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Power Rankings for NBA teams in the 2025-2026 NBA season. RotoBaller's Kevin Larson analyzes every NBA Team with Power Rankings from worst to first as of February 2, 2026.
NBA Power Rankings: Every Team From Worst to First
It’s never an uninteresting time in the NBA, especially when the NBA trade deadline is just days away. The Cavaliers have already made a trade to acquire one of the most in-demand names of the deadline, but who that player is may surprise you. Meanwhile the Nuggets saw Nikola Jokic return from a knee injury. How high in the rankings are they with him active? And is one of the most dangerous teams in the NBA residing in the Southeast Division? Read on to find out.
30. Washington Wizards
Washington fans shouldn’t expect much for their team at the trade deadline this week. They already landed their big prize with Trae Young. But there are still some questions out there with one of their veterans. Khris Middleton is on an expiring contract and could make an appealing rental for a contender. But the expectation, as of now, is that he’ll be on the roster after the deadline and Washington will buyout his contract. Getting value back would be ideal, but the Wizards simply need to focus on letting their young guys develop for the rest of the season.
29. New Orleans Pelicans
Most teams in the Pelicans’ situation would entertain selling off their assets. And they did that last season, but this year they’re rumored to be approaching it with a “hold onto your big guns” type of approach. Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy III would be appealing trade chips on a tanking team but New Orleans is rumored to be holding onto them. A team like the Warriors may be desperate enough to overpay for someone like Murphy and that may just be an angle the Pelicans are playing. We’ll have to wait and see how the roster looks after this week before deciding if that’s the right call or not.
28. Sacramento Kings
It’s been obvious all season long that Sacramento was ready for a rebuild and that they would attempt to move their big three. It feels like they won’t have any issues finding a market for Domantas Sabonis, who has been linked to Toronto for quite some time now. But they may have a much harder time finding landing spots for DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine. They’ve already traded one of the most in-demand names at the deadline, Keon Ellis, and received De’Andre Hunter from Cleveland in return. How that’s going to help them in a rebuild is still in question, but the moves they make this week will certainly shape their future.
27. Brooklyn Nets
Hopefully their competitiveness in December didn’t fool you because this Nets team is turning more into the Nets team we expected at the beginning of the season. They were just 3-14 in January and that’s going to make tanking a priority for them. That leaves a big decision on what to do with Michael Porter Jr. They acquired him from Denver in the offseason, and he’s thrived in a leading role, but is keeping him around going to be a priority for Brooklyn or do they capitalize on his high value with a team like Golden State or Detroit? We’ll find out later this week.
26. Indiana Pacers
It’s not going to be an active trade deadline for Indiana but they do have a key piece that’s been floating around in rumors. Bennedict Mathurin has been a key name thrown around in recent weeks and is linked to New Orleans. Though the Pelicans don’t appear to be selling on their key contributors they seem open to shipping out Yves Missi. That would be a fit for Indiana as they need some size at center to fill the gap that Myles Turner left in free agency. At the same time, Indiana is 7-5 in their last 12 games. They may not be making a run at the play-in any time soon, but it’s at least better basketball being played at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
25. Utah Jazz
Jazz games haven’t been a whole lot of fun lately. Similar to the Nets they went 3-14 in January, also falling out of play-in potential. They’re now dealing with a bit of injury issues, seeing both Keyonte George and Jusuf Nurkic battling injuries that has them playing sporadically. Lauri Markkanen has at least made his return, but his playing time appears to be more limited in hopes to preserve the oft-injured 28-year-old. Markkanen’s name also has appeared on the trade block plenty, but Utah looks to be holding onto him. They clearly see better days ahead with their young core, but those days won’t be happening any time this season.
24. Milwaukee Bucks
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s run as a Milwaukee Buck appears to be over. Whether the run officially ends before the trade deadline or not depends on if teams are going to be willing to pay a gargantuan price for The Greek Freak. The Warriors, Knicks and Heat appear to be the hungriest though there’s a lot of rumors as of late propping up the Timberwolves as a very realistic landing spot. Who Giannis goes to and when remain to be seen, but the Bucks have to start thinking about their future without him much sooner than they’d like.
23. Dallas Mavericks
Cooper Flagg is starting to really play some excellent basketball. He put up 49 points and 10 rebounds against Charlotte in a potential Rookie of the Year duel against former Duke teammate Kon Knueppel. He then followed that up with 34 points and 12 boards against the Houston Rockets, making him the first teenager in NBA history to post up consecutive 30 point double-doubles. That’s phenomenal, but Dallas has still lost four games in a row. There’s an outside shot Dallas can make a run to the play-in, but they’re going to need more than just Flagg to get there.
22. Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies have now lost six games in a row and posted a 3-11 record in January. That’s been driven by quite a few injuries to their main contributors. Add in Ja Morant trade rumors and it’s just been a miserable time to be a Memphis fan. For Morant, his trade market keeps teetering back and forth between minimal and intriguing. Miami appears to be the favorite to land him, but whether that’s realistic or not is the question. Expect Morant to stay in Memphis through the deadline, but will that be enough for them to try and make a run at the play-in? Or will Memphis shelf him and prioritize a higher lottery pick? That’s the dilemma for the rest of the season that Memphis needs to address.
21. Atlanta Hawks
It’s a strange time to be a Hawks fan. The season started out with some lofty expectations given their acquisition of Kristaps Porzingis from Boston. Yet Porzingis has only been able to suit up for 17 of Atlanta’s 51 games. They shipped out Trae Young to Washington and it’s been tough to find their stride since then. Will they be more active at the trade deadline to try and capitalize on Jalen Johnson’s magnificent development? Or do they stand pat and risk sliding out of the play-in bracket? Trying times are right around the corner in Atlanta.
20. Chicago Bulls
The Bulls are in the middle of a, “Where are we actually,” type of scenario as we approach the deadline. That’s not exactly new to them, but they do have a real question to ask with Nikola Vucevic. Their longtime center is on an expiring contract and would make a very attractive rental for contenders needing size. They’ve already tried to put together a deal with the Boston Celtics earlier this season but Boston deemed the cost to be too high at the time. Will Chicago come down on that cost and try to find more playing time for their younger guys? Or do they continue to hold on like they have in past seasons?
19. Portland Trail Blazers
The Blazers are pretty much locked into the play-in. Well, as locked in as you can be before the All-Star break. They hold a four-game lead over Dallas and Memphis as them and the Clippers hold the nine and ten seeds. That’s all well and good, but they’ve found themselves in a bit of a slump, losing four in a row to end January. Some of that’s fueled by injuries, but it’s overall inefficiency on the offensive side of the ball that’s hurting them. They’ve scored fewer than 100 points in three of those four losses, something you obviously can’t do and expect to win in today’s NBA. It’s great for them to be in such a good spot for the play-in, but they can’t get too complacent if they want to show they have the talent to advance out of it.
18. Charlotte Hornets
Are the Charlotte Hornets the most dangerous team in the NBA right now? Given their place in the standings, and general nature of simply being the Hornets, one could argue they are. They went 11-6 in January while posting up the league’s best net rating at +11.5 and over some solid competition as well. Blowout wins over the Nuggets, Thunder, Lakers and Sixers give that net rating some real credibility. At one point LaMelo Ball’s name had been popping up in trade rumors but with Charlotte absolutely humming those rumors have been squashed. The Hornets should find themselves in the play-in bracket shortly with a real chance to make noise during the play-in come April.
17. Golden State Warriors
There may be no team more anxious to make a strong move at the deadline than the Warriors. And their name has been everywhere. They’re in on everyone, it seems. Giannis is high on their priority list and would clearly be a gamechanger in a Warriors uniform. If they’re unable to snag him, they’re high on Trey Murphy III from New Orleans. But as we mentioned earlier, the Pelicans aren’t exactly anxious to part ways with their main core. We’ve harped all year on the Warriors’ aging roster and how it makes this season a very important one. They face a critical decision on who they need to acquire at the deadline. If they can’t snag anyone of impact, it may be the final blow to this era of Warriors basketball.
16. Miami Heat
Another contender for Giannis, the Heat are in a spot where they are competitive but not dominant. A player of Giannis’ caliber would certainly be a gamechanger for Miami, but the trade package they’d have to give up remains in question. In the meantime, they have to be looking at backup plans in case someone else is able to snag Antetokounmpo. Ja Morant has been a name thrown around, but the likelihood he gets traded remains in question. With the Heat having their main contributors consistently battling injuries (Tyler Herro, Norman Powell) they’d going to need some consistency one way or another. Expect them to be active headed into Thursday’s deadline.
15. Orlando Magic
At this point the Magic just want to string together some wins. They’ve been very back and forth throughout January, keeping them back from jumping into a top six seed. They may get their wish later this week as they start a five game stretch against Brooklyn, Utah, Milwaukee (twice) and Sacramento starting on Thursday. Is that going to be the catalyst that helps them jump the 1.5 game gap between them and Philadelphia? Magic fans can only hope so. After this offseason’s expectations they’ll want to avoid the play-in altogether. They likely won’t be upgrading anywhere at the deadline, so the contributions are going to need to come from this current roster.
14. Phoenix Suns
One of the more surprising stories of the season, Phoenix continues to show that their roster is just fine after they demolished the Cavaliers on Friday night. That closed an 11-5 January that has the Suns and Lakers fighting for the six-seed to avoid the play-in. There may be no need for Phoenix to add at the trade deadline, mainly because the return of a healthy Jalen Green can be viewed as a perfect “acquisition” for them. Phoenix’s priority now will be keeping Green healthy and not aggravating that obnoxious hamstring injury again. Meanwhile Devin Booker is working to come back from an ankle sprain. When he’s back alongside a healthy Green then the Suns will really be able to see how dominant they can be.
13. Los Angeles Clippers
After starting the season with a 6-21 record the Clippers have a chance to go 21-6 through the 27 games after that. Heading into Sunday they’d gone 16-4 since that dreaded start. With their win against the Suns on Sunday, they now need to go 4-2 over their next six games in order to get there. They’ve got a tough stretch, but it’s possible. As for the deadline, they aren’t popping up in many rumors and may be content with the roster they have. John Collins’ name has popped up in rumors here and there, but that’s nothing new for the 28-year-old. He’s likely to stay in LA as the Clippers look to continue their magnificent turnaround.
12. Los Angeles Lakers
Normally you’re expecting to hear the Lakers’ name involved in nearly every trade rumor. That’s generally obnoxious for most fans, but they’re notably quiet this year. They seem a little more focused on who they want to try and snag with a bigger focus on a 3-and-D type player. They were once associated with De’Andre Hunter, but his arrival in Sacramento takes him off the table unless the Kings are looking to flip him immediately. But that can’t be counted on. They’ve also been associated with Miles Bridges, but with Charlotte clicking they may not be anxious to ship him out. The Lakers may simply need to do things the old fashioned way and win with the roster they’ve got.
11. Toronto Raptors
Coming into this season the Raptors were looking like one of those “surprise” teams in the East that ultimately shouldn’t have been much of a surprise at all. And that’s gotten them into the top-six in the East, something they’d have killed for last season. But they’re aiming higher and have clearly set their sights on Kings’ big man Domantas Sabonis. No team has been more continually linked to the 29-year-old and they clearly view him as a gamechanger. But a trade package hasn’t been able to be agreed upon yet with lingering issues over who the Kings would want in return. Expect a lot of those issues to get resolved this week as the Raptors will do all they can to land Sabonis so they can make a real run in the East.
10. Philadelphia 76ers
It’s never good news to hear that one of your big three is getting suspended. That happened this week as Paul George was suspended for 25 games for violating the NBA’s anti-drug problem. While it’s an unfortunate development for the Sixers, they are very fortunate for Joel Embiid. The big man appears to truly be back for the first time in a couple seasons, averaging 29.7 PPG and 8.4 RPG in the month of January. The Sixers were 10-4 with Embiid active in January while losing all three games he didn’t play. As long as he’s there, the Sixers have a shot.
9. Minnesota Timberwolves
Might it surprise you to hear that the Timberwolves are one of Giannis’ top destinations? Minnesota may surprise some, but they’ve got the type of versatility and grit that would suit The Greek Freak’s style very well. Whether or not Minnesota has enough in return to satisfy Milwaukee is a whole different story, but they’re in the race and no one should be surprised if they land him. With Minnesota needing so break through the Western Conference Finals ceiling, they’re going to need someone like Giannis to get there. That’d make things a whole lot easier, especially with how competitive the top of the West is this season.
8. Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers were able to snag one of the most coveted players of the NBA trade deadline on Saturday night. They snagged Keon Ellis from the Kings in exchange for De’Andre Hunter. It may be surprising that Ellis was someone who so many teams reached out on (reportedly at least 14 teams reached out to Sacramento) but he’s a perfect complimentary piece. And after Hunter’s place in Cleveland wasn’t exactly working out, it’s a solid return. Now will Cleveland also look to move away from Darius Garland? It’s going to be an interesting time over the next few days for the Cavaliers.
7. Boston Celtics
The Celtics find themselves in a great position in the East considering what all happened coming into this year. But if they want to try and advance deep this year, they’re going to need some upgrades. And the biggest need they have is the need for more of an interior presence. That’s had them linked to players like Nikola Vucevic, Ivica Zubac and Onyeka Okongwu. Either of them would help with spacing, ironically, as their interior presences would need to be respected, thus opening up more space for their shooters. It’s been a solid run for Boston, but they can’t let up quite yet.
6. Houston Rockets
At one point this season the Rockets found themselves mired in a .500 stretch of basketball over a 20+ game stretch, far below the preseason expectations that were set in front of them after acquiring Kevin Durant. It now feels like they’ve finally cracked the code and are winning at a higher clip. They’re now 8-3 in their last 11 games, much more the speed their fans want to see. Don’t expect them to be active at the deadline with their biggest acquisition coming from last offseason. They’re simply ecstatic that they’re finally looking like the Rockets team they’re aspiring to be.
5. New York Knicks
Man, it’s got to feel good to finally have the monkey off their back. That ugly losing skid to start the year is well in the past as the Knicks have now won six in a row after beating the Lakers 112-100 on Sunday night. This streak has coincided with Josh Hart’s return to the lineup with him averaging 15.0 PPG and 7.7 RPG in the six game win streak. OG Anunoby has also been prioritized as the number two scorer behind Jalen Brunson with Anunoby averaging 19.7 PPG in this streak. The Knicks have tinkered some things and it’s working well. They’re one of the four teams that are “serious” in the Giannis trade talks, but they may be the ones best suited to succeed without landing him.
4. San Antonio Spurs
Maybe their youth is starting to catch up with them a bit. The talent is obviously there, but San Antonio has found itself in a bit of a back-and-forth type of rut. They’ve lost in some situations you’d expect them to win, like in Charlotte on Saturday and against New Orleans last week, and those are the type of games they can’t lose in the future. January as a whole was solid for San Antonio with the league’s third best defensive rating. They’ll want to find better offense in the future, but if the defense stays steady then maybe they can break out of this mini slump they find themselves in.
3. Denver Nuggets
Two great things happened for the Nuggets this week. The first was Nikola Jokic returning to play after sitting out 16 games with a knee injury. The second was Jamal Murray being announced to the All-Star game for the first time in his career. It was much deserved and long overdue for the 28-year-old and marks the first time a Denver Nugget has made the All-Star game with Jokic on the roster since Jokic’s career started. Murray led the team perfectly in Jokic’s absence and Denver’s near the top of the West because of it. The Nuggets should be in great shape once the rest of their roster gets healthy as they aim to make a run at their second title.
2. Detroit Pistons
The Pistons will have two players representing them at the All-Star game this season. Cade Cunningham had previously been named as a starter and he’ll now be joined by Jalen Duren off the bench. Duren is having a spectacular year for the Eastern Conference’s top seed, averaging 17.8 PPG and 10.6 RPG. And after dismantling the Nets on Sunday, Detroit has now moved to 36-12 on the season. They’re in pole position in the East and no one’s all that close to them. They may try to add offensive firepower at the deadline (Michael Porter Jr?) and that will only help them get deeper in the playoffs. The Pistons are a legit threat to represent the East this season.
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
Our top seed yet again, but the gap between them and Detroit is all of a sudden getting pretty thin. Prior to Sunday night’s matchup against the Nuggets, the Thunder had lost three of four games. We’ve gotten past the thought of “greatest regular season team ever” and now they have real competition for “best team in basketball this season.” The defense was still nails in January but the offense posted and offensive rating of 115.5 that ranked 11th in the league. They also are battling quite a few injuries to guys like Jalen Williams and Alex Caruso, but they’re going to continue to get the best shot from everyone they face. They’re deservedly our top seed but it’s the first time all season there’s actually some real competition at the top.
