24. Chicago Bulls
The Chicago front office has put together an interesting team. They are one of the youngest rosters in the league, with only one player at the age of 30. The rest of the team is in their 20s, with a few in their late teens. On top of that, no one has more than eight seasons in the NBA.
Josh Giddey led the Bulls to a hot start in 2025-2026, but their lack of experience made it hard to maintain that momentum. This is a roster with a lot of potential, but they're going to need time and repetition to get there. Adding Caleb Wilson and Dailyn Swain through the draft will help.
If the Bulls can maintain this roster while making changes as needed, they have the potential to be a legit threat in the next two to three seasons. But Chicago fans should be prepared for another rough go in 2026-2027 as they build the team and shake out a few more kinks.
23. Los Angeles Clippers
Well, the Clips made some of the biggest noise of the offseason with their recent Raptors trade. LA got Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, and a bunch of picks in exchange for Kawhi Leonard. Raptors fans should be happy about this one. Clippers fans, maybe not so much in the short term.
After the departures of Leonard, Bradley Beal, and James Harden, the Clippers are now in a full-blown rebuild. That means more changes are on the way, including 18-year veterans Nicholas Batum and Brook Lopez likely departing either this year or next. On the upside, the draft was good to them.
The Pacers rolled the dice and lost their number five pick to the Clippers, who used it to select Keaton Wagler. On top of that, they picked up Baba Miller, Nick Martinelli, and Narcisse Ngoy. Those are good players to get the rebuild rolling, though there will be a lot more to do in the coming years.
22. Indiana Pacers
Speaking of the Pacers, what a dramatic falloff. They went from the 2025 NBA Finals to the bottom of the league in one offseason. Multiple injuries throughout this season were a nightmare to deal with. The worst was losing superstar point guard Tyrese Haliburton for the entirety of 2025-2026.
Adding to their woes was a risky trade that conditionally included their first-round pick. That move did not pay off, and the Pacers lost the number five pick to the Clippers. Indiana barely managed to trade their way into a second-round pick that got them Braden Smith, someone they can work with.
There is room for Pacers fans to have hope this season. A returning Haliburton to a mostly familiar roster should improve the team's performance in 2026-2027. At the same time, they are stuck financially and unable to make big moves. For the Pacers, better won't necessarily mean good.
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