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Power Rankings for NBA teams in the 2024-2025 NBA season. RotoBaller's Kevin Larson analyzes every NBA Team with End of Season Power Rankings from worst to first.
NBA Power Rankings: Every Team From Worst to First (Post-NBA Finals)
After an incredible NBA season, the Oklahoma City Thunder have prevailed in seven games over the Indiana Pacers to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy for the first time in their history (as long as you exclude their history in Seattle). Indiana made it a series when so few gave them a shot but ultimately the Thunder prevailed.
Now with the offseason to look forward to, let’s recap where every team stood this season and give a sneak peek for what to expect this offseason. Some teams have already gotten ahead of things (look at Suns here) but many more are sure to come.
30. Washington Wizards
The Wizards didn’t really have many expectations coming into this season, but whatever expectations there were they didn’t really live up to them. They were able to move Kyle Kuzma and were forced to essentially eat Khris Middleton’s contract in return. They did receive AJ Johnson from Milwaukee as well. Johnson is a shooting guard who averaged 11 PPG in the season’s last 11 games when he got consistent playing time. Maybe a future building block for the Wizards who own the sixth pick in this year’s draft.
29. Charlotte Hornets
Charlotte’s season was derailed by injuries, specifically to LaMelo Ball. The roster feels like they have good pieces alongside Ball, including Miles Bridges and Brandon Miller, but it did yield results this season as those three only shared the court for 237 minutes. Charlotte could potentially be a surprise team next season if they simply stay healthy, but to truly be a threat they’ll need more than just that. They own the fourth pick in the upcoming draft.
28. Utah Jazz
A team to watch this offseason will be the Jazz as there have been plenty of trade rumors they’re involved in. When you have John Collins on your team that’s part of the territory, but he’s just one of many potential players out there that could be headed out of Utah. Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton could be potential targets for other teams. The Jazz have even been rumored to be in discussions for a trade that would send the No. 5 pick in this year’s draft to Philadelphia in return for Paul George. That’s unlikely to go through, but it remains obvious that players on the Jazz will be hot commodities for other teams looking for talent.
27. New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans would have had one of the most disappointing seasons had Philadelphia not had their implosion, but it was a bad one regardless. Derailed by injuries to Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and Dejounte Murray, New Orleans was forced to punt and embrace a bit of a “retool” rather than a rebuild. That did involve trading Brandon Ingram to Toronto (more on that later) and they may be forced to trade more assets if next season gets off to a slow start also. When healthy they can be a threat to compete in the West, but that’s never a guarantee with Zion on the roster.
26. Philadelphia 76ers
Easily the most disappointing team this season, Philadelphia fell on their face out of the gates and never really got going. After signing Paul George, a clear signal that they were boldening the roster to provide more support for Joel Embiid, things started incredibly awkwardly. Both Embiid and George started the season on the injured list as George got hurt in the preseason and Embiid’s knee injury from last season never fully healed after participating in the Olympics. The draft will be an important one for Philadelphia and, as we mentioned in the Jazz slide, they may be interested in trading down if someone’s willing to take on Paul George’s contract.
25. Brooklyn Nets
Brooklyn wasn’t really expected to compete this year but still came out of the gates hot. Then the downfall happened and they just decided to embrace it, though they still were technically in the play-in race near the end of the season. Cam Thomas battled multiple injuries and is a restricted free agent this summer. He’s been quoted as saying he definitely wants to return to the Nets and would be a very key piece to their potential success in 2025-2026. They own the No. 8 pick and that pick could become very important if Brooklyn doesn’t see Thomas in their future plans.
24. Toronto Raptors
Toronto saw their season derailed pretty early on thanks to more injuries but still had a chance for a run at the play-in after the All-Star break. However, they chose to tank while head coach Darko Rajakovic gave his younger guys closing minutes late in games to get them additional development. Only time will tell if that method of tanking can pay off for the Raptors but they’ll enter next season with a new weapon in Brandon Ingram. With most all their key pieces on the books for next season, outside of Chris Boucher who’s becoming an unrestricted free agent, Toronto stands to be an upstart team to compete in the Eastern Conference playoffs next season.
23. San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs were hopeful that their trade for De’Aaron Fox would pay major dividends down the stretch as it would give Victor Wembanyama a true threat at point guard. Wembanyama unfortunately had blood clot issues in his shoulder and the vision couldn’t come to fruition. That combo will still need some work and development as the Spurs were a -1.0 with both of them on the court. Perhaps a silver lining was the additional development of Stephon Castle, this season’s Rookie of the Year. The Spurs hold the 14th pick in the draft and will look to add depth to a roster they hope will be able to compete for the play-in next season.
22. Portland Trail Blazers
Portland had an awkward and unremarkable season all-around. Their 36-46 record had them just three games behind the Mavericks for the final play-in spot and that could have been theirs if not for injuries to Deandre Ayton and Jerami Grant. But that may not have been enough for the Blazers as they acquired Jrue Holiday late on Monday in a trade that sent Anfernee Simons to Boston. They’re clearly viewing veteran leadership as an important aspect of their future. Whether that will pay off or not will be the theme for 2025-2026.
21. Chicago Bulls
The Bulls had a really strange season that led to them finally trading Zach LaVine after years of rumors. They made a run at the end of the season to lock down a play-in spot but lost to Miami in the opening game. Down the stretch they were led by Josh Giddey, but that can’t be something they bank on with Giddey being a free agent this offseason. Chicago has a lot of roster questions to answer since they did not embrace a rebuild after trading LaVine. Nikola Vucevic is likely to be in trade rumors all summer and those will bleed into the season if something’s not done before then. Not many teams have as many roster questions as the Bulls and all of them won’t be solved come the draft on Wednesday.
20. Phoenix Suns
Speaking of roster questions, Phoenix is looking to get ahead of the curve. After a few seasons of a failed “Mid-Range Mafia” experiment the Suns traded Kevin Durant to Houston for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 overall pick in Wednesday’s draft and five second round picks. From Phoenix’s perspective, they’re clearly looking to aim for the future. Jalen Green can be an explosive offensive talent but still needs a bit of seasoning. Pairing him alongside Devin Booker should make for, at the very least, an entertaining watch next season.
19. Dallas Mavericks
You don’t need me to remind you that the Mavericks made THAT trade, but they did. The idea was that it would help for this season and for a little while longer as they aimed more for short term success. But Anthony Davis immediately got injured and Kyrie Irving tore his ACL late in the season and is in danger of missing most, if not all, of the upcoming season. All of that gloom and doom with immense dissatisfaction from their fanbase could only mean one thing: They would land the top overall pick in the draft. Cooper Flagg, the expected No. 1 overall pick, will be a fantastic piece to build around in the future. How he helps things in current state, and whether that makes the Mavs playoff contenders or not, is a completely different question.
18. Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks certainly overachieved a bit compared to their preseason expectations as they stole a play-in spot but couldn’t make it past Orlando or Miami to participate in the playoffs. Some of that can be excused given what their preseason expectations were, the trade of De’Andre Hunter at the deadline and the absence of Jalen Johnson due to a shoulder injury. Next season there will be more expectations for this young Hawks roster as a healthy Jalen Johnson makes a large difference for Atlanta. 2025-2026 may be yet another fun one for the Hawks, but looming in the background will be a larger conversation about Trae Young’s future as he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2027.
17. Miami Heat
Another team that had to make a large trade, Miami will enter a season without Jimmy Butler for the first time since 2018. Last season they were able to fight their way through the play-in but ran into a much better squad in the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Heat have always seemed to find a way to get through things and remain competitive for the most part over the last 20+ years behind head coach Erik Spoelstra. They’re likely to be in the mix again next season, given how weak the bottom of the Eastern Conference traditionally is, but it’s going to be a bit tougher if they’re not able to make moves to bolster up the roster.
16. Sacramento Kings
The Kings made a couple surprising moves during the regular season. The first was the firing of Mike Brown, which happened after the conclusion of a practice. The second was trading De’Aaron Fox, though it did end up netting them Zach LaVine. All of it pointed towards a sense of urgency and a need to compete. Then came a major sense of disappointment as the Kings lost their play-in game to the Dallas Mavericks, who were in their own calamity of chaos. They’ll have a good chance to turn things around next season as the major pieces to the team will all be in tact. But if it doesn’t get better then that will start to make things even more chaotic as DeMar DeRozan and LaVine are set to be unrestricted free agents in 2027.
15. Orlando Magic
The Magic surprised a lot of people this season as they somehow stayed in contention early in the season through a plethora of injuries, specifically to leaders Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. They were able to win their play-in game but got beat by Boston in five games. The defense was strong but the offense was generally lacking. That’s why they went out and were able to snag Desmond Bane from Memphis in a clear move to upgrade the offense while not being too detrimental to the defensive side of things. Orlando doesn’t quite have its championship door open, especially with so much left to still prove, but they’ve got the road map. Now it’s on them to show that what they’ve been building isn’t a fluke.
14. Memphis Grizzlies
Speaking of those Grizzlies, we may be looking at a team heading the opposite direction of the Magic. After firing Taylor Jenkins late in the season, Memphis ended up getting swept by the Thunder in the first round. The trade of Desmond Bane to Orlando netted the Grizzlies Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony and four unprotected first-round picks. That’s a great haul of draft picks that help stabilize things for the future. But, as it pertains to competing in 2025-2026, the return doesn’t inspire much confidence. Memphis may be fine with that given the prowess of Ja Morant but the load that he and Jaren Jackson Jr. will carry on the offensive side of the ball just became a lot heavier.
13. Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks entered this season’s playoff in a weird space. They had lost Damian Lillard due to an Achilles tear and went 2-4 immediately after losing him. Yet they still found a way to win their final eight games in a row. None of that mattered in the first round as the Pacers handled them in five games. Now the biggest question all offseason will be what the future is for Giannis Antetokounmpo. With Lillard likely out for the entire season it’s a clear spot to potentially tank. If Milwaukee chooses that path then we’re likely to see Giannis traded. If not, they’ll need to make major moves to keep the Greek Freak happy so they can compete and make another championship run.
12. Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers turned out to be a force near the end of the regular season, posting up an 18-3 record in their last 21 games, posting up a league best +13.3 net rating. That wasn’t enough to get them past the Denver Nuggets, though, as they lost to the Nuggets in seven games. Without being able to break through to the Western Conference Finals since The Bubble, tension will be building at the Intuit Dome. James Harden and Nicolas Batum have player options this offseason and will become unrestricted free agents in 2026 along with Normal Powell, making this upcoming season a make-or-break season for the Clippers.
11. Detroit Pistons
Losing in the first round to the Knicks wasn’t what many Pistons fans wanted to see but had you told them at the beginning of the season that they’d lock down the six seed and win a playoff game for the first time since 2008 they’d probably have signed on the dotted line without hesitation. If Cade Cunningham continues his stellar development alongside a full season of a healthy Jaden Ivey then Pistons fans can expect more success next season. With many of Detroit’s key contributors locked down for quite a few more seasons it’d appear the future looks bright for the Pistons.
10. Los Angeles Lakers
The high of the Luka Doncic trade may not be over in LA quite yet but losing in the first round to Minnesota may have put a damper on things. Still, optimism will remain high heading into next season with a full offseason for LeBron James and Doncic to prepare side by side. That’s assuming that James opts into his player option for this season, which he’s expected to do. This season will be his final season under contract with the Lakers so we can expect a bit of a make-or-break type season from them as Doncic aims to take over the franchise in the near future.
9. Houston Rockets
After acquiring Kevin Durant, Houston is clearly in a win now mode. Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks apparently were not consistent enough for Houston, who needed to become more dynamic on offense. Acquiring KD gives them the ability to become more dynamic more consistently on offense while also providing more veteran leadership in the clubhouse. Will they be the same defensive force we saw this past season? That’s to be determined, but they’re clearly trying to take advantage of their current winning state and want to win now.
8. Golden State Warriors
Golden State made waves after trading for Jimmy Butler mid-season. And in the short term it paid off as they had a 23-7 record in the regular season with Butler in the lineup. They were able to advance to the second round but got housed by Minnesota after Stephen Curry went down with an injury. Golden State now faces a scenario where they have two aging stars alongside Draymond Green. Curry, Butler and Green all are set to become unrestricted free agents in 2027, potentially signaling that darker days are right around the corner for the Warriors.
7. Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets are in a bit of a confounding situation after a strange end to their season. With just three games left in the regular season they fired head coach Michael Malone and GM Calvin Booth. Since taking down the Clippers in the first round and forcing the Thunder to seven games, they officially named David Adelman their head coach. Their GM role still isn’t filled but on Monday they hired Ben Tenzer as Executive VP of Basketball Operations and Jon Wallace as Executive VP of Player Personnel. As of now, they’ll essentially be sharing the GM duties in a weird kind of “Michael and Jim as co-managers” situation. A silver lining, if you could call it that, is they don’t have any picks in this year’s draft. They also face a lot of potential roster questions and could potentially trade one of their starters. That would more than likely be Michael Porter Jr., if they pull the trigger, but they’ll need a GM in place to even be able to consider that.
6. Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota headed into the Western Conference Finals with their heads high, but that quickly dissipated as the Thunder vanquished them in five games in a series that wasn’t honestly all that close. The building blocks are there to keep them near the top but 2025-2026 will be a key season for the Timberwolves with Julius Randle, Naz Reid and Mike Conley all set to become unrestricted free agents in 2026. Those three key contributors potentially leaving make 2025-2026 a very, very significant season for the Timberwolves.
5. Cleveland Cavaliers
After lighting the league on fire during the regular season the Cavaliers got smashed by the Pacers. Some of that was aided by injuries the Cavs were facing but it was still an underwhelming finish to an otherwise very promising season for Cleveland. It now marks the second straight season they lost in the second round and the expectations will be higher after a 64-win regular season. Many of Cleveland’s key pieces are under team control over the next two seasons and they should be making a very strong push to represent the Eastern Conference in one of those two seasons.
4. Boston Celtics
Another one of the East’s top contenders that took a stinging loss in the second round this year. Not only did they lose to the Knicks but they will likely be without Jayson Tatum for the entire regular season in 2025-2026 after he tore his Achilles in Game 4. This makes Boston’s 2025-2026 season a very uphill battle, but they’re looking to regain some of that scoring through the offensive prowess of Anfernee Simons, who they acquired late Monday night in a trade with Portland for Jrue Holiday. Still, if things go awry early in the season then look for Boston to find a way to stay active in trades and ship out Kristaps Porzingis, who is an unrestricted free agent in 2026.
3. New York Knicks
The Knicks had hopes high coming into the Eastern Conference Finals in a renewed rivalry against an old foe in the Indiana Pacers. But Indiana knocked out New York for the second straight season. After losing they fired head coach Tom Thibodeau and still have yet to fill the role. Whoever takes the reigns will be facing high expectations with a team that fans will be expecting to represent the Eastern Conference for the first time since 1999.
2. Indiana Pacers
We may be telling a different story if Tyrese Haliburton hadn’t gotten injured in the first quarter of Game 7, severely diminishing the Pacers’ hopes of pulling off a miraculous Game 7 victory. But he suffered what appeared to be an Achilles injury that could potentially keep him out for all of next season. Indiana was one of the best teams in the East after the All-Star break, going 20-9 in that stretch. That will be hard to replicate without Haliburton’s presence. Myles Turner will become an unrestricted free agent this offseason and, if he heads elsewhere, that will leave a rather large void in size that the Pacers will need to fill alongside point guard.
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
For the first time in their history in OKC, the Thunder have won the NBA Finals after defeating the Pacers in seven games. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took home NBA Finals MVP to go alongside his regular season MVP award and the Thunder are riding high. After racking up 68 wins in the regular season it’s more than likely that the Thunder will be sticking around for quite a while. They face no real roster questions until the 2026-2027 season and are loaded with draft picks that they can either use to draft and develop or trade and convert into contributors. They’re not going away any time soon.
