Ranking NBA teams by tiers for the 2017-18 season

The No Man’s Land-ers: New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Dallas Mavericks

The New York Knicks, Orlando Magic and Dallas Mavericks are about to be caught in NBA no-man’s land for the 2017-18 season: Probably not good enough to aim higher than a first round playoff exit if everything goes right, but not bad enough to work their way into prime tank position for a draft class that’s loaded in the top five.

The Knicks added another potential franchise pillar in rookie Frank Ntilikina, but he could be a project, and even another leap from Kristaps Porzingis won’t be enough to compensate for Carmelo Anthony’s possible departure via trade. Brace yourselves for lot of ill-advised Tim Hardaway Jr. jumpers, Knicks fans.

The Magic actually had a quietly great summer under new general manager John Hammond, landing Jonathon Simmons, Marreese Speights and Shelvin Mack on smart deals, but they still lack a surefire franchise star among Aaron Gordon, Elfrid Payton and rookie Jonathan Isaac.

As for the Mavs, Harrison Barnes had a great season and Dirk Nowitzki provided a couple of vintage throwback performances, but unless Dennis Smith Jr. is even better than everyone thinks, Dallas just doesn’t have the horses to challenge for a playoff spot — especially as Nerlens Noel remains unsigned.