NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates
The NBA offseason still has a long ways to go, but the picture at the top and bottom of the league is already starting to solidify for the 2026-2027 season. The Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, and New York Knicks feel like they’re in a class of their own as an elite tier of contenders. Who’s the fourth best in the NBA right now? Your guess is as good as mine.
The NBA’s new anti-tanking rules mean there are no more free wins on the schedule this season. Still, some teams are likely to be very bad, starting with the Sacramento Kings, Milwaukee Bucks, and Chicago Bulls. This year’s draft lottery features a “relegation zone” which lowers the odds at a top pick for the league’s three worst teams, though it also comes with the added benefit of falling no further than the No. 12 pick in the 2027 NBA Draft. Every other team could slide all the way to No. 16.
Advertisement
A second wave of offseason player movement is likely coming after LeBron James finally makes his free agent decision. There’s still hoops to talk about until then, so here’s our way-too-early look at the league power rankings for 2026-2027 in mid-July.
30. Sacramento Kings
No. 7 overall pick Darius Acuff is going to get a long leash to run the show in Sacramento, but he just doesn’t have much help. Will Domantas Sabonis or Zach LaVine still be on this roster come opening night? The Kings have a decent collection of young talent starting to form with Maxime Raynaud, Dylan Cardwell, Nique Clifford, and Alex Karaban, and the goal of this season should be developing them alongside Acuff.
29. Milwaukee Bucks
The Giannis era is over, and the Bucks are left with a funky roster that will probably be pretty bad. Will Tyler Herro actually play for Milwaukee this season, or get flipped closer to training camp? Ryan Rollins and Kevin Porter Jr. actually looked pretty good last season, and Kel’el Ware is an exciting young big man coming over from Miami in the big trade. Most of the attention will be on how the Bucks’ two lottery picks Brayden Burries and Nate Ament develop.
Advertisement
28. Chicago Bulls
The Bulls are going to be fun,…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/nba-power-rankings-30-teams-120000900.html
Author :
Publish date : 2026-07-10 12:00:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
