2 weeks Ago By Zach Buckley
Superstars might run the NBA, but doesn't it so often feel like chaos reigns supreme? The Association does drama better than any other sport. Who knows if league officials think that's a good thing or a bad thing, but it's clearly a thing for this league. The basketball world can feel like a soap opera, and no team is completely immune to the potential for drama.
There are, of course, differing levels of drama and potential drama, so why not dig into all 30 teams' situations and rank them by their potential to create chaos (player discontent, radical roster changes, off-court distractions, etc.) during the 2024-25 campaign? The Celtics were last season's best team by a mile—in wins, efficiency and playoff performance. They're basically running it back with the exact same group.
Outside of Kristaps Porziņģis' injury watch, there is essentially nothing in the way of concerns with this club. With most key contributors under contract beyond this season, there isn't much drama when it comes to potential roster changes, either. Previous concerns (or, at least, skepticism) regarding the relationship between star wings Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown feel forever banished to the history books.
As Brown put it recently, he and Tatum "have a championship-level relationship." Assuming good health for this roster, it feels like the only talking points for this team revolve around whether it might be even more dominant than last season. It actually could be, as scary as that sounds.
In theory, the Thunder should be capable of producing at least a little drama. It's always tricky for a club this young to hold such lofty expectations, and a team this flush with trade assets could—again, in theory—make players uncomfortable with the possibility of a major move. But, come on, who's actually worried about even the slightest bit of drama escaping the Sooner State? Oklahoma City has largely grown its championship core organically, which is a massive boost for continuity and chemistry.
While the Thunder sought out some external help this summer, it added not headline-grabbing (and ball-dominating) stars but rather high-level role players who complement this core (Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein). At this point, any unknowns in Oklahoma City have much more to do with excitement than drama: Can Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pave an MVP path? How many players will represent this organization at the All-Star Game? Could this group pace the league in wins? Those topics are thrilling—not dramatic. Much like the Thunder, the Magic are another young club coming off a breakout season.
While it's always tempting to assume continued growth, it's also worth noting that development isn't linear. Teams don't always take their projected next step, and things can quickly get dramatic when they fall short. However, this ranking is a testament to our belief in what Orlando is building.
Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are budding stars. This supporting cast is fully loaded with capable (or better) role players, most of whom are in the ascension stages of their careers. Clearing 50-plus wins and competing for a top-four seed in the East feels somewhere between doable and probable.
Maybe we find out this group still lacks the perimeter-scoring punch that it needs to make the leap to full-fledged contention. Guess what happens then? Either the front office takes its many trade assets to the market and adds an established net-shredder, or it practices patience with a talented nucleus that's still coming into its own. Neither scenario sounds particularly scary.
As soon as the Spurs won the 2023 draft lottery—which hoops historians may one day recall as the jackpot of all jackpots—their primary (only, honestly) objective became about making life easier for all-galaxy prospect Victor Wembanyama. They've spent much of the last calendar year doing exactly that. They made a few easy calls toward the middle of last season, like putting an actual point guard in place of Jeremy Sochan and deploying Wembanyama as their only big man.
This summer, they made more shrewd moves, namely signing Chris Paul, selecting Stephon Castle and acquiring Harrison Barnes. That's one deft distributor, one potential co-star and one steady three-and-D swingman. The Spurs still have to sort through their roster to find who fits with Wembanyama, but since his game is so easy to build around, they can be creative and open to anything.
There is some trade potential here—perhaps flipping Paul and/or Barnes for future assets near the deadline or cashing in some trade chips if this roster is ready to compete—but there have rarely been more exciting times to be a fan of this franchise. That's saying something. Despite making a dramatic adjustment ahead of training camp—trading Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo—these shouldn't be dramatic times for the Timberwolves.
Last season was one of their most successful in franchise history (second-most wins, second-ever trip past the first round), and it was largely keyed by 23-year-old centerpiece Anthony Edwards. Just about everything feels possible in the Gopher State, up to and including both a title run and an MVP honor for Edwards. That puts some pressure on these players to perform, but there is no win-right-this-second directive.
Edwards and Jaden McDaniels are young, and the financial future is easier to navigate after Towns' subtraction and Rudy Gobert's extension . While the ongoing ownership dispute is about as dramatic as things get on that front, there aren't many worries with this roster or coaching staff. Things might be a bit tricky onboarding Randle—who is coming off of shoulder surgery and plays a distinctly different style than Towns—but once that gets smoothed over, it should be relatively smooth sailing.
You could argue that New York's massive media market alone makes this ranking too low. Or that any team that makes such a huge move so close to the season—acquiring Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo—is exposing itself to potential drama. Or that whatever is going on with Mikal Bridges' shooting form might be a major worry.
In the end, though, this projects to be a team that wins a ton of games with a core that's locked into place for years to come. If the Knicks fall short of expectations, then sure, this could become an emotional roller-coaster. But isn't that true of any win-now team? The Knicks have a few things to figure out: Towns' fit (particularly on defense), Mitchell Robinson's role (whenever he's finally healthy), perhaps Bridges' outside shot.
But for now, at least, none of these loom as high-drama worries for one of the league's best rosters. Does this ranking give the benefit of the doubt to Bluff City? Perhaps. Ja Morant needs to prove his suspensions are behind him.
Rookie Zach Edey has to hold his own as a starting center. And it certainly isn't great to see the Grizzlies' injury report already getting crowded. Still, Memphis has been a 50-win machine whenever Morant has been available, and that was before all of the progress that Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr.
made without him last season. Not to mention, the drafting of Edey ( and Jalyen Wells! ), the trade for Marcus Smart and hiring of offensive mastermind Tuomas Iisalo. Assuming availability doesn't become too much of an issue, the Grizzlies could have enough to reclaim their spot among the best in the West.
And since so many of their conference peers demand attention, Memphis might be able to make a big chunk of this climb outside of the spotlight. Some might see this ranking as too high considering the Mavericks are coming off of an NBA Finals trip and count a 25-year-old (Luka Dončić) and 20-year-old (Dereck Lively II) among their most important players. Others might claim this isn't nearly low enough given Kyrie Irving's history of having a wandering eye (not to mention his player option for next season) or the defensive challenges of integrating Klay Thompson.
The Goldilocks principle says this should be just about right, then. Could Irving decide he's suddenly ready for a change? Sure, but it hardly sounds like he's itching to get out. Will there be moments when the Mavs look undermanned on the defensive perimeter? Probably, but this was a top-10 defense over the final month-plus of last season, and any slippage might be offset by the offense's gains.
There are a few potentially significant worries, but nothing seems too concerning at the moment. The Hornets lost 116 games over the past two seasons. They last punched their playoff ticket in 2016.
No matter where internal expectations sit, external expectations are nonexistent. Charlotte has more than just the ability to play pressure-free basketball, though. It also boasts a young, ascending roster capable of potentially pushing its way into the play-in tournament.
And the Hornets would be celebrated at every step of the journey—at least, when enough folks figure out that it's actually happening. A healthy LaMelo Ball is a megawatt star. A wing rotation featuring Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges should ensure Ball has a capable co-star more often than not.
A healthy Mark Williams—assuming we see that at some point—can control the interior. That's a strong, snugly fitting core, and this roster has plenty of possible internal additions to it with so many up-and-comers around. Buzz City might really be buzzing sooner than later.
If Toronto's 30-point loss on opening night was any indication, this could be a long year up north. Given where this group is at, though, that's perfectly fine. The Raptors are forming a young core around 23-year-old centerpiece Scottie Barnes and 25-year-old lead guard Immanuel Quickley.
They should spend this season doing two things: developing their young talent to find out who else is a long-term keeper and padding the loss column to maximize their 2025 draft lottery odds. That maybe isn't the most fun way to spend a campaign, but it can be highly productive and short on drama so long as everyone knows what's happening. It sure sounds like the franchise is fully prepared for this reality.
"I think we have a clear path now going forward ...
it's rebuilding: young team, growing team," team president Masai Ujiri told reporters . "I think we set a path that went into the draft last year and got a couple of young players, and we want to continue to grow and build this team around Scottie." When the Pacers made a bold trade for Pascal Siakam in January, they energized this group with the public (and pricey) recognition of its readiness.
They also applied some pressure to their young core that hadn't even booked a playoff trip yet. The wager returned instant dividends, as Indiana made its first trek to the Eastern Conference Finals in a decade. With that said, there's still plenty of pressure to live up to—if not exceed—the new standard for success.
Siakam has proved an awesome fit in myriad ways, but his arrival did ramp up the urgency over what it could have been had the front office tried the slow-and-steady approach with building its roster around Tyrese Haliburton. If the Pacers can pick up where they left off, there shouldn't be much scrutiny with this squad. This ranking reflects our belief in their ability to do just that.
Should things start veering off track, though, there are some uncomfortable elements that could come into play. That includes Myles Turner's upcoming free agency and how young players like Bennedict Mathurin and Jarace Walker fit into a core that largely won without them last season. The Jazz are at a bit of a crossroads.
More than a few players may have reason to question their long-term fit with the franchise. Having said that, there's a big difference between players like Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton wondering whether they'll stick around versus playing the first four months of this season with Lauri Markkanen on trade watch. Maybe trade winds will still wind up swirling around the star 7-footer next summer, but the fact he can't be dealt before then clears up what would have been an enormous cloud of uncertainty.
The blueprint for this season thus seems relatively straightforward: develop the young talent, explore options to turn some veterans into draft assets and hold decent-or-better odds for the potentially transcendent 2025 draft lottery. Perhaps a few veterans will become less than enthralled with the setup over time, but as long as the overall objective is clear and consistent from the start, there's a decent chance that everyone will stay on board. There is certainly potential for there to be more drama in Denver than this ranking suggests.
Jamal Murray always hovers uncomfortably close to the injury report and hasn't looked great since the postseason. Michael Porter Jr. still has trouble growing beyond his jumbo-shooter role.
And it's a sink-or-swim season for the young wings who are vying to fill the roles vacated by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bruce Brown Jr. over the past two summers. You know what else is in Denver, though? Nikola Jokić, a three-time MVP whose game is built to bring the best out of his teammates.
He is the best player on the planet until proven otherwise. While this roster might present a few more puzzles than it has in the recent past, the superstar center is a master dot-connector. Public perception pegs Denver's last two offseasons as disappointments.
While that criticism might be fair, it also opens the door for the Nuggets to fly a bit under the radar. That shouldn't be possible for a team that is one year removed from a championship and rostering an all-time great who is firmly in his prime. The Pistons, who've had the league's worst record each of the past two seasons, are clearly aiming to up their competitiveness.
They not only added three established veterans this offseason—Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley—but they immediately entrusted all three with 28-plus minutes on opening night. Detroit isn't trying to chase a championship or anything, but it might have its sights set on the play-in tournament.
Some will say that's an errant aim ahead of a potentially loaded draft, but as the Pistons can attest, the current lottery system carries no guarantees. All of those losses the past two years yielded only a pair of No. 5 picks.
With the win column hopefully climbing but no real pressure to perform at a high level, Detroit's locker room has a chance to be fairly upbeat. Where things could get dicey, though, is if Cade Cunningham can't engineer his anticipated leap year or if a young player like Jaden Ivey clearly falls out of the franchise's long-term plans. The Rockets have playoff ambitions and dreams of dealing for a star .
They also have perhaps more prospects than they can play and a few prominent veterans who will (or at least could) enter free agency next summer. This won't be the simplest puzzle for head coach Ime Udoka to solve, though a few potentially enormous obstacles have at least been cleared from his path. With huge contract extensions granted to Alperen Şengün and Jalen Green, the future has come more into focus.
(Green's may still be a little up in the air , though.) Houston could encounter its fair share of internal pushing and pulling. The young players are all paving their own path, and the veterans surely want to get their own chances and shots.
The potential for drama is present, but if Udoka gets everyone pushing the same direction, this talented team could outperform projections. Stop us if you've heard this before, but the Bulls are in a strange spot. They sort of embraced a youth movement this offseason, though they still haven't found takers for Zach LaVine or Nikola Vučević.
They also notably didn't iron out an extension with Josh Giddey, their lone return from this summer's Alex Caruso trade. After waiting years for the return of a finally healthy Lonzo Ball, they could quickly shop him as a trade chip. There is at least a sense of direction in Chicago, so things don't feel as tense (or hopeless) as they had.
Then again, the Bulls are sort of stuck mid-rebuild at the moment, making it tricky for them to balance developmental minutes for their youth and showcase opportunities for their veterans. If head coach Billy Donovan manages to keep everyone happy, this could be a rather mundane season. Yet all it takes is one player to be less than thrilled with his touches or role to throw the whole thing off-kilter, so stay tuned.
In 2022-23, the Kings snapped a 16-year playoff drought and sent two players to the All-Star Game for the first time in 20 years. This summer, they convinced six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan to join them via sign-and-trade. It's hard to feel anything but encouraged about this franchise, but can these feelings last? The Kings were still competitive this past season (46 wins), but they didn't have enough to escape from (let alone avoid) the play-in tournament.
And while DeRozan ups their talent level, he also fills out a unique trio in the modern game with De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, since all three players do the bulk of their scoring from inside the arc. Maybe that's why Fox has yet to tie his future to the franchise. The Kings could be good, but do they have a viable path to greatness? A star-level leap from Keegan Murray would be immensely helpful, but what happens if that doesn't come to fruition? If Sacramento struggles to cement itself as a championship hopeful (let alone a heavyweight contender), there could be uncomfortable conversations ahead.
When teams put their best few players together for media day group pics, the choices are usually straightforward. The fact that the Wizards went with the trio pictured above says everything you need to know about the state of this squad. Kyle Kuzma is a 29-year-old who has yet to sniff an All-Star roster.
Jordan Poole kept the blooper reels rolling during his first go-round in the District. Bilal Coulibaly averaged 8.4 points in 27.
2 minutes as a rookie. Oh, and while he isn't pictured here, No. 2 pick Alex Sarr has largely lived up his pre-draft billing as being sushi-raw as a scorer.
This could be the league's worst roster, and it might get picked apart throughout trade season since there are a handful of semi-attractive veterans around. While there is no drama attached to any performance expectations, the potential level of losing and lack of an established core could lend itself to dysfunction. Portland's post-Damian Lillard roster is a jumbled mess.
The Blazers are overloaded on centers, crowded in the backcourt and woefully undermanned on the wings. Oh, and Jerami Grant, who's arguably their best player, has looked out of place ever since Lillard left town. This is the discovery phase of Portland's overhaul, so the scrambled nature of the setup is somewhat understandable.
That doesn't make it any easier to navigate for head coach Chauncey Billups, who is now in the final guaranteed year of his contract. Trade speculation could be rampant around these parts, and honestly, the trade talks might be a welcome distraction from the on-court performance. The Blazers at least appear to be in good position to land a prominent draft lottery spot, but it will be a bumpy road to get there.
The Nets have nearly a roster full of trade candidates. Or rather, that might be their hope, though the market will ultimately decide how many players are worth prying out of Brooklyn. Thankfully, the Nets at least regained control of their 2025 and 2026 first-round picks in a summer trade with the Houston Rockets, so at least they will be rewarded for all of the losing ahead.
And there figures to be plenty of that happening this season. The perpetually climbing loss column isn't the worry, though. Rather, it's the sheer number of players on this team who can't say for certain if they have a future with it.
There are a few keeper candidates, but the bulk of Brooklyn's roster might feel as if this season is one long audition—for the Nets or any of the league's 29 other teams. On one hand, this ranking doesn't feel high enough. Not when LeBron James is entrusting his age-40 season to a first-time head coach.
And certainly not when he'll spend this season alongside his son, Bronny James, who's already the most scrutinized 55th pick in history. Tack on the L.A.
market, the potential for just about anyone not named James or Anthony Davis to get caught up in trade talks and the injury worries with the stars, and there are certainly myriad ways in which this season could go sideways. And yet, everything feels rather calm—joyful, even—in Laker Land. You see, that first-time coach is former player (and podcast partner of James) JJ Redick, who has a genius level understanding of the support and apparent command of the locker room.
Bronny Watch will get a lot quieter when the rookie second-rounder embarks on his inevitable G League assignment. And if the Lakers do broker a blockbuster trade, it will be because the front office is convinced this group is a move or two away from contending. The spotlight is forever searing on the Lakers and James, and if this squad ever sputters, critics will second-guess every move Redick makes.
This could wind up being a wild ride, but the drama isn't quite as high as you might think, all things considered. The Sixers made it to opening night with only one-third of their Big Three available. Tyrese Maxey did what he could to cover the others' absences (25 points on 31 shots), but Philly very much looked like a team missing Joel Embiid (left knee injury management) and Paul George (bone bruise).
If availability issues remain a talking point in Philly—the league is already looking into Embiid's participation plan, per ESPN's Shams Charania —then this on-paper contender will never have a serious crack at the crown. If everyone stays healthy, though, then this trio—and, by extension, this team—could be terrific. The Embiid-Maxey tandem already proved what it can accomplish last season, and George ranks among the easiest fitting stars in basketball.
Should Philly wind up struggling even at full strength, the front office also has the trade capital needed to pursue additional help. Still lacking a capable co-star for Stephen Curry, the Warriors have tried to take some massive swings on the trade market. While they couldn't get their hands on any of LeBron James, Paul George or Lauri Markkanen, those fruitless pursuits won't prevent them from taking more home run hacks.
"It's an ongoing job," Curry told The Athletic's Anthony Slater . "Right now, [Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr.] is doing a great job.
But there are going to be decisions coming up that he's going to have to figure out." Those decisions are where the potential drama lies for the Dubs. (Well, that and the chance that Draymond Green's suspension problems resurface.
) Just about anyone not named Curry feels like a possible trade candidate, including Jonathan Kuminga, who notably couldn't reach an agreement on a contract extension. Throw in the challenge of replacing Klay Thompson and the integration of three established veterans into Steve Kerr's established system, and the drama sources are numerous in the Bay Area this season. Atlanta's past three seasons have featured 120 wins against 126 losses, a pair of first-round defeats and one play-in tournament elimination.
That's some serious mileage on the treadmill of mediocrity. The Hawks appear more than ready to make a change, but they're in such a tight spot that the reset button may not even be an option. While shipping out the veteran holdovers (including Trae Young) would free up more developmental minutes for the team's prospects, that's about all it would accomplish.
The Hawks don't control any of their next three first-round picks, so they have no lottery-based incentive to tank. With a young core quickly taking shape, there must be temptation to hand the team over to them. And yet, when the Hawks tipped off their season Wednesday, they had three 26-and-older players in the starting lineup: Young, De'Andre Hunter and Clint Capela.
This clash between timelines has Atlanta proverbially wedged between a rock and a hard place, and there is no obvious way out. Milwaukee's ceiling sits as high as any. The Bucks still roster a handful of key players from their 2020-21 title team, including Giannis Antetokounmpo, who remains firmly entrenched in the best-player-on-the-planet discussions.
They also have a perfect-on-paper fit for him in Damian Lillard, an eight-time All-Star who can put opposing defenses into endless pick-your-poision scenarios. As for the Bucks' floor, it looks..
.well, an awful lot like last season, when the whole never approached the sum of the parts. Injuries were an issue, but the roster showed its age, none of the young players cracked the regular rotation and this club frankly wasn't any good under head coach Doc Rivers (17-19 in the regular season and bounced out of the first round).
The Antetokounmpo-Lillard pairing might only be a year old, but it's already up against a time crunch. Lillard is 34, Antetokounmpo turns 30 in December, and who knows how much 33-year-old Khris Middleton has left to contribute after following a few injury-impacted seasons with offseason surgeries on both ankles? If this club doesn't look like a no-brainer contender, the Bucks might have to start thinking about their future with so many of their regulars capable of reaching free agency in 2025. The Cavaliers—more specifically, president of basketball operations Koby Altman— said they plan on keeping their core four intact.
They might be telling the truth, too. Talent-wise, it's hard to knock a quartet featuring Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen. Here's the thing, though: This is year three for those four.
The first two seasons produced a total of one playoff series victory (against an experienced and offensively limited Orlando team). That's not going to cut it, particularly when accounting for how much this organization has financially committed to its core. That's why it doesn't seem like a stretch to suggest this is a now-or-never season for this roster as we know it.
As you've heard a time or 20, this backcourt is undersized and challenged defensively, and this frontcourt suffers from a severe shooting shortage. Either could be considered a fatal flaw and convince this front office to make major adjustments. Even if Cleveland believes in this core, another season of non-contention might be more than the organization can take.
There's a ton of talent in that group photo. There's also a good amount of roster redundancies. Most revolve around Brandon Ingram, who seemed like a near-lock to exit the Crescent City when this offseason opened.
Ingram might be a featured scorer in certain situations, but not this one. That role belongs to Zion Williamson, who could use a co-star who's more consistent with his shooting and defense than Ingram. On a lot of rosters, Ingram would be the clear-cut choice to lead the wing rotation.
On this team, he feels like an unwelcome roadblock in front of the recently extended Trey Murphy III. Now, we won't pretend the potential for Pelicans' drama solely involves Ingram. There's also the glaring void at center, the fact their third-highest player (CJ McCollum) might be best utilized as a sixth man, the annual availability concerns with Williamson and now Dejounte Murray's fractured hand.
Hanging above everything, though, is Ingram's uncertain future with the franchise given his impending free agency. To give a brief glimpse into the sausage-making process, the Suns are the first team on the list that drew serious consideration for the No. 1 spot.
I mean, we all saw how last season went, right? In case you need a refresher, Phoenix took a blowtorch to its asset collection in pursuit of instant success and wound up with the West's No. 6 seed and a four-game ouster from the opening round. To their credit, the Suns drew generally positive marks for their offseason activity—hiring Mike Budenholzer as their new head coach, acquiring Ryan Dunn at the draft, finding floor general Tyus Jones in free agency—though it all came with a caveat.
It was less about what Phoenix did and more about how much it was able to do while operating with such strict (and self-imposed ) roster restraints. The Suns need their summer changes to work, because they don't have a clear pivot from here. Their draft pick ledger is almost entirely unpaid debts, their roster is nearly devoid of young sweeteners, their salaries are mostly either over market price or at the minimum, their trade options are limited by the second apron and, oh yeah, Beal inexplicably still has that no-trade clause.
How much longer do Durant and Booker decide this situation is best for them? How much longer do the Suns stay committed to this core? How much longer can the front office ignore those trade vultures circling above? There could be a disaster brewing with this bunch. Is it comfortable predicting drama for a team coached by Erik Spoelstra and presided over by Pat Riley? Not at all. These are uncomfortable times in Miami, though.
Jimmy Butler is on the last guaranteed season of his contract and doesn't sound interested in an extension. Maybe that's just as well, since the Heat don't sound particularly enthused about offering one, anyway. "That's a big decision on our part to commit those kinds of resources unless you have somebody who's going to be there and available every single night," Riley told reporters in May.
"That's the truth." That's harsh, but valid considering Butler last reached the 65-game mark in 2018-19. Those also not the harshest words Riley had for Butler this summer.
If the volatility with Butler wasn't enough—he's been known to burn a few bridges —there's also the endless trade chatter around Tyler Herro, the ceaseless pleas for Bam Adebayo to expand his arsenal, the general concerns with this offense and the overall fact that, playoffs aside, this just hasn't been a great team (90-74 over the past two seasons). Managing all of this while developing the young talent and keeping pace with the East's elite is a lot to ask of any coach, even one as skilled as Spoelstra. Paul George is gone, Kawhi Leonard is facing another indefinite absence and James Harden is left trying to party ( on the court! ) like it's 2019-20.
These are treacherous times for the Clippers, who surely had different designs for their debut campaign in the Intuit Dome. Somehow, we've only scratched the surface here. There's a lawsuit against the Clippers from former team trainer Randy Shelton saying Leonard faced "unsafe and illegal treatment for injuries," per NBA insider Chris Haynes .
There's the uncertainty around Kevin Porter Jr., who remains under league investigation following a 2023 arrest on a domestic assault charge. There's another attempt for P.
J. Tucker to punch his own ticket out of town. There's whatever is happening with Bones Hyland, who's been largely buried on the bench since his arrival at the 2023 trade deadline.
And there are a big number of veterans who could be aggressively shopped the second that L.A. concedes it's no longer a contender.
If any situation goes completely haywire this season, this has to be the favorite..
