Album of the Week: “Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana,” Bad Bunny (2023)
Bad Bunny did the whole Super Bowl thing this weekend. And I thought about his song “Un Preview,” where he said (and I quote):
Y si tú quiere nos hacemo jevo
Sé que tú ere peligro, pero yo me atrevo
Part of those lyrics loosely translates to, “I know you’re dangerous, but I dare,” which is a feeling that might be shared by many NBA teams during trade season.
Who knew that Bad Bunny could provide such wisdom for the NBA trade deadline that has mercifully passed but not without what the league called a record 28 trades involving 73 players in the week leading up to the deadline. Of my December trade wind targets, 14 were traded, and 13 of last week’s Photoshop targets are on new teams. We have one more Power Rankings to do before the All-Star break, so let’s get a preview of these new rosters.
Fine print: These Power Rankings won’t just rank every team. We’ll retain the tiers that teams will be promoted into and relegated out of. There will be five tiers each week:
Top Contenders – Locked at five, these are the class of the league
In a Good Place – Could be one team, could be seven teams
The Bubble – Not to be confused with Walt Disney World. The middle of the pack
Not the Tier to Fear – Not playing the worst ball in the league, but with a lot of work to do
Basement Floor – Bringing up the rear
What to expect from Power Rankings:
These are my subjective rankings. I will consider a variety of objective measures, but it’s my final call.
These rankings are not just a review of the past week — we are projecting forward as well, so it is a balance of the two.
These are subjective, but not biased. There are no agendas in the Power Rankings, and we strive for an inclusive meritocracy
The one quality that these rankings possess: “Ruthless aggression.”
Enjoy the games, and enjoy the rankings, please!
For Week 17 of The Athletic NBA Power Rankings, we will explore a roster reset post-trade deadline for each team. Win-loss records and other statistical data are through Sunday’s action.
Tier 1: Top Contenders1. Oklahoma City Thunder (40-13)
Last ranking: 1
In the last week: W vs ORL, L at SA, L vs HOU
Offensive rating: 117.7 (fourth place)
Defensive rating: 105.9 (first place)
Roster reset: SG Jared McCain
The good news: We have a 40 before 20 team! Five years ago, I did a little story on 40-before-20 contender status, the theory that elite teams should win 40 games before they lose 20. Milwaukee bucked the trend in 2021, but the last four champions have all accomplished that feat, including last year’s Thunderbuddies. As you’ll see in these rankings, it might be a short list this season. The bad news: This Thunder team might be looking at its last week at the top of the rankings. OKC has played mid basketball for a solid two months, and though Jalen Williams is coming back, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hit ab city too hard and will be out this week and the All-Star Weekend. Jared McCain is here, so he can talk to fellow undersized shooting guard and Philadelphia draft pick Isaiah Joe about Daryl Morey giving up on them.
2. Detroit Pistons (38-13)
Last ranking: 2
In the last week: W vs DEN, L vs WAS, W vs NY
Offensive rating: 116.4 (11th place)
Defensive rating: 108.4 (second place)
Roster reset: SG Kevin Huerter
Detroit would be leading the rankings this week if it had not completely laid an egg against the Wizards in their own building. That’s the biggest win by the Wizards over the Pistons since Kyle Kuzma said don’t be that team. The bad Wizards loss was bracketed by impressive wins against the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks, with the beatdown applied to the Knicks being the second time this season that Detroit has beaten its playoff foe from last year by more than 30 points. Detroit’s depth is absurd. Jaden Ivey was traded, Huerter was acquired, and Huerter is going to need time to break through into the rotation ahead of players like the promoted Daniss Jenkins.
3. San Antonio Spurs (36-16)
Last ranking: 3
In the last week: W vs OKC, W at DAL, W vs DAL
Offensive rating: 116.5 (10th place)
Defensive rating: 111.1 (3 place)
Roster reset: PF Harrison Barnes
The Spurs are trying to be like the New England Patriots. That is, a team that dominated most of the 21st century and hit a rough patch in the 2020s but is back right before our eyes. The Spurs did absolutely nothing to their 15-man standard contract roster, and that’s been the case since the regular season began. San Antonio has started bringing Barnes off the bench, his first games as a reserve since leaving Golden State a decade ago. The Spurs didn’t need a move, though. Stephon Castle just had a 40-point triple-double, and the Spurs have beaten the Thunder four times this season. They even avoided a post-Thunder letdown this time.
4. New York Knicks (34-19)
Last ranking: 6
In the last week: W at WAS, W vs DEN, L at DET, W at BOS
Offensive rating: 118.6 (third place)
Defensive rating: 113.1 (11th place)
Roster reset: PG Jose Alvarado
Grand Theft Alvarado made it back to New York City before Grand Theft Auto VI came out. The Knicks basically swapped out Guerschon Yabusele for some point guard depth, and they need it, with Miles McBride potentially missing the rest of the regular season because of sports hernia surgery. New York got strapped in Detroit, but it has otherwise won nine of 10, with a big win at Boston to cap off a week where the Knicks also defeated the Nuggets in double overtime.
5. Boston Celtics (34-19)
Last ranking: 8
In the last week: W at DAL, W at HOU, W vs MIA, L vs NY
Offensive rating: 120.0 (second place)
Defensive rating: 112.7 (ninth place)
Roster reset: C Nikola Vučević
The Celtics won 10 of 13 before losing at home against the Knicks. Boston traded Anfernee Simons, Xavier Tillman, Josh Minott and Chris Boucher and now has Vučević, who has some adjusting to do. Vučević had a double-double in a 22-point comeback win against the Miami Heat, but Boston was outscored by 24 points in Vučević’s 24 minutes Sunday against the Knicks. Payton Pritchard is also coming off the bench now to essentially replace Simons in the sixth-man role.
Tier 2: In a Good Place6. Denver Nuggets (34-19)
Last ranking: 4
In the last week: L at DET, L at NY, W at CHI
Offensive rating: 121.0 (first place)
Defensive rating: 116.8 (24th place)
Roster reset: SF Spencer Jones
Denver hasn’t been a big trade team over the previous two years, and it wasn’t again this year. All the Nuggets did was dump Hunter Tyson’s contract onto Brooklyn. But that move was necessary, as it allows Jones to get promoted. Cameron Johnson is back, but Aaron Gordon is injured again, and Peyton Watson is joining him on the sidelines this month as well. Denver has the league’s best offense, but it has the worst defense of any good team, and the assumption of full health for the Nuggets might be a dubious one.
7. Houston Rockets (32-19)
Last ranking: 5
In the last week: W at IND, L vs BOS, L vs CHA, W at OKC
Offensive rating: 117.3 (fifth place)
Defensive rating: 112.2 (sixth place)
Roster reset: SF Kevin Durant
The Rockets switched it up this week, winning some close games while getting blown out at home on back-to-back nights against Eastern Conference visitors. And Ime Udoka had to call out Alperen Şengün’s raggedy defense yet again, a staple of Udoka’s tenure. But Houston didn’t do anything to its standard contract roster. After all, this is a team that completed a seven-team trade just to acquire and extend Durant this offseason, only for Fred VanVleet to tear his ACL, for Steven Adams to suffer a season-ending ankle injury and for Dorian Finney-Smith to look like a shell of himself coming off ankle surgery.
8. Cleveland Cavaliers (32-21)
Last ranking: 10
In the last week: W at LAC, W at SAC
Offensive rating: 117.2 (sixth place)
Defensive rating: 113.4 (13th place)
Roster reset: PG James Harden
Numero uno! It felt like the Cavaliers were up to something when they traded De’Andre Hunter to Sacramento for the smaller contracts of reserve guards Dennis Schröder and Keon Ellis. The next thing you know, Cleveland is tearing down another one of its billboards. Never mind the fact that the Cavaliers had to hold their breath during a win in Sacramento in Harden’s debut. Cleveland’s ceiling is much higher this spring with Harden instead of Darius Garland, provided that the remaining “core” Cavaliers do their job. It’s not Harden’s job to show up and dominate playoff games on his own. Harden is here to make Donovan Mitchell’s, Evan Mobley’s and Jarrett Allen’s jobs easier.
Tier 3: The Bubble9. Los Angeles Lakers (32-19)
Last ranking: 11
In the last week: W at BRK, W vs PHI, W vs GS
Offensive rating: 116.5 (ninth place)
Defensive rating: 116.5 (22nd place)
Roster reset: SG Luke Kennard
As a team, the Lakers are statistically unimpressive; 15 teams have a better point differential. As individuals, you’ll always be worried about them. Luka Dončić leads the league in scoring, but he has another soft tissue injury. LeBron James is the all-time leading scorer, but he is 41 years old and trying to get to 65 games if he can help it. Austin Reaves just got back and is on a minute restriction that has him in a reserve role for now. Nico Harrison isn’t running a team anymore, so the Lakers had a quiet deadline that saw them acquire Kennard for Gabe Vincent. Los Angeles has won eight of 11, though. The Lakers are doing a good job of keeping their worst traits contained to single games rather than full-on losing streaks, something they haven’t had for three weeks now.
Ayo Dosunmu had 11 points off the bench in his Timberwolves debut. (Bruce Kluckhohn / Imagn Images)
10. Minnesota Timberwolves (32-22)
Last ranking: 7
In the last week: L at MEM, W at TOR, L vs NO, L vs LAC
Offensive rating: 116.6 (eighth place)
Defensive rating: 112.8 (10th place)
Roster reset: SG Ayo Dosunmu
The Timberwolves finally won a game in Canada, so they keep a top-10 spot. But the energy is off again, as they’ve lost three of four. They won four in a row before that, but also lost five in a row in January. The loss to the Clippers was quite disturbing, as the Clippers had been losing for about a week before finding themselves in the waters of Lake Minnetonka. Minnesota gave up on Rob Dillingham to acquire contract-year shooting guard Dosunmu, who will essentially be in the Nickeil Alexander-Walker role.
11. Toronto Raptors (32-22)
Last ranking: 12
In the last week: L vs MIN, W vs CHI, W vs IND
Offensive rating: 114.0 (16th place)
Defensive rating: 112.1 (fifth place)
Roster reset: C Trayce Jackson-Davis
Chris Paul is here! Not really. Much like P.J. Tucker last season, the Raptors are going to hold onto Paul after the Clippers traded him for part of this month before inevitably waiving him, presumably in time to keep Paul eligible for the postseason. Toronto traded Ochai Agbaji in the process. The more relevant move for the Raptors was acquiring Jackson-Davis to give them another center option. Toronto’s been starting 6-foot-7 lottery rookie Collin Murray-Boyles at center with Jakob Poeltl missing most of the last two months with back issues, and though Poeltl is reconditioning, Murray-Boyles keeps injuring the thumb on his shooting hand.
12. Philadelphia 76ers (30-22)
Last ranking: 13
In the last week: W at LAC, W at GS, L at LAL, W at PHO
Offensive rating: 115.4 (13th place)
Defensive rating: 113.8 (14th place)
Roster reset: PF Dominick Barlow
Daryl Morey said that he sold high on Jared McCain and that no team moved the needle in the East, with former partner in analytics Harden going to Cleveland. Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln… It’s not as if the Sixers moved the needle with anything they did. Eric Gordon’s contract got dumped on Memphis. But Philadelphia has played well. Barlow got promoted, which is well deserved because Barlow has started more games than anyone on the team besides guards VJ Edgecombe and All-Star Tyrese Maxey. And Joel Embiid is the NBA’s leading scorer since Jan. 16, a wholesome turnaround considering the fact that he was averaging a point a minute just before this point two years ago.
13. Golden State Warriors (28-25)
Last ranking: 14
In the last week: L vs PHI, W at PHO, L at LAL
Offensive rating: 114.3 (15th place)
Defensive rating: 112.2 (seventh place)
Roster reset: C Kristaps Porziņģis
They finally traded Jonathan Kuminga. We hardly knew ya, my friend. In comes Porziņģis, who actually has played fewer postseason games in his career (28) than Kuminga (34). The best part of Porziņģis is probably his expiring $30.7 million contract, which I’m sure will keep the Warriors in the A Block when it comes to the next star they’ll need to give Stephen Curry one more shot at glory. In the meantime, they have a complete lack of reliable interior offense until they can wait and see if Porziņģis can string two weeks of games together after the All-Star break.
14. Phoenix Suns (31-22)
Last ranking: 9
In the last week: W at POR, L vs GS, L vs PHI
Offensive rating: 114.5 (14th place)
Defensive rating: 112.3 (eighth place)
Roster reset: SF Amir Coffey
Phoenix probably views its big trade acquisition as Jalen Green. After all, Green has played a total of 86 minutes this season, and only 47 of those minutes have come alongside Devin Booker (mind you, Phoenix has outscored foes 139-99 in those 47 minutes). In the meantime, Coffey is here, and Cole Anthony is sort of here, with Nick Richards and Nigel Hayes-Davis (since waived) getting traded by the Suns. Coffey made 101 3s and shot 40.9 percent last year as a Clipper, but he’s only made 7 of 25 (28 percent) of his 3s this season. Perhaps Anthony is trying to make sure there are no problems in Phoenix after Greg Anthony’s 1993 suspension…
15. Miami Heat (28-26)
Last ranking: 16
In the last week: L vs ATL, L at BOS, W at WAS
Offensive rating: 113.7 (18th place)
Defensive rating: 111.7 (fourth place)
Roster reset: PG Terry Rozier
One year after moving on from Jimmy Butler at midseason, no trades for the Heat this season. They still have Rozier, the 11-year veteran who is making $26 million in the last year of his contract. Rozier turns 32 next month, and he hasn’t played all season, but he’ll be paid in full after the league originally placed him on unpaid leave as he faces federal gambling charges. As far as on the court, Miami hasn’t won or lost three consecutive games in four weeks.
16. Charlotte Hornets (25-28)
Last ranking: 18
In the last week: W vs NO, W at HOU, W at ATL
Offensive rating: 117.1 (seventh place)
Defensive rating: 114.9 (17th place)
Roster reset: PG Coby White
Get your popcorn ready! The Hornets have won nine straight games, and they get to put their streak on the line Monday against the conference-leading Pistons. The last time the Hornets won 10 in a row, Dell Curry was still playing for them, and Steph Curry was about to turn 10. This would be even more exciting for the Hornets if White didn’t arrive injured. He is dealing with a calf injury, but he is here in place of Collin Sexton. Charlotte’s win streak still has it only 10th in the Eastern Conference, but it is getting incredible run out of a starting lineup of LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabaté.
17. Orlando Magic (27-24)
Last ranking: 15
In the last week: L at OKC, W vs BRK, W vs UTA
Offensive rating: 113.4 (21st place)
Defensive rating: 114.1 (15th place)
Roster reset: PG Jevon Carter
The Magic are always quiet at the deadline. And they’re getting to the point where they’re always underwhelming, too. Someone is always out, or they can’t shoot, or they’re wondering what part of their identity is missing. Franz Wagner has only been able to play in two games in the last two months. Paolo Banchero missed 23 days this fall. Jalen Suggs missed the majority of six weeks earlier in the winter. The lack of lineup consistency is exhausting, and then they consistently keep it quiet when it comes to the roster in the middle of the season. Tyus Jones is out, Carter is in. Carter is certainly a more willing shooter and a more disruptive defender, but the Magic need to get their best players healthy so they can assess this core properly.
Tier 4: Not the Tier to Fear18. LA Clippers (25-27)
Last ranking: 17
In the last week: L vs PHI, L vs CLE, W at SAC, W at MIN
Offensive rating: 115.6 (12th place)
Defensive rating: 115.8 (20th place)
Roster reset: PG Darius Garland
A week ago, the Clippers had the NBA’s best record over a six-week span, going 17-4 while dominating the minutes that Kawhi Leonard and James Harden were playing together. Then the Clippers and Harden moved on, and Ivica Zubac was traded as well. Leonard’s status hangs over all of this. For now, the Clippers have Leonard still playing at a high level, and they’re about to pair him with young players with real upside in two-time All-Star Garland and 2026 restricted free agent (and new Clippers free-throw merchant) Bennedict Mathurin. Perhaps most importantly, the Clippers will hope that the Indiana Pacers strike out in the lottery this spring. LA lost back-to-back games for the first time in more than a month, but it has a chance at getting to .500 at the All-Star break after blowing out a fully healthy Minnesota team on the road before the Super Bowl.
19. Atlanta Hawks (26-28)
Last ranking: 19th
In the last week: W at MIA, W vs UTA, L vs CHA
Offensive rating: 113.8 (17th place)
Defensive rating: 114.7 (16th place)
Roster reset: SF Jonathan Kuminga
And thus ends the Kristaps Porziņģis era in Atlanta, one that lasted all of 17 games. If you thought the Hawks would do interesting things this season because of the tandem of Porziņģis and Trae Young, then I am here to inform you that Porziņģis and Young played a total of 51 minutes together, and the Hawks gave up 157 points in those minutes. Instead, Kuminga is here. He won’t debut until after the All-Star break, and his role is going to be fascinating. Atlanta used the top overall pick in the 2024 draft on Zaccharie Risacher, who hasn’t improved. But the Hawks have an All-Star power forward in Jalen Johnson, and the Hawks don’t need more shaky shooting in the first unit. It looks like Kuminga will come off the bench and try to give Atlanta a second-unit complement to CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert.
Vit Krejčí has averaged 8.7 points in his three games for the Blazers this season. (Soobum Im / Imagn Images)
20. Portland Trail Blazers (25-28)
Last ranking: 21
In the last week: L vs PHO, W vs MEM, W vs MEM
Offensive rating: 113.2 (23rd place)
Defensive rating: 115.4 (18th place)
Roster reset: SF Vit Krejčí
Portland is getting healthier, as Scoot Henderson made his season debut after missing the first 51 games of the season due to a torn hamstring. The rust was apparent but so was the skill, as Henderson had five rebounds and nine assists to help Portland blow out the Grizzlies. As far as real trade targets go, Krejčí is here in place of the injured Duop Reath to provide another wing shooter. Portland needed that visit from the Grizzlies to snap a six-game losing streak.
21. Milwaukee Bucks (21-29)
Last ranking: 24
In the last week: W vs CHI, W vs NO, W vs IND
Offensive rating: 113.0 (24th place)
Defensive rating: 116.6 (23rd place)
Roster reset: PF Ousmane Dieng
Giannis Antetokounmpo is still here. We’re not even going to comment about when or if he’ll play again this season, so let’s just move on to some of the new pieces. Dieng is a lottery pick, but he’s going to need some time to break into Doc Rivers’ rotation. He replaces Amir Coffey. Rather than keep Nigel Hayes-Davis, Milwaukee is adding Cam Thomas to replace Cole Anthony. Might as well. There’s some theoretical offensive talent, and these aren’t bad swings by the Bucks. But if this is the group that Giannis is supposed to come back for, then I’m confident in saying that the Jordan Belfort trade talks will rise again in four months.
22. Chicago Bulls (24-29)
Last ranking: 19
In the last week: L at MIL, L at TOR, L vs DEN
Offensive rating: 113.7 (19th place)
Defensive rating: 117.5 (25th place)
Roster reset: PG Anfernee Simons
Funniest trade deadline ever. Coby White was traded, but ballhandling guards on this team now include Simons, Jaden Ivey, Collin Sexton, Rob Dillingham and incumbents Josh Giddey and Tre Jones. The Bulls even signed Mac McClung to another two-way contract, just in time for him to show up for All-Star Weekend, even though they also have Yuki Kawamura on a two-way contract. Why are all of these dudes on the same team?! The Bulls haven’t beaten a non-Heat team in more than two weeks, and even the Heat have beaten them twice since then, and I’m not even sure if we’ll get our annual Heat Play-In Tournament win against the Bulls this April. I’d rank Chicago lower, but the unashamed tank zone makes up the rest of these rankings.
23. Memphis Grizzlies (20-31)
Last ranking: 22
In the last week: W vs MIN, W at SAC, L at POR, L at POR
Offensive rating: 113.2 (22nd place)
Defensive rating: 115.4 (19th place)
Roster reset: PF Taylor Hendricks
They traded Jaren Jackson Jr.! I thought they might, but I did not expect Jackson to be the only starting caliber player moved in an eight-player deal, and Jackson wasn’t merely a starter. He was an All-Star last season who just got paid, and Jackson made sure to start the season opener despite offseason toe surgery. Anyway, Memphis has a lot of future first-round picks now, and they even picked up a rookie contract former lottery pick in Hendricks, along with a first-round rookie guard in Walter Clayton Jr. Kyle Anderson, former Grizzly, is here for the vibes. They’re going to need all of that as they secure a bottom-five placement in the West.
24. Dallas Mavericks (19-33)
Last ranking: 23
In the last week: L vs BOS, L vs SA, L at SA
Offensive rating: 110.3 (27th place)
Defensive rating: 113.2 (12th place)
Roster reset: SF Khris Middleton
I thought I was done cracking on these dudes for trading Luka Dončić to the Lakers. But no, let me revisit that thing one more time. Luka Dončić played 900 minutes in the 2024 postseason, a run that went through the NBA Finals. They then traded Dončić for Anthony Davis, who wound up playing a total of 892 minutes in the regular season for the Mavericks. Then, to make things funnier, the best players Dallas got back when it traded Davis away are former Jason Kidd disciple Middleton and Marvin Bagley III. That’s the same Bagley who was drafted one spot over Dončić in 2018. At least Dallas got a couple of first-round picks this time. Cooper Flagg has been killing it, but the Mavericks haven’t won a game in more than two weeks.
25. Brooklyn Nets (14-37)
Last ranking: 27
In the last week: L vs LAL, L at ORL, W vs WAS
Offensive rating: 110.5 (26th place)
Defensive rating: 118.0 (26th place)
Roster reset: SF Ochai Agbaji
Agbaji being here in a trade and Cam Thomas not being on the Nets anymore is as close as I got to nailing a specific trade last week. Never mind the fact that Agbaji arrived in a three-team trade that involved Chris Paul, or the fact that Thomas was just straight-up waived. Agbaji made sense as a flier for a Brooklyn team that just needed another willing defender, something that it appeared Thomas was not ever going to be with the Nets. Thomas wasn’t the only player let go. Haywood Highsmith never suited up for Brooklyn after trading for him in August and Tyrese Martin started 17 games in Brooklyn before getting waived. Hunter Tyson was waived as well after Denver traded him, while the Nets appear to be keeping Josh Minott from Boston.
Tier 5: Basement Floor26. Washington Wizards (14-38)
Last ranking: 26
In the last week: L vs NY, W at DET, L at BRK, L vs MIA
Offensive rating: 109.4 (29th place)
Defensive rating: 120.2 (29th place)
Roster reset: PF Anthony Davis
This tier is going to be a black eye on the league for the rest of the season. The Wizards lost 64 games last season just to wind up with the sixth overall pick in the draft, so I don’t blame them for turning Bradley Beal and John Wall into Trae Young and Davis. I wrote a column a few years ago defending Davis and Kawhi Leonard from street clothes narratives, and well, Washington’s uniforms the rest of the season might as well be street clothes. I don’t clutch pearls over tanking because it all evens out. Either an organization knows how to put a winning product together or not, and culture is a big part of it. We’ll see what Young and Davis do together with a core of good prospects, and whether Washington can add to that group of young talent. But for the rest of the season, I’m not pretending like I need to see either Young or Davis. Let Bub Carrington and Alex Sarr get their run in uninterrupted.
27. New Orleans Pelicans (14-40)
Last ranking: 28
In the last week: L at CHA, L at MIL, W at MIN
Offensive rating: 112.3 (25th place)
Defensive rating: 118.4 (27th place)
Roster reset: SG Jordan Poole
The Pelicans have no incentive to tank. And yet here they are with 40 losses already. They did go into Minnesota and secure a comeback road win, and Zion Williamson has quietly played in every game since Dec.14. This is probably the most ethical of the bad teams, so there’s that. With that said, the Pelicans did jack squat at the trade deadline, trading Jose Alvarado for the right to waive Dalen Terry. At least Bryce McGowens is getting a promotion out of it, a player who has taken Poole’s minutes.
28. Utah Jazz (16-37)
Last ranking: 29
In the last week: W at IND, L at ATL, L at ORL
Offensive rating: 113.6 (20th place)
Defensive rating: 121.7 (30th place)
Roster reset: PF Jaren Jackson Jr.
Utah has had the NBA’s worst defense for three seasons. The Jazz just got themselves a former Defensive Player of the Year in Jackson, and I get 2022 Cavaliers vibes from the potential trio of Jackson, former Cavalier Lauri Markkanen and currently injured center Walker Kessler. We’ll see how much Jackson and Markkanen are allowed to play in the same game for the rest of the season; the blatant tanking has long been underway in Utah as they limit Markkanen and Keyonte George’s appearances. One thing to be concerned with for Utah’s potential front line is that passing is not a strength of any of their bigs now. Kessler had more assists than turnovers this season before season-ending shoulder surgery. Markkanen is averaging a career-high 2.1 assists this season, and Jackson has more career turnovers than assists.
29. Indiana Pacers (13-40)
Last ranking: 25
In the last week: L vs HOU, L vs UTA, L at MIL, L at TOR
Offensive rating: 108.5 (30th place)
Defensive rating: 116.2 (21st place)
Roster reset: C Ivica Zubac
The Pacers got a Myles Turner replacement in Zubac, a player who is a year younger, makes significantly less money and will be under contract for two more seasons after this one. But the cost to get Zubac and Kobe Brown from the Clippers was extravagant: potentially this year’s lottery pick if it is between Nos. 5 and 9, and if not, a 2031 first-round pick to go with a 2029 first-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick. I expected Bennedict Mathurin to get moved, so that part of the deal doesn’t sting, along with offloading Isaiah Jackson’s multi-year contract. Indiana can look at the Wizards and Utah Jazz from last year and get spooked about what can happen. The lottery has a way of not caring about percentages.
30. Sacramento Kings (12-42)
Last ranking: 30
In the last week: L vs MEM, L vs LAC, L vs CLE
Offensive rating: 110.2 (28th place)
Defensive rating: 119.8 (28th place)
Roster reset: SF De’Andre Hunter
The Kings made their big move the weekend before the trade deadline, acquiring Hunter. Unfortunately for Hunter, he took a nasty hit to the face Friday night, and he’s out until after the All-Star break with an eye injury. There’s only been one 60-loss team in franchise history, but this Kings team is on a 12-game losing streak despite Russell Westbrook, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Domantas Sabonis being on this roster. I’m sure there are at least 11 more wins in this group, but Doug Christie’s minute allocation has suggested that the Kings aren’t trying to win anymore. Why start now, right?