NBA Future Power Rankings: Where All 30 Teams Project In 3 Years – Bleacher Report

At any given time in the NBA, it feels like there’s just a small handful of franchises and their fanbases that can live in the present.
To some degree, everyone’s looking to the future. The prospect of what could be is what makes player movement so popular.
Every trade, free-agency signing and draft pick brings a sense of hope (or dread). And today, that’s all we’re dealing with.
How will the NBA look in three years? Based on contract situations, upside for individual players and what we’ve already seen from teams around the league, here’s a look into the crystal ball for 2026’s power rankings.

2022-23 Record: 35-47
Present and Future Contracts
Relative to the consensus, I actually think the Washington Wizards are in a position to be fairly competitive in 2023-24. A record around the one they just posted wouldn’t be shocking.
But it also feels like this summer’s trades of Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porziņģis may have just been the beginning of a complete, tear-it-down-to-the-studs rebuild.
Over the next three years, Washington could very well be in asset-accumulation mode, and that means more trades could be on the way.
If Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma are eventually moved for draft consideration or some other prospect, the Wizards could be left with a roster devoid of win-now players and without a surefire future star.
Bilal Coulibaly, Deni Avdija, Corey Kispert and Patrick Baldwin Jr. are all varying levels of intriguing, but unlike some of the other young (or young-ish) rosters we’ll talk about below, Washington doesn’t have that one, undeniable blue-chipper.

2022-23 Record: 40-42
Present and Future Contracts
Much of the Chicago Bulls’ cap sheet is occupied by Zach LaVine, 34-year-old DeMar DeRozan, soon-to-be-33-year-old Nikola Vučević and Lonzo Ball, who’s set to miss his second straight full season.
An organizational tank job feels imminent, and the Bulls don’t really have any young prospects to lean on in that case.
Of course, they won’t give any of the aforementioned veterans to another team for free, but LaVine might the only one with good enough trade value to land a future star, and even that might be a stretch.
That means Chicago will likely have to rely heavily on upcoming drafts to escape the bottom of the standings.

2022-23 Record: 33-49
Present and Future Contracts
Damian Lillard is still on the Portland Trail Blazers, but his July trade request makes it hard to believe he’ll be around much longer. It’s certainly hard to imagine him being here three years from now.
But even if Lillard remains in Portland, he’s not enough to singlehandedly pull the Blazers out of the spiral they’re currently in.
They’ve won 60 games over the last two seasons, and seemingly everyone on the roster seems overextended into a role he’s not quite suited for. Anfernee Simons should maybe be a heat-check scorer off the bench. Jusuf Nurkić may be a reserve at this point of his career. And Jerami Grant is probably more useful as a fourth or fifth option than he is as a second or third.
On the bright side, this summer’s No. 3 pick, Scoot Henderson, appears to have legitimate star potential. And if he develops into the kind of dynamic playmaker who makes everyone around him better, Portland could eventually contend. But that feels more like five or six years away than three.

2022-23 Record: 41-41
Present and Future Contracts
The Toronto Raptors’ situation feels fairly similar to Portland’s.
Their current star could be on the way out, though Pascal Siakam’s path to an exit would be different. He’s on an expiring contract, while Lillard’s demanded a trade.
After that, much of the roster features solid, though perhaps not inspiring rotation players. And there’s seemingly just one prospect with legitimate superstar upside.
In Toronto’s case, that’s Scottie Barnes. After winning Rookie of the Year in 2021-22, Barnes sort of plateaued in his second season, but the 6’9″, 227-pound potential point forward could eventually provide 85-90 percent of the versatility of peak Ben Simmons with zero percent of the hesitancy as a scorer.

2022-23 Record: 27-55
Present and Future Contracts
Things were pretty bleak for the Charlotte Hornets in 2022-23, but they won 43 games the season before and have potential all over the roster.
Over the last two seasons, 22-year-old LaMelo Ball has averaged 21.1 points, 7.9 assists, 6.6 rebounds, 3.3 threes and 1.5 steals, while shooting 38.4 percent from deep.
He’s already a star and could be a top-10 to -15 player in three years.
If Brandon Miller is the kind of high-volume floor spacer he has the potential to be, and Mark Williams develops into a prototypical rim-runner and -protector, Charlotte could be in pretty good shape.

2022-23 Record: 44-38
Present and Future Contracts
Even if we assume the Los Angeles Clippers manage to keep Paul George and Kawhi Leonard beyond the 2024-25 season (when both have player options), they’ll be 36 and 35, respectively, in three years.
That’s old for just about any NBA player, but it’ll feel darn-near ancient for players with the robust injury histories of Kawhi and PG.
And unlike some of the other aging contenders in the league, this one doesn’t have much young talent waiting in the wings.
In fact, the only truly interesting players under 24 are Kenyon Martin Jr. and Bones Hyland. Neither seems like a great bet to make an All-Star team.

2022-23 Record: 22-60
Present and Future Contracts
If the reports on Victor Wembanyama prove prophetic, this placement of the San Antonio Spurs may look way too conservative in hindsight.
The day after the draft, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said, “There’s no shortage of executives who I really respect in the NBA who think he could be the best player at both ends of the floor by his third or fourth year.”
But that level of hype is, in a word, outrageous.
That’s not to say he can’t reach it. I’ve never been in the business of making a definitive claim about what a player will or will not become. I just think it’s safer to tap the brakes a bit.
Even if Wembanyama does eventually become the game’s best player, there will absolutely be an adjustment period. He’ll have to get stronger if he’s going to stay on balance while NBA players are bumping, chipping and leaning on him. He might have to cut down on the ball-handling. A 7’5″ player is bound to have a high dribble, which is something savvy guards can swipe. Consistency with his jumper will probably take some time too.
All this to say that in three years, even if surrounded by by plenty of improvement from Keldon Johnson, Tre Jones and Devin Vassell, the Spurs may not be pushing for a playoff spot.

2022-23 Record: 17-65
Present and Future Contracts
The Detroit Pistons just had (by a pretty wide margin) the worst record in the NBA. And their current and future face of the franchise, Cade Cunningham, has only played 76 games in his first two seasons and has a way-below-average career effective field-goal percentage.
But Cunningham is just two years removed from being the No. 1 overall pick. This summer, he reportedly dominated Team USA as a member of the select team in training camp. And he has the size (6’6″ with a 7’0″ wingspan), patience and vision necessary to be a game-changing playmaker.
If a couple of Detroit’s other young prospects develop at a rate similar to the one Cunningham should (the safe bets for that seem like Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren), the Pistons could be ready to push for a play-in spot in three years.

2022-23 Record: 22-60
Present and Future Contracts
The Houston Rockets have several potential stars on their roster, but they’re all young enough to be dubious about their readiness in 2026.
Still, this is one of the most interesting teams in the NBA, thanks to players like Jalen Green, Alperen Şengün, Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr.
If you squint, you can almost see the outline of the Denver Nuggets squad that just won the title in those four names.
The best-case version of Green could be a dynamic scoring guard like Jamal Murray. Şengün probably isn’t going to win back-to-back MVPs at any point in his career, but he’s a playmaking 5 who idolizes Nikola Jokić. Smith can be a high-level, power forward-sized floor spacer. And the comparison may sort of fall apart here, since Thompson is more of a creator than Aaron Gordon, but both are top-tier athletes.
But again, even if everyone somehow hits their ceilings, that feels more like a five-years-from-now outcome.

2022-23 Record: 45-37
Present and Future Contracts
The Brooklyn Nets’ on-the-fly recovery from the disaster that was the Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and James Harden era has gotten plenty of attention, but it’s worth mentioning again.
To go from devoting much of your team’s resources to landing those three, only to have them all demand out and then wind up with the roster Brooklyn has feels borderline impossible.
But the Nets now have a bona fide No. 1 scorer in Mikal Bridges (though his ultimate ceiling may be hit in a role closer to the one he had with the Phoenix Suns) and a supporting cast that seems almost perfectly engineered for modern, mostly positionless basketball.
With lineups including some combination of Bridges, Dorian Finney-Smith, Royce O’Neale, Cameron Johnson and Ben Simmons, Brooklyn can switch all over the floor on defense and attack from just about anywhere on the other end.
Of course, not everyone listed above will be on the team in three years. Given the Nets’ history over the last decade or so, there’s certainly a chance no one will. But this is a blueprint worth following.
And if Bridges is on the team in 2026, Simmons somehow gets back to 85-90 percent of what he was at his peak and that blueprint is still in place, this team will be, at the very least, pesky.

2022-23 Record: 35-47
Present and Future Contracts
The Indiana Pacers don’t have many players under long-term contracts, but there’s one set to be around through 2028-29 who pushes this team into the top 20 almost singlehandedly.
Tyrese Haliburton is only 23 years old. If you sort every player by the average of their ranks in 10 catch-all metrics from around the internet, he finished 2022-23 at No. 16, thanks in part to his 20.7 points, 10.4 assists and 40.0 three-point percentage.
At 6’5″ with a 6’8″ wingspan, he has plus size for his position. He engineers offensive possessions with the skill and patience of a player 10 years older than him. And he’s already one of the game’s more efficient scorers.
Having a player in his early 20s who’s already arguably top 20 in the league has Indiana in good position for the foreseeable future.

2022-23 Record: 37-45
Present and Future Contracts
This one depends a lot on whether the Utah Jazz can re-sign Lauri Markkanen after the 2024-25 season. Given the role the organization played in his All-Star breakout, it feels safe to assume he could be around for a while.
And if he is, the Jazz should be able to remain competitive for a while.
Last season, Utah was plus-5.8 points per 100 possessions when Markkanen and rookie Walker Kessler were both on the floor. As the latter develops, that duo is only going to get more dangerous.
And if one or two of the young prospects on the roster, like 2023 draft picks Keyonte George and Taylor Hendricks, turn into plus players over the next three years, the Jazz will be fighting for a playoff spot in 2026.

2022-23 Record: 44-38
Present and Future Contracts
Let’s start with the obvious. Chris Paul could be out of the NBA in three years. Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson will be 38, 36 and 36, respectively.
Age alone will almost certainly knock the Golden State Warriors out of contention within the next three years.
But that’s not the only challenge facing this team. This season, their combined salaries and luxury tax bill are approaching $400 million. Keeping everyone around won’t be easy, and even if they do, younger contenders are going to be increasingly difficult to upend.

2022-23 Record: 41-41
Present and Future Contracts
The Atlanta Hawks were about as mediocre as mediocre can get in 2022-23. So, it’s probably not all that surprising to see them in the middle of this slideshow.
But there are still reasons for optimism, and those are headlined by Trae Young.
Over the course of his career, discussion surrounding Young has often focused on his shortcomings. And while criticism of his defense or ball-dominance is fair, it often comes without acknowledgement of what he does well.
For his career, Young has 8,990 points and 3,285 assists. He turns 25 in September. LeBron James is the only player in NBA history to match or exceed both of those marks before his 25th birthday.
And in case you’re thinking those are just empty-calorie numbers, during his career, the Hawks’ point differential is better when he plays, and their average for points per 100 possessions is a whopping 8.6 points better with him.
Assuming he isn’t traded in the next three years, Atlanta will have one of the game’s best offensive engines in 2026, and he could be part of a solid three-guard rotation with Dejounte Murray and Bogdan Bogdanović (both on reasonable deals that last beyond the next three years).
If one or two of De’Andre Hunter, Onyeka Okongwu, A.J. Griffin or Jalen Johnson takes a developmental leap, this placement could prove a little low.

2022-23 Record: 47-35
Present and Future Contracts
This one’s a little tricky.
Right now, the only New York Knicks under contract beyond 2026 are RJ Barrett and Donte DiVincenzo.
And with a pretty strong stockpile of future assets and young players, you can bet that the Knicks will come up as a potential landing spot after most stars’ trade requests.
In other words, it’s hard to have any idea what this team will look like in three years.
Conservative, run-it-back moves are typically more common than big splashes for most organizations, though. And if New York re-signs Jalen Brunson, Immanuel Quickley, Mitchell Robinson and a few of the other principal players of the current team, they should stay in the playoff hunt for a while.

2022-23 Record: 42-40
Present and Future Contracts
The Minnesota Timberwolves are another team that has a lot of contracts coming off the books over the next three years. And by the 2026 offseason, Rudy Gobert will be a 34-year-old free agent.
Turnover shouldn’t be all that scary for this particular team, though, thanks to the presence of barely-22-year-old Anthony Edwards. He’s an All-Star, under contract through 2028-29 and already has career playoff averages of 28.1 points and 4.0 assists.
He doesn’t just have All-NBA upside. There’s an outside shot he could win an MVP and be the face of the league some day.
And pairing him with Karl-Anthony Towns (one of the best shooting bigs of all time) or whatever the Wolves might be able to get from a KAT trade means they should be in solid shape in three years.

2022-23 Record: 42-40
Present and Future Contracts
If Zion Williamson (under contract through 2027-28) is healthy, the New Orleans Pelicans have championship upside.
Zion is one of the best scorers the NBA has ever seen (he’s fourth all time in career points per possession), and there’s still some playmaking potential to explore too.
With Herb Jones under contract through 2026-27 and Trey Murphy III set to enter restricted free agency after the 2024-25 season, New Orleans can surround Williamson with high-level and highly switchable forwards for the foreseeable future too.
The problem, of course, is that the “if healthy” caveat with Zion feels like it could hang around for the rest of his career. There’s no way to know if he’ll be playing the majority of Pelicans games in 2026, which is enough of a wild card to push New Orleans outside the top 10.

2022-23 Record: 34-48
Present and Future Contracts
Bumping the Orlando Magic into the top half of the league represents a huge vote of confidence in their young core, but the players in that group have earned it.
The optimism starts with Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero, who have the potential to become one of the game’s very best forward duos within the next three years.
Both can score and create for others. And their size (6’9″ for Wagner and 6’10” for Banchero) and versatility gives Orlando the flexibility to play big (with those two on the wings) or small (with those two playing the 4 and 5).
If Orlando manages to re-sign Wendell Carter Jr. to another reasonable deal and one or two of Jalen Suggs, Anthony Black or Jett Howard turn out to be hits, the Magic will be in the playoff mix in 2026.

2022-23 Record: 44-38
Present and Future Contracts
The Miami Heat are another team that could look dramatically different ahead of the 2026-27 season.
Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler could both be unrestricted free agents in 2026. And it’s tough to bank on Tyler Herro (under contract through 2026-27) being around, given the constant Damian Lillard rumors swirling this summer.
And even if Miami does get Lillard (who has a $63.2 million player option for 2026-27), he and Butler will be 36 and soon-to-be 37, respectively, three summers from now.
Even if the Heat could run it back in 2026-27 with a top three of Lillard, Butler and Adebayo, age alone makes it hard to imagine them as a Tier 1 contender.

2022-23 Record: 43-39
Present and Future Contracts
LeBron James will be 41 in 2026 (and he’ll turn 42 that December). There’s a chance he could be on a team other than the Los Angeles Lakers if his son, Bronny James, eventually makes the NBA (James has publicly shared his desire to be on a team with Bronny).
Anthony Davis, meanwhile, is under contract with L.A. through 2027-28, but he’ll be 33 in three years and doesn’t have the most reassuring health history.
There’s a chance that by 2026, this organization is mired in a losing situation similar to the one it was in before LeBron’s arrival in 2018.
But the Lakers are the Lakers. And whenever a big name becomes available, there’s at least a chance L.A. can get involved.
A team with an upright AD, Austin Reaves and one other star is probably still going to be in the hunt home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

2022-23 Record: 54-28
Present and Future Contracts
There’s plenty of turmoil surrounding the Philadelphia 76ers right now. James Harden wants out, he’s publicly called team president Daryl Morey a liar and the fallout from that saga has led some to understandably speculate whether Joel Embiid will eventually ask out too.
Embiid’s durability (or lack thereof) and the fact that he’ll be 32 in 2026 makes it easy to be dubious about this team’s future too.
But if we assume Philadelphia can eventually settle things down and keep Embiid and Tyrese Maxey (a restricted free agent in 2025) on the roster, they should still be contenders.
(And yes, the amount of talent in the world right now and going forward suggests there will be 10-12 contenders in 2026).
Embiid will be in the back end of his prime three years from now, but even that version of him is probably good for close to 30 points, around 10 rebounds and three or four assists per game.
And as the unquestioned No. 2, Maxey (who’s averaged 20.7 points, 3.1 assists and 2.6 threes over the last two postseasons) could push his scoring average into the mid-20s.
Those two could comprise one of the best duos in basketball, and that’s generally enough to win a bunch of games.

2022-23 Record: 51-31
Present and Future Contracts
There’s certainly a chance Donovan Mitchell plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers beyond this current contract (he has a player option for 2025-26), but even if we assume he leaves, this team should be a perennial playoff participant for the foreseeable future.
Darius Garland (under contract through 2027-28) is a 23-year-old All-Star who’s averaged 21.6 points and 8.2 assists, while shooting 39.6 percent from three over the last two seasons.
Evan Mobley just turned 22 in June, and he already has an All-Defense selection to his name. If he reaches 85-90 percent of his ceiling on the other end (which would mean he’s hitting outside shots posting a scoring average in the low 20s), he and Garland will be one of the game’s better duos.
Surrounding that with a solid, sweet-shooting supporting cast will keep Cleveland around the level it is now in 2026.

2022-23 Record: 40-42
Present and Future Contracts
Get a load of some of the Oklahoma City Thunder talent either under contract beyond 2026 or under team control (thanks to restricted free agency).
That list could go even longer, depending on how you feel about some of the other prospects on the roster, but SGA has already proven to have potential MVP upside. He was First Team All-NBA with 31.4 points and 5.5 assists last season.
Giddey and Williams could both be All-Stars by 2026, and Holmgren could develop into an All-Defense (and maybe even Defensive Player of the Year) level center.
And Dieng is a wildcard who can potentially add to the versatility and positionless nature of this bunch.
The fact that they already competed for a playoff spot when everyone above was under 25 screams that this team will be a contender (or fringe contender) by 2026.

2022-23 Record: 38-44
Present and Future Contracts
Outside rookie contracts, Luka Dončić and Grant Williams are the only Dallas Mavericks under contract beyond 2025-26, and that might be enough on its own to have this team in the top 10.
While that sounds like something of a nod to Williams, let’s face it, it’s entirely about Luka.
He’s 24 years old and has career playoff averages of 32.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 7.9 assists and 3.5 threes, while shooting 36.6 percent from deep.
He could be the best player in the world as early as this season, which certainly means he could have that post in 2026.
Now, if we assume that Jason Kidd and this organization can add a little stability to Kyrie Irving’s career and get him to stick around for another contract, things look even better for Dallas.

2022-23 Record: 51-31
Present and Future Contracts
If we assume Ja Morant can work his way through the off-court issues that have contributed to multiple league-issued suspensions over the last year, the Memphis Grizzlies should still be title contenders in 2026.
Morant has averaged 26.8 points and 7.4 assists over the last two seasons, will be 27 in three years and in the heart of his prime.
His backcourt mate, Desmond Bane, showed more playmaking chops in 2022-23 and has averaged 19.6 points while shooting 42.4 percent from three over the same span. He’ll be 28 in 2026.
And while Jaren Jackson Jr. is set to be an unrestricted free agent that summer, if Memphis keeps winning, it’s easy to imagine the Grizzlies hanging onto him.
With that trio in place, the worst-case scenario is Memphis being around the same level they’re at right now.

2022-23 Record: 48-34
Present and Future Contracts
De’Aaron Fox, Harrison Barnes and Kevin Huerter are all set to be unrestricted free agents in 2026, but the culture shift that they and Mike Brown have authored makes re-signing at least two of them feel pretty likely.
The most important, of course, is Fox. And if he, Domantas Sabonis (under contract through 2027-28) and Keegan Murray (a restricted free agent in 2026) are in place in three years, the Kings should be title contenders.
Those three will be 28, 30 and 26, respectively, in three years. And in 2022-23, the Kings scored an outrageous 122.2 points per 100 possessions when all three were on the floor.

2022-23 Record: 45-37
Present and Future Contracts
Kevin Durant will be an unrestricted free agent in 2026. And by then, the Phoenix Suns might not even be interested in re-signing him.
He’ll turn 38 in September of that year, and he’s already coming off a four-year run in which he’s averaged just 34.3 games per season.
But that certainly doesn’t bump the Suns outside the top five, because Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton (also a free agent in 2026) will be in the heart of their primes in three years. Bradley Beal will be just beyond his.
At his absolute ceiling, Booker could be an MVP candidate (he already has a fourth-place finish to his name). Ayton still has 20-10 upside. And Beal and a twilight-of-his-career Durant (assuming he’s re-signed) could be ideal floor spacers around that two-man game.
Of course, this sort of ignores the tension between Ayton and the organization over the years. There’s certainly a chance he’s gone by 2026. But even if that happens, Booker has already proven capable of attracting top-tier talent to Phoenix.
There’s a good chance he’ll be the best shooting guard in the world in 2026, and that should be enough to keep the Suns in contention.

2022-23 Record: 58-24
Present and Future Contracts
At the moment, the Milwaukee Bucks cap sheet is almost entirely clear for the summer of 2026.
Jrue Holiday and Brook Lopez are unrestricted free agents in 2025. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis and Pat Connaughton are in 2026.
And outside of Giannis and Portis (who’ll be 31 in 2026), everyone else listed above will be in their mid- to late-30s in three years.
Milwaukee could look radically different by then.
But even if we assume that Antetokounmpo is the only Buck still in place (and that still feels like the safest bet, even after recent comments about waiting to sign an extension), Milwaukee should still be a title contender.
That’s what happens in basketball, when only five players are on the floor for your team at a time, and one of them is a contender for “best player in the world status.”
At 31, Giannis will likely still be good for around 30 points, 11 rebounds and five assists per game. And if he’s surrounded by a decent supporting cast with some shooting and grit on defense, the Bucks will be one of the best teams in the NBA.

2022-23 Record: 57-25
Present and Future Contracts
Following this summer’s massive extension for Jaylen Brown, it feels pretty safe to assume Jayson Tatum’s is on the way in 2024.
And with those two contracts locked in for the duration of their primes, the Boston Celtics figure to remain in the title picture through 2026.
Right now, Tatum and Brown are 25 and 26, respectively. They’ve already made an NBA Finals together. They’ve made multiple conference finals. They’ve logged 2,535 playoff minutes together.
These two with even a B+ supporting cast are contenders.

2022-23 Record: 53-29
Present and Future Contracts
Coming off a postseason in which he averaged 30.0 points, 13.5 rebounds, 9.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.0 blocks and won Finals MVP, Nikola Jokić is on the “Best Player in the World” throne.
In 2026, he’ll be 31 and almost certainly still in his prime. And given his size and the often slow-paced and surgical nature of his game, Jokić should age better than most stars.
If Jamal Murray is extended and remains on the team beyond the next three years too, the Denver Nuggets could have the best trio of the 2020s. He and Michael Porter Jr. will be 29 and 28, respectively in 2026.
Assuming decent health, those three and just a competent supporting cast (that could include some combination of Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun and Peyton Watson) will have this team in perennial contention for a while.

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