21. Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks now have exactly zero Antetokounmpos on their team for the first time since they drafted Giannis in 2013. Their trade with the Heat brought in several players, at least one of whom may already be on the block. And they just picked up Nate Ament and Brayden Burries in the draft.
If anyone tries to tell you what the Bucks' starting five will look like when the season starts, they are straight up lying to your face. On top of everything else that has already happened in the last couple of weeks, there are more changes on the way through free agency.
Both Gary Trent Jr. and Ousmane Dieng are in the wind, and Milwaukee has solid cap space to work with. Sure, this is a rebuild, but the team already has some interesting pieces in place. This isn't going to be a championship season, but the Bucks might surprise more than a few people.
20. Dallas Mavericks
It's honestly hard watching the Mavericks still trying to work their way through the fallout of one of the most disastrous trades in NBA history. They gave up a generational superstar in Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis, who is no longer on the team. Plus, Kyrie Irving has been injured for more than a year.
The only real bright spot was the Mavs selecting Cooper Flagg as the number one draft pick in 2025. They followed that up with four draft picks in 2026. That included getting forward-center Morez Johnson at pick nine, who recently won a national championship with the Michigan Wolverines.
On top of that, Dallas has a brand new coach in Dusty May. He just finished coaching Johnson and the rest of the Wolverines to that national championship. The Mavs still have a lot of development to do, but it's impossible to ignore how much this team has changed for the better recently.
19. Phoenix Suns
Honestly, putting the Suns at 18 might be a little optimistic, but they do have a better handle on who they are than some of the younger teams who are in full rebuild phases on this list. If nothing else, they have a core that they can build around. That assumes their front office can pull itself together.
Devin Brooks, Jalen Green, and Dillon Brooks are this team's big three at the moment. Brooks in particular is key to their relative success last season. He brings a swagger to a roster's energy that is impossible to replicate. Fans have seen its impact on the Grizzlies, the Rockets, and now the Suns.
While the 2025 draftees have been a little underwhelming so far, there is a lot of potential in the Suns' sole 2026 pick, Koa Peat. What Phoenix has now should be good enough for a playoff appearance, but making it past the first round will be borderline impossible without broadening the roster.
Add us as a preferred source on Google