre Drummond) 和昆汀·格莱姆斯 (Quentin Grimes) 的合同，同时还要寻求升级大前锋位置。
第三档：中游群体
9. Boston Celtics
上期排名： 4
季后赛表现？ 东部首轮抢七输给76人
发生了什么，接下来该怎么办？ 这原本看起来是波士顿凯尔特人凯歌高奏的一个赛季。他们拿到了2号种子，杰森·塔图姆 (Jayson Tatum) 从跟腱手术中康复回归，他们还在恩比德复出后用一场大胜取得了3-1的领先。但随后波士顿投不进底角三分，塔图姆遭遇了体能瓶颈，恩比德终于带领76人赢下了对阵凯尔特人的季后赛系列赛。更糟糕的是，杰伦·布朗 (Jaylen Brown) 居然选择在Twitch上抱怨这次耻辱的失利。
我们眼看着波士顿从一个本可以用海量三分球毁掉篮球运动的无敌王朝，变成了围绕布朗的交易流言。时间是一个循环。波士顿需要与首发中锋尼米亚斯·克塔 (Neemias Queta) 签下一份新合同，同时理想情况下还需要增加另一名具有破坏力的领防人。
10. Denver Nuggets
上期排名： 5
季后赛表现？ 西部首轮输给森林狼
发生了什么，接下来该怎么办？ 我们早就知道掘金是所有季后赛球队中防守最差的。但让我们听听杰登·麦克丹尼尔斯 (Jaden McDaniels) 是怎么说的吧！
“单打（尼古拉·）约基奇、贾马尔（·穆雷），单打所有防守差的球员。蒂姆·哈达威、卡姆·约翰逊、阿隆·戈登。针对他们全队。就去单打他们……他们全都是防守漏勺。”
请记住，当麦克丹尼尔斯直言不讳地表达对丹佛防守能力的轻视时，系列赛大比分还是1-1平。随后，掘金在六场比赛内输给了一支在系列赛结束时前三号后卫全部缺阵的森林狼。麦克丹尼尔斯没有提到的一名球员是佩顿·沃特森 (Peyton Watson)，他原本拥有一个前景光明、却被反复发作的腿筋伤势毁掉的赛季，如今他已成为一名受限制自由球员。丹佛在去年夏天补充的阵容深度最终令人大失所望，掘金将不得不再次尝试重组替补席，尤其是如果他们无法留住沃特森的话。
11. Houston Rockets
上期排名： 10
季后赛表现？ 西部首轮输给湖人
发生了什么，接下来该怎么办？ 火箭的季后赛之旅一团糟。鉴于他们在常规赛期间在第四节、关键时刻和加时赛中的拙劣表现，本来就没人对这支球队抱有太高期望。接着凯文·杜兰特 (Kevin Durant) 在季后赛前受伤，并在他唯一一次季后赛出场中再次受伤。最糟糕的失利还不是他们的最后一场；他们在第三场比赛中因为那种让人愁白了头的战术崩盘，亲手送掉了胜利。
关于火箭问题根源的大多数答案都指向了弗雷德·范弗利特 (Fred VanVleet)，他因前交叉韧带（ACL）手术缺席了整个赛季。但范弗利特已经32岁了，并且面临着球员选项的抉择。即使这位稳健的老将能够恢复状态并与杜兰特联手，休斯敦也必须脚踏实地，认真对待控球后卫位置，因为全明星阿尔佩伦·申京 (Alperen Şengün)、阿门·汤普森 (Amen Thompson) 和里德·谢泼德 (Reed Sheppard) 在组织进攻方面都存在各自的局限。
12. Toronto Raptors
上期排名： 12
季后赛表现？ 东部首轮抢七输给骑士
发生了什么，接下来该怎么办？ 猛龙在对阵骑士时展现出了体面的斗志，尤其是考虑到控卫伊曼纽尔·奎克利 (Immanuel Quickley) 缺席了整个系列赛，以及全明星布兰登·英格拉姆 (Brandon Ingram) 在缺席最后两场比赛前表现平平。巴雷特在第六场比赛中投进了令人难忘的绝杀球，而斯科蒂·巴恩斯 (Scottie Barnes) 进一步确立了自己作为这支球队最核心基石的地位。
但现在的预期是，猛龙在东部“其余最佳”的梯队中占据领跑位置。再打出一个防守强硬的赛季，并看看更健康的阵容能发挥出怎样的实力，是这支队伍理应得到的尝试。不过，多伦多还需要在阵容中增加另一名靠谱的射手。
13. Atlanta Hawks
上期排名： 11
季后赛表现？ 东部首轮输给尼克斯
发生了什么，接下来该怎么办？ 老鹰曾大比分2-1领先纽约尼克斯！单凭这一点，可能就足以让主教练奎因·斯奈德 (Quin Snyder) 和升职的篮球运营总裁昂西·萨利赫 (Onsi Saleh) 获得合同续约了。我们将拭目以待这对于非受限制自由球员控卫CJ·麦科勒姆 (CJ McCollum) 意味着什么。老鹰是今年选秀中唯一获得前十顺位签的季后赛球队，而此时该加盟正处于与2024年令人意外的状元秀扎卡里·里萨谢 (Zaccharie Risacher) 的十字路口。再加上乔纳森·库明加 (Jonathan Kuminga) 的球队选项，老鹰可能会继续对这套还算不错的阵容进行重组。
14. Orlando Magic
上期排名： 15
季后赛表现？ 东部首轮抢七输给活塞
发生了什么，接下来该怎么办？ 真是坐了趟过山车。魔术在附加赛客场挑战费城时完全没有带上进攻包，随后回到主场痛击黄蜂保住了季后赛席位。奥兰多在对阵头号种子活塞时取得了3-1的领先，然而在第六场比赛结束时，那虚无缥缈的进攻又凭空消失了。如果魔术能打进第二轮，感觉会很棒，但相反，他们在大比分3-1领先的情况下被击败，输给了23年前以同样种子顺位击败过他们的同一支球队。这一次，魔术没有等到下一个赛季开始才解雇他们的主教练。现在，肖恩·斯威尼 (Sean Sweeney) 从马刺防守协调员摇身一变，成为了魔术的菜鸟主教练。鉴于总决赛第四场发生的事情，斯威尼很可能会被问到圣安东尼奥在季后赛中挥霍巨大领先优势的问题。但除此之外，魔术必须想清楚如何处理这套锁得死死的阵容，对于一支自2010年以来就没赢过一轮季后赛的球队来说，这套阵容的灵活性太低了。说真的，乔纳森·艾萨克 (Jonathan Isaac) 的合同还有整整三年。
15. Portland Trail Blazers
上期排名： 14
季后赛表现？ 西部首轮输给马刺
发生了什么，接下来该怎么办？ 开拓者在附加赛中从菲尼克斯太阳手中抢走了七号种子，又从圣安东尼奥马刺手中夺走了主场优势，随后在波特兰进行的第三和第四场比赛中都在半场保持领先。但此后形势急转直下，马刺在波特兰连下两城，并在五场比赛内解决了开拓者。对于一支在过去四个赛季都无缘季后赛且本赛季净胜分为负的球队来说，这已经是一个成功的赛季了。
然而，在昌西·比卢普斯 (Chauncey Billups) 被捕后接管球队的临时主教练蒂亚戈·斯普利特 (Tiago Splitter) 并没有因为他的努力而获得留任。波特兰可以期待达米安·利拉德 (Damian Lillard) 的回归，但丹尼·阿夫迪亚 (Deni Avdija)、朱·霍勒迪 (Jrue Holiday)、谢登·夏普 (Shaedon Sharpe) 和斯库特·亨德森 (Scoot Henderson) 全都在合同期内。除非有人被交易，否则有太多球员需要球权了。
16. Phoenix Suns
上期排名： 17
季后赛表现？ 西部首轮被雷霆横扫
发生了什么，接下来该怎么办？ 从1月23日到常规赛结束，太阳每天都独自霸占着西部第七的位置。接着他们在主场被开拓者击败，让他们的球迷群体陷入了长达一周的崩溃。至少在淘汰勇士之后，太阳还可以称自己为季后赛球队。但他们是今年联盟中唯一一支打进季后赛却没能赢下任何一场比赛的球队。至少乔丹·奥特 (Jordan Ott) 保住了他的工作，这与过去三个太阳赛季相比算是一个变化。
他们没有首轮选秀权可用，而菲尼克斯的关键自由球员都是他们应该有兴趣留下的球员：控卫科林·吉莱斯皮 (Collin Gillespie)、得分后卫乔丹·古德温 (Jordan Goodwin) 以及经常受伤的受限制自由球员中锋马克·威廉姆斯 (Mark Williams)。
第四档：无需畏惧的梯队
17. Charlotte Hornets
上期排名： 13
季后赛表现？ 未晋级（在附加赛中被魔术淘汰）
发生了什么，接下来该怎么办？ 我真的以为他们能做到。黄蜂成功击败了被称为“附加赛僵尸”的热火，并且自元旦以来成为了篮球界最炙手可热的球队之一，为争夺季后赛席位做好了准备。然而，他们随后被保罗·班凯罗 (Paolo Banchero) 和温德尔·卡特 (Wendell Carter Jr.) 彻底摧毁。现在，夏洛特拥有东部历史上唯一的连续10年无缘季后赛的尴尬纪录。你明白在如今的东部，每年都进不去季后赛有多难吗？
除了点耻辱之外，黄蜂的前景显然是一片光明的。他们拥有乐透区的最后一个签位以及一个额外的前20号签，而赛季中期引进的科比·怀特 (Coby White) 是唯一值得关注的自由球员。主教练查尔斯·李 (Charles Lee) 也获得了合同续约。黄蜂应该会以本赛季的成功为基础，让自己再次获得终结季后赛荒的机会。
18. Golden State Warriors
上期排名： 20
季后赛表现？ 未晋级（在附加赛中被太阳淘汰）
发生了什么，接下来该怎么办？ 在直觉穹顶球馆（Intuit Dome）的那个夜晚，金州勇士的老将们打出了复古的经典表现，在斯蒂芬·库里 (Stephen Curry) 的三分雨下克服了第四节两位数的落后，同时德雷蒙德·格林 (Draymond Green) 在防守端彻底锁死了科怀·伦纳德 (Kawhi Leonard)。阿尔·霍福德在前三节表现糟糕的情况下，也在第四节投进了他所有的三分球。但这只是延缓了不可避免的结局——在菲尼克斯的失利让勇士在过去七年里第四次无缘季后赛。
这支球队充满了老将和/或伤员，休赛期的故事主线再次围绕着勇士如何才能弄来一名优质球员，来帮助库里在春天打上真正有意义的篮球。去年吉米·巴特勒三世 (Jimmy Butler III) 加盟时这一招奏效了，但现在巴特勒正在从前交叉韧带手术中恢复。金州勇士现在拥有的只有选秀大会的第11号签，涉及克里斯塔普斯·波尔津吉斯 (Kristaps Porziņģis) 和加里·佩顿二世 (Gary Payton II) 的自由球员决定，以及格林、霍福德和德安东尼·梅尔顿 (De’Anthony Melton) 的球员选项。至少他们不用担心库明加会冻结他们七月的薪资空间。
19. Miami Heat
上期排名： 18
季后赛表现？ 未晋级（在附加赛中被黄蜂淘汰）
发生了什么，接下来该怎么办？ 迈阿密连续六年打进季后赛的纪录宣告终结。这是热火队史上首次在打出胜率超过50%的赛季后却未能晋级季后赛。但迈阿密也是连续第四个赛季参加附加赛了。他们这次没能挺过来并不令人意外，尽管他们的出局伴随着巴姆·阿德巴约 (Bam Adebayo) 受伤的厄运，以及在一场加时赛中以一分之差惜败。
所以现在我们又回到了迈阿密休赛期的传统娱乐项目——预测球队应该得到哪位看似可交易、但最终根本得不到的明星球员。今年会是他们得到扬尼斯·阿德托昆博 (Giannis Antetokounmpo) 还是退而求其次选择贾·莫兰特 (Ja Morant) 的一年吗？迈阿密拥有第13号签，他们可以考虑补充另一个真正的控卫选择，以防他们在休息了一年后又想重新打挡拆。也许最大的问题是非受限制自由球员全明星诺曼·鲍威尔 (Norman Powell) 的状况，他在对阵黄蜂的9-10名加时赛中甚至连20分钟的出场时间都没拿到。
20. LA Clippers
上期排名： 16
季后赛表现？ 未晋级（在附加赛中被勇士淘汰）
发生了什么，接下来该怎么办？ 你必须给快船一些掌声。他们扭转了灾难性的开局，连续第15个赛季打出胜率超过50%的常规赛表现。然而，他们在五年内第二次在附加赛中折戟，在9-10名的对决中，在主场挥霍了第四节两位数的领先优势，输给了此前15次交手中被他们击败过12次的勇士。
虽然在得知雷霆将以牺牲快船为代价再次获得一个乐透签时，人们咬牙切齿，但洛杉矶的运气再次好转，因为在步行者无缘选秀前四顺位后，他们反过来夺走了印第安纳的选秀权。就在你以为自己出局的时候，他们又把你拉了回来。在某个时刻，快船和联盟其他球队将会对Aspiration丑闻有更清晰的了解，以及这可能对伦纳德和洛杉矶的资产管理状况意味着什么。
这里有非受限制自由球员（约翰·科林斯 (John Collins)）和受限制自由球员（贝内迪克特·马图林 (Bennedict Mathurin)），以及大量的球员选项（布拉德利·比尔 (Bradley Beal)）和球队选项（布鲁克·洛佩斯 (Brook Lopez)、尼古拉·巴图姆 (Nicolas Batum)、博格丹·博格达诺维奇 (Bogdan Bogdanović)、乔丹·米勒 (Jordan Miller)、科比·桑德斯 (Kobe Sanders)）。而且选秀大会的第五号签在位置上可能与赛季中期交易来的达里厄斯·加兰 (Darius Garland) 存在直接冲突。快船仍有足够的时间和足够多的变数，来度过一个联盟中最具动荡性的休赛期。
21. Indiana Pacers
上期排名： 27
季后赛表现？ 未晋级（战绩为19胜63负）
发生了什么，接下来该怎么办？ 这当然不是乐透签霉运的实力榜，因为那是印第安纳在一个真正灾难性的赛季中输掉的第64场比赛。步行者放弃了最终成为今年选秀第五顺位的选秀权，以及得分手马图林（此前队内顺位最高的选秀球员）的受限制自由球员签约权，换来的基本上只是伊维察·祖巴茨 (Ivica Zubac) 的两个赛季。现在，考虑到泰雷斯·哈利伯顿 (Tyrese Haliburton) 将从跟腱手术中康复回归，祖巴茨将与一套看起来还不错的首发阵容搭档。但无论从短期还是长期来看，印第安纳真的非常需要另一个充满活力的自主得分创造者。相反，他们的篮球运营总裁最终不得不公开道歉。就目前而言，他们还称不上是争冠球队。
22. Utah Jazz
上期排名： 28
季后赛表现？ 未晋级（战绩为22胜60负）
发生了什么，接下来该怎么办？ 爵士曾说他们没有摆烂，然后他们就摆烂了。至少这个输掉60场比赛的赛季比去年结果更好，因为他们很可能会将AJ·迪班萨 (AJ Dybantsa) 或达林·彼得森 (Darryn Peterson) 补充进一套已经拥有基昂特·乔治 (Keyonte George)、埃斯·贝利 (Ace Bailey)、劳里·马尔卡宁 (Lauri Markkanen)、赛季中期交易来的小贾伦·杰克逊 (Jaren Jackson Jr.) 以及受限制自由球员沃克·凯斯勒 (Walker Kessler) 的阵容中。在上赛季的犹他，贝利是这些球员中唯一出场超过55场的球员，而马尔卡宁、杰克逊和凯斯勒合力也只为爵士打了50场比赛。威尔·哈迪 (Will Hardy) 终于将被允许带队赢下一个完整赛季的比赛了，所以至少在纸面上，犹他的前景正在好转。
23. Dallas Mavericks
上期排名： 24
季后赛表现？ 未晋级（战绩为26胜56负）
发生了什么，接下来该怎么办？ 几乎所有涉及卢卡·东契奇交易的主要当事人都不在这里了。尼科·哈里森 (Nico Harrison)？走了，最终被新任总裁马赛·乌杰里 (Masai Ujiri) 取代。杰森·基德 (Jason Kidd)？也走了，因为乌杰里决定不留用一位合同即将到期的过渡期主教练。安东尼·戴维斯 (Anthony Davis)？在打了892分钟后就离开了。东契奇在2024年季后赛中为达拉斯出场的时间都比这要多。我们还没怎么了解你呢，AD。克里斯·米德尔顿 (Khris Middleton)？他是交易戴维斯时换来的最大合同球员，他的合同现在到期了，同时到期的还有马文·巴格利三世 (Marvin Bagley III)。剩下的是年度最佳新秀库珀·弗拉格 (Cooper Flagg)，以及凯里·欧文 (Kyrie Irving) 和德雷克·莱夫利二世 (Dereck Lively II) 的回归，外加选秀大会的第9号签。独行侠上赛季的三分球命中率排在联盟第29位。他们应该能在本月着手解决这个问题。
24. Washington Wizards
上期排名： 30
季后赛表现？ 未晋级（战绩为17胜65负）
发生了什么，接下来该怎么办？ 奇才摆烂了这么久，就是为了这精准的一刻——在一次真正有分量的选秀中拿到状元签（抱歉了，2024届）。更棒的是，他们可以将这位高顺位新秀加入到一套已经拥有特雷·杨 (Trae Young) 球员选项和（据传）安东尼·戴维斯的阵容中！不过，没有理由对这支球队感到过度兴奋；你已经看到了去年独行侠几乎一模一样的配置是如何收场的，而且那支球队至少还有每隔一年左右赢一次球的底蕴。对于一支连续三年未能赢下20场比赛的球队来说，杨（如果他留下）、戴维斯（如果他留下）以及（在此处插入状元秀名字）在下个赛季都有极大的证明自己的压力。但这里有足够的才华，加上许多在次要角色中表现出色的年轻天赋，这表明奇才在下个赛季可能会重新具备竞争力。
25. Milwaukee Bucks
上期排名： 22
季后赛表现？ 未晋级（战绩为32胜50负）
发生了什么，接下来该怎么办？ 雄鹿上一次无缘季后赛还是在2016年。当时他们拥有阿德托昆博，以及选秀大会的第10号签，他们用它选中了索恩·梅克 (Thon Maker)。密尔沃基当然希望这次能有更好的选秀结果，但阿德托昆博还会留在这里吗？曾执教灰熊的新任主教练泰勒·詹金斯 (Taylor Jenkins) 曾在冠军教头迈克·布登霍尔泽 (Mike Budenholzer) 手下担任过雄鹿的助理教练。但在阿德托昆博的去留问题解决之前，在经历了这样一个糟糕的赛季后，雄鹿并没有太多值得期待的事情。
第五档：地下室（垫底梯队）
26. New Orleans Pelicans
上期排名： 23
季后赛表现？ 未晋级（战绩为26胜56负）
发生了什么，接下来该怎么办？ 希望鹈鹕对杰里迈亚·费尔斯 (Jeremiah Fears) 尤其是德里克·奎因 (Derik Queen) 入选最佳新秀阵容的表现感到满意，因为在去年的选秀大会上交易得到奎因，正是导致新奥尔良无缘今年乐透签的原因。前魔术主教练雅马哈尔·莫斯利 (Jamahl Mosley) 已经来到这里，他将从执教一位前杜克大学状元秀（班凯罗）转向执教另一位（蔡恩·威廉森 (Zion Williamson)）。新奥尔良去年排名前九的球员目前都在合同期内，但莫斯利需要提高这支队伍的篮板球能力，而如果威廉森要留在这里的话，这一切必须从他做起。
27. Memphis Grizzlies
上期排名： 25
季后赛表现？ 未晋级（战绩为25胜57负）
发生了什么，接下来该怎么办？ 这是去年联盟中防守篮板最差的球队，而且他们还交易走了小贾伦·杰克逊。不过乐透签在今年眷顾了孟菲斯，他们获得了选秀大会的探花签，应该能够拿下卡姆·布泽尔 (Cam Boozer) 或迦勒·威尔逊 (Caleb Wilson) 之一，来与中锋扎克·伊迪 (Zach Edey) 搭档。不幸的是，孟菲斯受到了新乐透改革的最大打击，因为他们无法从犹他可能获得的前五顺位选秀权中受益。最大的问号是控卫莫兰特会发生什么，他似乎是今年夏天联盟中最明显的需要“换个环境”的候选人之一。
28. Chicago Bulls
上期排名： 21
季后赛表现？ 未晋级（战绩为31胜51负）
发生了什么，接下来该怎么办？ 芝加哥正在发生巨大的变化。比利·多诺万 (Billy Donovan) 帮了公牛一个大忙，他选择主动辞职，而不是在新任执行副总裁布赖森·格雷厄姆 (Bryson Graham) 手下当一个合同即将到期的过渡期教练。芝加哥仍然需要一位新主教练，但他们拥有选秀大会的第四号签，应该能够稳稳拿下迪班萨、彼得森、布泽尔或（最有可能的）威尔逊中掉下来的那一个。公牛在赛季结束时拥有的所有中锋和客串中锋都将成为自由球员，因此他们寻找尼古拉·武切维奇 (Nikola Vučević) 替代者的工作可能会通过第15号签以及老将市场来展开。
29. Sacramento Kings
上期排名： 26
季后赛表现？ 未晋级（战绩为22胜60负）
发生了什么，接下来该怎么办？ 还记得萨克拉门托国王打进季后赛的时候吗？当时那支季后赛球队拥有年度最佳教练、一名入选最佳阵容的后卫，以及一名拥有夺冠经验的前锋。好吧，我相信你已经听过足够多关于迈克·布朗、达龙·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox) 和哈里森·巴恩斯 (Harrison Barnes) 为总决赛球队做出贡献的事迹了。与此同时，国王却在这里为他们17年来最糟糕的赛季收拾残局，并因为他们的挣扎而只拿到了第七顺位签。篮球之神根本没有眷顾萨克拉门托。看起来他们可以选一个新后卫，但他们也必须想清楚如何处理这群畸形的老将组合——单看他们都是不错的球员，但在这支毫无防守的球队里却显得格格不入，尤其是中锋多曼塔斯·萨博尼斯 (Domantas Sabonis)。
30. Brooklyn Nets
上期排名： 29
季后赛表现？ 未晋级（战绩为20胜62负）
发生了什么，接下来该怎么办？ 哦对，纽约的另一支球队。现在当一个篮网球迷一定很憋屈。自2012年离开新泽西以来，这支球队已经经历了三个输掉60场比赛的赛季。前两个赛季的选秀权最终变成了波士顿凯尔特人的前三号签（通过那笔加内特/皮尔斯交易），凯尔特人借此选中了两位入选最佳阵容的球员——布朗和塔图姆，他们也是波士顿2024年夺冠阵容的成员。而最近的这一次甚至没能让篮网拿到一个前五顺位签，导致他们在去年将五个首轮签中的四个用于选择后卫之后，今年又不得不在几个矮个后卫之间做抉择。这一切都发生在尼克斯夺得自1976年篮网夺得最后一届ABA冠军以来的首个总冠军的同一年。篮网此前夺冠的时间甚至比尼克斯还要近。在合并后共同征战NBA的49年里，他们在总决赛中的战绩完全相同（0胜2负）。但现在不同了。至少约迪·费尔南德斯 (Jordi Fernandez) 在这种情况下获得了合同续约——他正式成为了“东部版的威尔·哈迪”。
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
点击查看原文：NBA Power Rankings: The Knicks are champs. What’s next for all 30 teams?
NBA Power Rankings: The Knicks are champs. What’s next for all 30 teams?
Album of the Week: “Cry Baby,” Vince Staples (2026)
To everyone waking up at 7 in the morning: those aren’t pigs flying high on a joyride to heaven.
Congratulations are in order for the New York Knicks! 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’s title pattern says there will be a ninth different champion in 2027, and it certainly won’t 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.
We’re 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’s roster. We can use the tiers accordingly:
- Top Contenders — Locked at five, these are the class of the league
- In a Good Place — Could be one team, could be seven teams
- The Bubble — Not to be confused with Walt Disney World. The middle of the pack
- Not the Tier to Fear — Not playing the worst ball in the league, but with a lot of work to do
- Basement Floor — Bringing up the rear
In The Athletic NBA Power Rankings for June, we will explore offseason outlooks for each team. Previous rankings are from April, when we handed out fourth quarter grades; see that edition for records and efficiency ratings.
Tier 1: Top Contenders
1. New York Knicks
Last ranking: 6
Playoffs? Beat Hawks in East quarterfinals, swept 76ers in East semifinals, swept Cavaliers in Eastern Conference finals, beat Spurs in NBA Finals
What happened and what’s next? Well look at what we have here. The “biased New York Times” (callback!) has the Knicks atop the Power Rankings. You’ve never seen it before! You didn’t 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’t look like a special team during the regular season. They weren’t a 40-before-20 contender. Their best player has a shorter wingspan than I do. They’re 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.
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’t their fault that the higher-seeded Celtics and Pistons lost Game 7s at home to teams the Knicks wound up sweeping. And it isn’t 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’ve 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. They should get him to host the Saturday Night Live season opener.
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, 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’s 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’ll have the most high-profile bandwagon ever. Maybe it’ll include Becky Hammon now!
2. San Antonio Spurs
Last ranking: 2
Playoffs? Beat Trail Blazers in West quarterfinals, beat Timberwolves in West semifinals, beat Thunder in West finals, lost to Knicks in NBA Finals
What happened and what’s next? Let’s start with obvious plaudits. The Spurs didn’t 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’s rookie season. Their three-year draft run of Wembanyama, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper is essentially outlawed by the NBA now.
But the neophyte Spurs were truly dominant in breaking the franchise’s 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’s best player already.
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 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’s a hard way to go out, especially since they couldn’t keep that same energy for the Knicks that they had against the Thunder.
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.
3. Oklahoma City Thunder
Last ranking: 1
Playoffs? Swept Suns in West quarterfinals, swept Lakers in West semifinals, lost Game 7 to Spurs in Western Conference finals
What happened and what’s next? Everyone enjoyed Oklahoma City’s 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’re getting antagonized because they defend and their star gets free throws.
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?
The Jalen Williams hamstring injuries were debilitating against the Spurs, and Chet Holmgren is going to need to redeem himself for one of the worst disappearing acts from an All-NBA player you’ll 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’s 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’s first-round pick (No. 17) as a result of acquiring Al Horford in 2020. It will be in every team’s best interest for Oklahoma City to overreact to their Spurs problem.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers
Last ranking: 7
Playoffs? Beat Raptors in East quarterfinals Game 7, beat Pistons in East semifinals Game 7, swept by Knicks in Eastern Conference finals
What happened and what’s 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’t 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.
That’s the rub with the Cavaliers. Because of the way they operate, and what they say during and after these playoff losses, it’s 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.
But you usually don’t 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 begins with James Harden’s partially guaranteed player option.
5. Detroit Pistons
Last ranking: 3
Playoffs? Beat Magic in East quarterfinals Game 7, lost Game 7 to Cavaliers in East semifinals
What happened and what’s 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 ahead of restricted free agency and starting power forward Tobias Harris also reaching free agency after his latest uneven postseason.
Detroit also had very little to show in the playoffs from recent top-five picks of the 2023 (they’ve 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’s 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.
Tier 2: In a Good Place
6. Los Angeles Lakers
Last ranking: 8
Playoffs? Beat Rockets in West quarterfinals, swept by Thunder in West semifinals
What happened and what’s 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. Now, everyone did pick them to lose to the Thunder, and they were unable to get a single game in that series. Luka Dončić 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’ offensive pecking order. It all sets up a game of chicken this offseason.
Reaves is due for a raise, while Dončić prioritizes rest off the floor more than last year. James, on the other hand, doesn’t have a contract. The Lakers are going to hope someone takes a pay cut, and even if that happens, they’ll still need meaningful upgrades at center and from an athletic standpoint. Los Angeles spent most of the season winning close games it wasn’t supposed to win while getting blown out by the best teams in the league.
They simply need better personnel to pair with what they hope will be better injury luck, particularly for Dončić, if they’re going to be legitimate contenders for more than a month of a season.
7. Minnesota Timberwolves
Last ranking: 9
Playoffs? Beat Nuggets in West quarterfinals, lost to Spurs in West semifinals
What happened and what’s 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.
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.
8. Philadelphia 76ers
Last ranking: 19
Playoffs? Beat Celtics in East quarterfinals Game 7, swept by Knicks in East semifinals
What happened and what’s 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.
That still wasn’t 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’t help matters that Jared McCain, the rookie contract that Morey was happy to sell high on, was doing more off Oklahoma City’s bench by himself than Philadelphia’s collective bench. The 76ers hired former Cavaliers executive Mike Gansey as Morey’s replacement, and Gansey needs to figure out what to do about free agents Kelly Oubre, Andre Drummond and Quentin Grimes while seeking to upgrade the power forward position.
Tier 3: The Bubble
9. Boston Celtics
Last ranking: 4
Playoffs? Lost Game 7 to 76ers in East quarterfinals
What happened and what’s 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’t 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.
We went from Boston being an unstoppable dynasty that would ruin the game of basketball with volume 3s to trade rumors involving Brown. 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.
10. Denver Nuggets
Last ranking: 5
Playoffs? Lost to Timberwolves in West quarterfinals
What happened and what’s next? We already knew that the Nuggets had the worst defense of any playoff team. But let’s hear it from Jaden McDaniels!
“Go at (Nikola) Jokić, Jamal (Murray), all the bad defenders. Tim Hardaway. Cam Johnson. Aaron Gordon. The whole team. Just go at them… they’re all bad defenders.”
Mind you, the series was tied 1-1 when McDaniels plainly stated his lack of respect for Denver’s ability to get stops. Then the Nuggets lost in six to a Timberwolves team that didn’t have either of their top three guards by the end of the series. One player McDaniels didn’t 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, especially if they can’t retain Watson.
11. Houston Rockets
Last ranking: 10
Playoffs? Lost to Lakers in West quarterfinals
What happened and what’s 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 right before the playoffs and again in his lone playoff appearance. The worst loss wasn’t their last one; they donated a Game 3 win with the kind of situational basketball meltdown that causes hair loss and discoloration.
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 Şengün, Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard all have relative playmaking challenges.
12. Toronto Raptors
Last ranking: 12
Playoffs? Lost Game 7 to Cavaliers in East quarterfinals
What happened and what’s 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 had a memorable game-winner in Game 6, and Scottie Barnes further established himself as the closest thing this franchise has to a blue-chip performer.
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.
13. Atlanta Hawks
Last ranking: 11
Playoffs? Lost to Knicks in East quarterfinals
What happened and what’s 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’ll 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’s draft, and it comes with the franchise at a crossroads with surprise 2024 No.1 pick Zaccharie Risacher. Add in the team option on Jonathan Kuminga, and the Hawks could be in position to continue shaking up a respectable roster.
14. Orlando Magic
Last ranking: 15
Playoffs? Lost Game 7 to Pistons in East quarterfinals
What happened and what’s next? What a roller coaster. The Magic didn’t 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’t wait until the beginning of the following season to relieve their head coach of their duties. Now, Sean Sweeney goes from Spurs defensive coordinator 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’t won a playoff series since 2010. Seriously, Jonathan Isaac is still under contract for another three seasons.
15. Portland Trail Blazers
Last ranking: 14
Playoffs? Lost to Spurs in West quarterfinals
What happened and what’s 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.
Yet, interim head coach Tiago Splitter isn’t being rewarded for his efforts after leading the team following the arrest of Chauncey Billups. Portland has Damian Lillard’s return to look forward to, but all of Deni Avdija, Jrue Holiday, Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson are under contract. That’s a lot of players who need touches unless someone gets traded.
16. Phoenix Suns
Last ranking: 17
Playoffs? Swept by Thunder in West quarterfinals
What happened and what’s 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’s a change from the previous three Suns seasons.
There’s no first-round pick to work with, while Phoenix’s 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.
Tier 4: Not the Tier to Fear
17. Charlotte Hornets
Last ranking: 13
Playoffs? Did not qualify (eliminated by Magic in Play-In Tournament)
What happened and what’s next? I really thought they’d 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’s East?
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.
18. Golden State Warriors
Last ranking: 20
Playoffs? Did not qualify (eliminated by Suns in Play-In Tournament)
What happened and what’s 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.
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 Porziņģis and Gary Payton II and the player options of Green, Horford and De’Anthony Melton. At least they don’t have to worry about Jonathan Kuminga freezing their July.
19. Miami Heat
Last ranking: 18
Playoffs? Did not qualify (eliminated by Hornets in Play-In Tournament)
What happened and what’s next? Miami’s playoff streak ended at six seasons. It’s 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’s not a shock that they didn’t 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.
So now we return to the usual Miami offseason pasttime and that’s prognosticating which seemingly available star player the franchise is supposed to get that they don’t 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’t even reach 20 minutes in the 9-10 overtime game against the Hornets.
20. LA Clippers
Last ranking: 16
Playoffs? Did not qualify (eliminated by Warriors in Play-In Tournament)
What happened and what’s 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.
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’s pick once the Pacers were shut out of the draft’s top four. Just when you’re 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’s asset management situation.
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 Bogdanović, Jordan Miller, Kobe Sanders) options. And the fifth pick in the draft might be in direct conflict positionally with midseason acquisition Darius Garland. There’s still enough time, and enough moving parts, for the Clippers to have one of the more volatile offseasons in the league.
21. Indiana Pacers
Last ranking: 27
Playoffs? Did not qualify (finished 19-63)
What happened and what’s next? This certainly isn’t a power ranking of lottery misfortune, because that was Indiana’s 64th loss of a truly disastrous season. The Pacers gave up what turned out to be the fifth pick in this year’s 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’s 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. This is not a contender as of right now.
22. Utah Jazz
Last ranking: 28
Playoffs? Did not qualify (finished 22-60)
What happened and what’s next? The Jazz said they weren’t tanking, then they tanked. At least this 60-loss season worked out better than last year’s, as they’ll 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.
23. Dallas Mavericks
Last ranking: 24
Playoffs? Did not qualify (finished 26-56)
What happened and what’s next? Almost all of the principals of the Luka Dončić 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. Dončić 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’s left is Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg 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.
24. Washington Wizards
Last ranking: 30
Playoffs? Did not qualify (finished 17-65)
What happened and what’s 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’s player option and (allegedly) Anthony Davis! There’s no reason to get any more excited for this team; you saw how nearly the exact same arrangement worked out for last year’s 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’s enough talent here, along with plenty of relevant young talent in lesser roles, to suggest that the Wizards could be competitive again next season.
25. Milwaukee Bucks
Last ranking: 22
Playoffs? Did not qualify (finished 32-50)
What happened and what’s 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? New head coach Taylor Jenkins, formerly of the Grizzlies, was an assistant in Milwaukee under championship head coach Mike Budenholzer. But until Antetokounmpo’s situation is resolved, there’s not much to look forward to after the season the Bucks had.
Tier 5: Basement Floor
26. New Orleans Pelicans
Last ranking: 23
Playoffs? Did not qualify (finished 26-56)
What happened and what’s 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’s draft is what cancelled New Orleans’ inclusion in this year’s 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’ 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’s going to be here.
27. Memphis Grizzlies
Last ranking: 25
Playoffs? Did not qualify (finished 25-57)
What happened and what’s next? This was the worst defensive rebounding team in the league last year, and they traded away Jaren Jackson Jr. The lottery worked out for Memphis this year, as they got the third pick in the draft and should be able to get one of Cam Boozer or Caleb Wilson to pair up with center Zach Edey. Unfortunately for Memphis, it got screwed the most by the new lottery reform, since it can’t benefit from a potential top-five draft pick via Utah. The biggest question mark is what happens with point guard Ja Morant, who seems like one of the most obvious change-of-scenery candidates in the league this summer.
28. Chicago Bulls
Last ranking: 21
Playoffs? Did not qualify (finished 31-51)
What happened and what’s next? There are a lot of changes in Chicago. Billy Donovan did the Bulls a solid by stepping down instead of hanging on as a lame duck under new executive vice president Bryson Graham. Chicago still needs a new head coach, but they have the fourth pick in the draft to work with and should be able to secure whoever drops among AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cam Boozer or (most likely) Caleb Wilson. Every center and pretend center the Bulls finished the season with is a free agent, so their search for a Nikola Vučević replacement could come from the 15th pick as well as the veteran market.
29. Sacramento Kings
Last ranking: 26
Playoffs? Did not qualify (finished 22-60)
What happened and what’s next? Remember when the Sacramento Kings made the playoffs, and they had the Coach of the Year on that playoff team, and an All-NBA guard, and a forward with championship experience? Well, I’m sure you’ve heard plenty about Mike Brown, De’Aaron Fox and Harrison Barnes contributing to finals teams. Meanwhile, here the Kings are, picking up the pieces from their worst season in 17 years and drafting seventh overall for their troubles. The basketball gods did not reward Sacramento at all. It seems like they can draft a new guard, but they also have to figure out what to do with the misshapen collection of veterans who are fine players in a vacuum but were an awful fit on this defenseless team, especially center Domantas Sabonis.
30. Brooklyn Nets
Last ranking: 29
Playoffs? Did not qualify (finished 20-62)
What happened and what’s next? Oh right, the other team in New York. It has to be aggravating to be the Nets right now. This franchise has three 60-loss seasons since leaving New Jersey in 2012. The first two resulted in top-three picks for the Boston Celtics (via that KG/Pierce trade), who selected two All-NBA players in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum that were a part of Boston’s 2024 championship team. The latest one didn’t even get the Nets a top-five pick, leaving them trying to decide between some small guards a year after using four out of five first round picks on guards. All of this in the same year the Knicks won their first championship since the Nets won the last ABA championship in 1976. The Nets had won a championship more recently than the Knicks. For 49 years that they were in the NBA together after the merger, they had the same record in the finals (0-2). Not anymore. At least Jordi Fernandez got an extension out of these circumstances – he’s officially Will Hardy of the East.
By Law Murray, via The Athletic