Which team has the brightest future?

[Nightperzon]

Wolfs or 76ers, Suns could be a soild playoff team but that's about it. The others are screwed and better pray they hit the lotto.

[Orens]

Wolfs or 76ers, Suns could be a soild playoff team but that's about it. The others are screwed and better pray they hit the lotto.

We'll see how well the Suns did in the summer. Too early to determine, considering the heavy shake-up.
Lots of youth getting a first burn right now, haven't seen the BladeKnight backcourt in action. Could get a steal in the draft, grab a marquee free agent and then re-sign Knight, and add it to a core of players who already prove they could win.
Don't sleep on them yet.

[NBAfan3024]

Wolves

[Just_Bullz]

The kings, coaching and man management is important too.

[Lake Forrest]

Wolves

[piston1423]

Pistons

[vado]

The Toronto Raptors

[jgosche]

The Toronto Raptors

[lakersin4]

Solely based on the players on the team now & assuming average success in the draft relative to each teams recent picks, it's Minnesota by a mile. They have 1 thing none of the other teams have yet, Wiggins has Superstar potential with a ceiling of best player in the league. They have a borderline Allstar in Rubio(crazy to think he just turned 24). Shabazz, Lavine, & Dieng who all look like worst case solid starters with potential to be much more. They'll be bad enough to keep their lottery pick this year, but they haven't exactly drafted well in the lottery(I know it was mostly Kahn but still). They have a great young core but it really all comes down to Wiggins. He has the type of potential all of these other teams hope their recent/future lottery picks will have.

The Best of the Rest, in no order:

Philly has a good group of 4 young players with the potential to break out & become stars to go with most likely having the most lottery balls this year. The Heat pick which should be 15-16. The potential to get the Lakers pick if we screw up & land at 6 or 7. The potential to get the #19 pick from OKC if they go on a scary run to finish the season. & half of the 2nd round. More likely they get the Lakers pick in the teens next year & OKC's pick in the 20's next year to go along with their own lottery pick. But no matter where those picks land, between their existing young players, a ton of cap space with no big extensions coming up, & all of those picks, that's a lot of chances at getting a franchise changing player.


Orlando also has a very good young core, but theirs are already showing their potential. Vucevic looks like he could be 1 of the best C's in the league. Oladipo has Allstar potential. I don't know if Payton will live up to the Rondo comparisons but he's already on his way to becoming a solid 2 way starting PG. Aaron Gordon is still a wild card. He has the natural gifts to become a star but looks like he might take a while to develop. Harris is already an above average starter but all signs seem to point to him being gone this summer. Right now they have the 5th worst record but I see Sac & Utah outtanking them. Should end up with the 7th-10th worst record, & based on how well they've drafted recently, that could mean adding another very good young player to the mix.


Utah just lost 1 of their good young players for practically nothing & that definitely hurts them. But they still have a good core of young talent. Hayward is already a very good all around player, but if he can add 3-5 PPG to his average, he'll be a legit Allstar living up to that Max contract. Favors looks to be on his way to becoming 1 of the best 2 way bigs in the league, & Gobert will join him if his per-36 numbers don't take a dive with more playing time. Burke & Burks both look like they could be legit starters very soon. Exum has had a rough time so far but still has 1 of the highest ceilings from his draft class. Who knows if Pleiss will live up to the hype but if he does, they'll have to figure out which of their talented young bigs to trade for a great return, good problem to have. They should finish with the 5th to 8th worst record & judging by their recent picks, they have a good chance of adding another good young player.

The Rest:

Phoenix is primed to miss the playoffs by just enough to not have a good draft pick yet again barring injuries crippling DAL, SAS, or OKC. They were already on the treadmill & got worse at the deadline, but while they lost 3 good players & the potential of Ennis, they did get a 23 year old PG that could very easily be an Allstar level player soon. That atleast gives them something to rebuild around if they decide to blow it up. They gave up the Lakers pick which will end up in the teens in 2016, but it's extremely unlikely they would have gotten a better rebuilding piece there than Knight. The 2016 Cleveland 1st should be in the high 20's, & the 2017 MIA 1st is only 1-7 protected & could be really good or really bad. If Dragic leaves this summer they'd have no cap space or assets to replace him & Wade being healthy 2 years from now is far from a sure thing. Or Dragic could stay & Wade could still be playing at this level. Could range anywhere from a top 10 pick to in the 20's. The 1 chance I think they have of winning within 5 years is dumping everyone except Knight & Len & relying on getting lucky with their own lottery picks.

Denver is in a tough spot. I don't think they're bad enough to tank this season but they need to start over. Lawson is pretty much their entire team & Shaw would rather have George Hill. I assume Lawson will be moved in the offseason, as long as he doesn't go public with a trade demand they should be able to get a couple picks & a good young player or 2. Nurkic looks like he has a bright future in the league. Faried has a rare motor that you don't see from many bigs, but it doesn't look like he's going to live up to the star potential a lot of people thought he had, & they already gave him a big extension. Probably hard to trade with that extension & young enough to keep next to Nurkic. Dumping McGee was a huge plus. If they can salvage some picks or young players for Gallo, Chandler, & Hickson before they expire that would certainly help. Their own pick & the Knicks pick have the potential to be very good next year, but they can't have both just the option to swap. Don't think they have enough young talent to pull off a quick rebuild but a good trade or 2 could change that.


The Kings, I don't know where to start. Maybe with "Stauskus?". Obviously Cousins is a monster. Every team in the league would consider themselves lucky to have him. Rudy & Collison are playing well, maybe a bit too well. Their pick is only 1-10 protected & there are currently 13 total teams, 11 non-playoff teams that either have a worse record or are within 3 games of having a worse record. They're going to have to tank hard to keep that pick. Rudy & Collison are also probably a few years too old to be a part of a rebuild going foward, although I'm not sure how they would even rebuild. 8 outgoing future picks to 1 incoming, Cousins is their only good young player, they don't have any other assets that could bring in the picks they need. I know a lot of Kings fans still have high hopes for McLemore but I don't see him ever being more than a good 2 way role player who is the 4th or 5th option on the floor at all times. Honestly I don't think there's a GM in the league that could salvage this situation.

[MiltownHawkeye]

Wolfs or 76ers, Suns could be a soild playoff team but that's about it. The others are screwed and better pray they hit the lotto.

We'll see how well the Suns did in the summer. Too early to determine, considering the heavy shake-up.
Lots of youth getting a first burn right now, haven't seen the BladeKnight backcourt in action. Could get a steal in the draft, grab a marquee free agent and then re-sign Knight, and add it to a core of players who already prove they could win.
Don't sleep on them yet.

1. Any team can get a steal in the draft. It's more likely for these other teams than your team because they have better picks.

2. Which marquee free agent do you plan on getting and why is it more likely they get it than other teams?

3. This core of players have proved they could win? 3 of your starting 5 from last year is gone. Dragic and IT were both shipped out and I don't know what you're expecting Knight to bring that Dragic didn't.

There's a reason the Suns' future is getting slept on, it isn't looking that impressive.

[Xsy]

How does Philadelphia have 11 votes? I don't get it.

If Embiid gets healthy and they get a good pick this year, they could be very good. Embiid/Russell would be interesting to say the least.

The Sixers are nothing but question marks. I can see that they have the potential to be a good team in 5 years, but right now I just see a mess. I look at the Wolves, Magic, and Jazz, and I can obviously SEE that they have a future. They have an actual direction that they're actually moving in. Sixers have two centers, one of which hasn't even played a single NBA game yet, both of which have had injuries that cost them entire seasons. Their entire future depends on drafting well, or trading well, which guarantees nothing.

They have a potentially great future, but for me, but there are waaay too many things that can go wrong in Philly's situation.

I'd take Minny's, Orlando's, or Utah's situation any day of the week

And it's already been said, but Milwaukee needs a spot on this list, and they deserve a bunch of votes as well.

[mksp]

How does Philadelphia have 11 votes? I don't get it.

If Embiid gets healthy and they get a good pick this year, they could be very good. Embiid/Russell would be interesting to say the least.

The Sixers are nothing but question marks. I can see that they have the potential to be a good team in 5 years, but right now I just see a mess. I look at the Wolves, Magic, and Jazz, and I can obviously SEE that they have a future. They have an actual direction that they're actually moving in. Sixers have two centers, one of which hasn't even played a single NBA game yet, both of which have had injuries that cost them entire seasons. Their entire future depends on drafting well, or trading well, which guarantees nothing.

They have a potentially great future, but for me, but there are waaay too many things that can go wrong in Philly's situation.

I'd take Minny's, Orlando's, or Utah's situation any day of the week

And it's already been said, but Milwaukee needs a spot on this list, and they deserve a bunch of votes as well.

Your personal inability to process information doesn't mean that the Sixers don't have a plan. Their plan is quite clear: Accumulate as many great players as possible.

[Mr Loggins]

The Toronto Raptors

[Xsy]

If Embiid gets healthy and they get a good pick this year, they could be very good. Embiid/Russell would be interesting to say the least.

The Sixers are nothing but question marks. I can see that they have the potential to be a good team in 5 years, but right now I just see a mess. I look at the Wolves, Magic, and Jazz, and I can obviously SEE that they have a future. They have an actual direction that they're actually moving in. Sixers have two centers, one of which hasn't even played a single NBA game yet, both of which have had injuries that cost them entire seasons. Their entire future depends on drafting well, or trading well, which guarantees nothing.

They have a potentially great future, but for me, but there are waaay too many things that can go wrong in Philly's situation.

I'd take Minny's, Orlando's, or Utah's situation any day of the week

And it's already been said, but Milwaukee needs a spot on this list, and they deserve a bunch of votes as well.

Your personal inability to process information doesn't mean that the Sixers don't have a plan. Their plan is quite clear: Accumulate as many great players as possible.

I didn't say they don't have a plan. I'm saying their plan has huge backfire potential. If I were to place actual money on these teams having the best future, they would be the last team I would put money on.

[Orens]

Wolfs or 76ers, Suns could be a soild playoff team but that's about it. The others are screwed and better pray they hit the lotto.

We'll see how well the Suns did in the summer. Too early to determine, considering the heavy shake-up.
Lots of youth getting a first burn right now, haven't seen the BladeKnight backcourt in action. Could get a steal in the draft, grab a marquee free agent and then re-sign Knight, and add it to a core of players who already prove they could win.
Don't sleep on them yet.

1. Any team can get a steal in the draft. It's more likely for these other teams than your team because they have better picks.

2. Which marquee free agent do you plan on getting and why is it more likely they get it than other teams?

3. This core of players have proved they could win? 3 of your starting 5 from last year is gone. Dragic and IT were both shipped out and I don't know what you're expecting Knight to bring that Dragic didn't.

There's a reason the Suns' future is getting slept on, it isn't looking that impressive.

1. It's more likely that the GM who proved capable of recognizing talent could grab it. How many Top-10 busts are happening every each and single year? The draft is not a crapshoot. McD decided to cash in (by the time he grabbed 3 other picks), and that's it. By the way, he said about the Lakers pick:

With a pick like that our analysis was that we probably weren't going to receive the pick this year. That pushes the pick into next year, the protection drops to three, but I think analyzing the Lakers situation there's pretty high variance there as to what the pick could be. If you ask me how the Lakers are going to be a year from now i have no idea. Obviously, they've struggled some recently, but they're going to have a lot of salary cap space this summer and they're in a market that's traditionally been one of the top draws for free agents.

We know the risks. The pick next year could be the fourth pick in the draft, it could be the 14th pick in the draft, it could be the 30th pick in the draft. We felt it was the right time to cash it in.

We knew we needed to give something good to Philadelphia in a three-team trade in order for them to part with Michael Carter-Williams. That's what they wanted so that's how the deal got done.

2. I don't know - Leonard? Butler? Green? Harris? Monroe? No one really knows what's about to happen, and that's the beauty of it. You can bash it all you want, but the Suns opened a possibility they are going to take advantage of and weren't going to happen with Dragic on board.
3. Please get your facts straight:
Kieff was supposed to start at the 4 last year, Frye moved in right before the regular season began. Kieff turned out as a top candidate for 6th man of the year, finished 3rd or 4th. He's looking great for the Suns so far this year, and I'd rather pay him 8M$ a year than Frye - who is 6 years and a half older, by the way. Even if we are upgrading at the starting 4 and moving him back to the 6th man role, his contract is a bargain.
So, Bledsoe-Tucker-Kieff are still a part of the core.

Plus:
Alex Len was injured as a rookie year but has proved to be already better than Plumlee was back then, and he's 5 years younger. When he replaced Plumlee as a starter back in December, the Suns went 14-4, and he proved to be a capable center against the best of them. When he sprained his ankle during a tough stretch, the Suns missed him badly. That's a small sample size, but hey - in this run alone his team has won more than most rebuilding teams have.
Brandon Knight is 5 years and a half younger than Dragic, but we haven't seen him yet at a Suns uniform so all we can talk about is his on-paper fit - defense, shooting (especially catch&shoot - Goran didn't have it), athleticism. He could end up being a better fit than the Slovenian, but hey - instead of talking about 'what if' and 'what if' like most tanking teams, we should find out soon enough. We already do know that Knight was a major part of the first team in the NBA's history to double it's last season's win total before the all-star break. In that mold, he should fit in right away with the Suns.

At the "what if section" you can add 3 first round picks over the last couple of years that should join Alex Len enter the rotation post-deadline (TJ Warren, Archie Goodwin, Reggie Bullock), a probable lottery pick (I'm not sure where exactly, could be Top-10?) and Bogdan Bogdanovic, who kicks ass as a European rising star.

[Amish Mafioso]

How does Philadelphia have 11 votes? I don't get it.

If Embiid gets healthy and they get a good pick this year, they could be very good. Embiid/Russell would be interesting to say the least.

The Sixers are nothing but question marks. I can see that they have the potential to be a good team in 5 years, but right now I just see a mess. I look at the Wolves, Magic, and Jazz, and I can obviously SEE that they have a future. They have an actual direction that they're actually moving in. Sixers have two centers, one of which hasn't even played a single NBA game yet, both of which have had injuries that cost them entire seasons. Their entire future depends on drafting well, or trading well, which guarantees nothing.

They have a potentially great future, but for me, but there are waaay too many things that can go wrong in Philly's situation.

I'd take Minny's, Orlando's, or Utah's situation any day of the week

And it's already been said, but Milwaukee needs a spot on this list, and they deserve a bunch of votes as well.

Every one of these teams have question marks. Like I said before, a healthy Embiid and hitting the right pick in the next draft, and Philly could have a couple stars before you know it. Sure, Philly needs a little luck for things to come together, but that's true for all these teams, albeit some need more luck than others. I wouldn't put Philly at the top of my list, but they are right up there with the others when it comes to potential. I'm guessing their team comes together faster than a lot of people here think they will. IMO, most of the Philly doubt stems from a bias towards the way they are building their team, but I'm not sure you should bet against a team building with high draft picks. We all need some luck, and the higher you draft, the better your chances of getting lucky.

[Kings2013]

Solely based on the players on the team now & assuming average success in the draft relative to each teams recent picks, it's Minnesota by a mile. They have 1 thing none of the other teams have yet, Wiggins has Superstar potential with a ceiling of best player in the league. They have a borderline Allstar in Rubio(crazy to think he just turned 24). Shabazz, Lavine, & Dieng who all look like worst case solid starters with potential to be much more. They'll be bad enough to keep their lottery pick this year, but they haven't exactly drafted well in the lottery(I know it was mostly Kahn but still). They have a great young core but it really all comes down to Wiggins. He has the type of potential all of these other teams hope their recent/future lottery picks will have.

The Best of the Rest, in no order:

Philly has a good group of 4 young players with the potential to break out & become stars to go with most likely having the most lottery balls this year. The Heat pick which should be 15-16. The potential to get the Lakers pick if we screw up & land at 6 or 7. The potential to get the #19 pick from OKC if they go on a scary run to finish the season. & half of the 2nd round. More likely they get the Lakers pick in the teens next year & OKC's pick in the 20's next year to go along with their own lottery pick. But no matter where those picks land, between their existing young players, a ton of cap space with no big extensions coming up, & all of those picks, that's a lot of chances at getting a franchise changing player.


Orlando also has a very good young core, but theirs are already showing their potential. Vucevic looks like he could be 1 of the best C's in the league. Oladipo has Allstar potential. I don't know if Payton will live up to the Rondo comparisons but he's already on his way to becoming a solid 2 way starting PG. Aaron Gordon is still a wild card. He has the natural gifts to become a star but looks like he might take a while to develop. Harris is already an above average starter but all signs seem to point to him being gone this summer. Right now they have the 5th worst record but I see Sac & Utah outtanking them. Should end up with the 7th-10th worst record, & based on how well they've drafted recently, that could mean adding another very good young player to the mix.


Utah just lost 1 of their good young players for practically nothing & that definitely hurts them. But they still have a good core of young talent. Hayward is already a very good all around player, but if he can add 3-5 PPG to his average, he'll be a legit Allstar living up to that Max contract. Favors looks to be on his way to becoming 1 of the best 2 way bigs in the league, & Gobert will join him if his per-36 numbers don't take a dive with more playing time. Burke & Burks both look like they could be legit starters very soon. Exum has had a rough time so far but still has 1 of the highest ceilings from his draft class. Who knows if Pleiss will live up to the hype but if he does, they'll have to figure out which of their talented young bigs to trade for a great return, good problem to have. They should finish with the 5th to 8th worst record & judging by their recent picks, they have a good chance of adding another good young player.

The Rest:

Phoenix is primed to miss the playoffs by just enough to not have a good draft pick yet again barring injuries crippling DAL, SAS, or OKC. They were already on the treadmill & got worse at the deadline, but while they lost 3 good players & the potential of Ennis, they did get a 23 year old PG that could very easily be an Allstar level player soon. That atleast gives them something to rebuild around if they decide to blow it up. They gave up the Lakers pick which will end up in the teens in 2016, but it's extremely unlikely they would have gotten a better rebuilding piece there than Knight. The 2016 Cleveland 1st should be in the high 20's, & the 2017 MIA 1st is only 1-7 protected & could be really good or really bad. If Dragic leaves this summer they'd have no cap space or assets to replace him & Wade being healthy 2 years from now is far from a sure thing. Or Dragic could stay & Wade could still be playing at this level. Could range anywhere from a top 10 pick to in the 20's. The 1 chance I think they have of winning within 5 years is dumping everyone except Knight & Len & relying on getting lucky with their own lottery picks.

Denver is in a tough spot. I don't think they're bad enough to tank this season but they need to start over. Lawson is pretty much their entire team & Shaw would rather have George Hill. I assume Lawson will be moved in the offseason, as long as he doesn't go public with a trade demand they should be able to get a couple picks & a good young player or 2. Nurkic looks like he has a bright future in the league. Faried has a rare motor that you don't see from many bigs, but it doesn't look like he's going to live up to the star potential a lot of people thought he had, & they already gave him a big extension. Probably hard to trade with that extension & young enough to keep next to Nurkic. Dumping McGee was a huge plus. If they can salvage some picks or young players for Gallo, Chandler, & Hickson before they expire that would certainly help. Their own pick & the Knicks pick have the potential to be very good next year, but they can't have both just the option to swap. Don't think they have enough young talent to pull off a quick rebuild but a good trade or 2 could change that.


The Kings, I don't know where to start. Maybe with "Stauskus?". Obviously Cousins is a monster. Every team in the league would consider themselves lucky to have him. Rudy & Collison are playing well, maybe a bit too well. Their pick is only 1-10 protected & there are currently 13 total teams, 11 non-playoff teams that either have a worse record or are within 3 games of having a worse record. They're going to have to tank hard to keep that pick. Rudy & Collison are also probably a few years too old to be a part of a rebuild going foward, although I'm not sure how they would even rebuild. 8 outgoing future picks to 1 incoming, Cousins is their only good young player, they don't have any other assets that could bring in the picks they need. I know a lot of Kings fans still have high hopes for McLemore but I don't see him ever being more than a good 2 way role player who is the 4th or 5th option on the floor at all times. Honestly I don't think there's a GM in the league that could salvage this situation.

Kings have 8 outgoing picks to incoming one? Like conditional second rounders? where is the 8? Kings only have one protected first round pick, it's not like they mortgaged their future like the Lakers.

You can laugh at Stauskas but do the Lakers have a better prospect sans injured randle?

You mention a good point though about rebuilding. We aren't doing that because teams with guys who can legitimately get to top 5 don't sit around waiting for that rebuild. Again, the Kings core of Cousins, Gay, Collison and McLemore is solid now. We have statistically had one of the worst bench in the league for a lot of the season. Kings fans feel the team can be solid with a bench, cohesion and coaching/stability

[ILOVEIT]

Honestly we have to include what kind of GM's and owners they have. MANY teams have a bright future until their GM F's it up ...again. Note...if you are a bad team and have been bad for a longggggg time...There is a reason why.

[Orens]

If Embiid gets healthy and they get a good pick this year, they could be very good. Embiid/Russell would be interesting to say the least.

The Sixers are nothing but question marks. I can see that they have the potential to be a good team in 5 years, but right now I just see a mess. I look at the Wolves, Magic, and Jazz, and I can obviously SEE that they have a future. They have an actual direction that they're actually moving in. Sixers have two centers, one of which hasn't even played a single NBA game yet, both of which have had injuries that cost them entire seasons. Their entire future depends on drafting well, or trading well, which guarantees nothing.

They have a potentially great future, but for me, but there are waaay too many things that can go wrong in Philly's situation.

I'd take Minny's, Orlando's, or Utah's situation any day of the week

And it's already been said, but Milwaukee needs a spot on this list, and they deserve a bunch of votes as well.

Your personal inability to process information doesn't mean that the Sixers don't have a plan. Their plan is quite clear: Accumulate as many great players as possible.

How do we know what a great player is when they aren't even playing?
KJ McDaniels turned out to be pretty great, we all saw what happened. MCW has improved, but was too old for this kind of rebuilding plan (he's two months older than Knight). Moving him for a pick which they might get next year? They didn't even get real players in this deal for at least 16 months.
Until we can see a clear picture of what's going on in Philly, Hinkie deserves it.

[MoneyTalks41890]

The explanation on that Lakers pick sounds good if they hadn't given it up for Brandon Knight. And the chance that they pick 4 is much higher than 30. Especially given Mitch's documented desire to not speed up the rebuild.