What’s Next For NBA Teams That FAILED To Make The Playoffs?

At the end of every NBA regular season, 16 teams go on to chase the ultimate Hoopers dream of winning the Larry O'Brien Trophy. And as for the other 14 teams, well, unfortunately, there's no glory for them. They're packing up their bags and cleaning out their lockers. Ahead of them is a long off-season where they look in the mirror and ask themselves the questions, what now? How do we change this for next year? Where do we go from here? These are tough questions, especially for teams that feel they just got punched in the gut. These are even tougher questions for teams that are in no man's land. Whatever the case may be, each of these teams now have a choice to make, a chance to right the ship, an opportunity to escape the darkness and walk into the light. And with that being said, I want to present the question to y'all, what's next for the NBA teams that failed to make the playoffs? The Chicago Bulls are in quite the predicament. They were eliminated in the play-ins and seem to have a first-round ceiling at best, but a large part of that is because they're incomplete. Lonzo Ball is a playmaker, a perimeter defender, a three-point threat, and although he's not a superstar, he's still a huge part of their team. I mean, back in the 2022 season, before he got injured, the Chicago Bulls were number one in the Eastern Conference and looked absolutely dangerous. Recently, the former number one two pick underwent cartilage transplant, and if successful, he'll be the first player in NBA history to return to the court after undergoing such a procedure. To be honest, from what I read and heard about this, it's 50-50 at this point for Lonzo's career. There's not too much data points on athletes who return from this, so that's the situation currently for the Chicago Bulls. Do they run it back, or break it up now after two disappointing back-to-back seasons? The answer is, run it back. If Lonzo does come back healthy, they'll be a force in the East, and if not, replacing him with an elite 3 and D player would make things interesting. Next up are the Toronto Raptors. Last season, they were a first-round exit, and this season, they were eliminated in the play-ins, and that's their ceiling at this point. They aren't a championship-caliber team if Pascal Siakam and Fred Van Vliet are their two best players, and it doesn't seem like they're going to be able to acquire another Kawhi Leonard-caliber type player any time soon. If they want to stay in the middle of the pack, they could run it back again and hope for the best, but if the Raptors truly want to try and win a championship sometime in the future, they gotta bring out the dynamite and blow this one up into smithereens. And with that being said, the Indiana Pacers are next. Tyrese Halliburton and Benedict Matheron are two rising stars for Indiana. Buddy Heald and Miles Turner are also locked in for at least the 2024 season, then on top of that, they have a few first-round picks in 2023, and they have a championship-quality coach with Rick Carlisle. There's no question that this team should run it back and build on their experience, because if they could get another good piece in the draft, or if their two young stars could really level up this offseason, Indiana is going to be making noise in the East for years to come. Next up are the Washington Wizards. Though they may be the Wizards, they can't perform magic. Ladies and gentlemen, I truly believe the Wizards are in the worst position possible in the entire Eastern Conference. I mean, although I like Bradley Beal and his game, the truth is, he's a soon-to-be 30-year-old 6'4 point guard who's missed a ton of games over the past four seasons. He's an elite player, but he's not the type of top talent that could win you a championship as the best player on a team. And yet, the Wizards have him locked into a huge contract for the next three or four years. Then, to make things worse, their second best player is Chris Stapps Porzingis, who doesn't play towards his strengths, and is made of glass. The Wizards really have to think of what they want in the foreseeable future. If they're okay with having a play in ceiling, then they could absolutely run it back. But if they want to truly become a championship contender, they need to look and find the GM of the century to save them from the pits of despair, which is where they find themselves today. Up next are the Orlando Magic, and as of today, they look like they have a bright, bright future. I mean, they have a host of great young players. Paulo Manqueiro is going to be the rookie of the year, Wendell Carter Jr. is a young rising center in the league, Cole Anthony just made a huge 30 year leap in terms of efficiency, and Marco Fultz, a former number pick who has become a bust meme, has risen from the ashes and back into the limelight. The crazy thing is, that's just the tip of the iceberg for them. They also have the two Wagner brothers, Jalen Suggs, and Bol Bol? Then on top of all this, they have a 9% chance of drafting Victor Wombayama, or a 37% chance of getting a top 4 pick. Sheesh, guys. These guys have a chance of being absolutely stacked from a talent perspective. You know, during the 2023 season, this team had moments that really showcased what they could be. I mean, they had back to back wins over the Boston Celtics, they had convincing wins over the 76ers, the Warriors, and the Clippers. The only things I would change about this team is to either find a championship level coach, or to find a veteran player that could steer the young players in the right direction on a daily basis. Anyway, after them are the Charlotte Hornets. Run it back, run it back, run it back, is what I'd say. They lost their leading scorer from 2022 due to off court issues, but things are looking like Miles Bridges will be back in uniform for next season. They still got LaMelo Ball, one of the more exciting rising stars in the league, and on top of all this, they have the 4th highest odds of drafting Victor Wambayama, and a solid chance of getting a top 4 pick. If this team could stay healthy next season, and also get a top 4 pick, I can see them at least making the playoffs, and then from there, we'll get a better picture of what's needed for this team to get to the next level. Last off in the East are the Detroit Pistons. Like the magic, this team is stacked from a talent perspective. Cade Cunningham is a number 1 overall pick. James Wiseman is a number 2 overall pick. Marvin Babley III is a number 2 overall pick. Jaden Ivey is a number 5 overall pick. Killian Hayes is a number 7 overall pick. They're also tied for the best odds for drafting Victor Wambayama, or a top 4 pick. Then on top of this, they're being coached by Dwayne Casey, a former coach of the year from back in 2018. There's nothing to blow up for this team. The best thing for them to do now is to stay healthy, compete, build experience, and win games. This is it for the Eastern Conference, and with that being said, let's now move out west and the first team we have are the Oklahoma City Thunder. They were supposed to be a rebuilding team in 2023, but at the very end, they were one win shy of getting into the postseason. And had Chet Holgren not been injured, I think it's safe to say at this point that they would have. There's honestly no direction for this team to build forwards. I mean, SGA, Lou Dort, Josh Giddey, both the Jay Williams, and then Chet Holgren? Then you add in the fact that these are all young players that fit each other's timeline? This team is going to be a problem in the future, guys, and I see them being a perennial playoff team starting next season, and then from there, the sky's the limit. Right after them are the New Orleans Pelicans. Now, the Pelicans are in a similar position as the Chicago Bulls. When Zion was healthy, they were at one point the number one team in the West, but in the very end, because he didn't play due to injuries, they were eliminated in the play-in tournament. It's way too early for the Pelicans to break this up, but as much as I hate to say it, Zion needs to take a page out of Kawhi's book and load manage a bit. Even after losing weight, he's still clearly too heavy for his frame and his body just can't hold up. If Zion could lose just a bit more weight and watch his minutes, games, and everything, the Pelicans are going to be one dangerous team. They have to run things back, but they must use 2023 as a learning experience with how to manage Zion's body. After them are the Dallas Mavericks. Now, Mark Cuban's team is really in a pickle. After reaching the conference finals the year before, they actually failed to make the play-in tournament this year, and after trading away key members for Kyrie Irving, Uncle Drew now said he wants to test free agency. Those words must have felt like daggers to Mark Cuban. Because if they lose him, they're in danger of losing Luka as well. Sheesh, guys. Talk about spiraling out of control. Mark Cuban needs to do whatever he needs to do with keeping Kyrie Irving, and if Kyrie still decides he wants to leave, the Mavs need to sign and trade him so at least they can get something back in return. Unfortunately for Dallas, however, the gong show doesn't stop there. Reggie Bullock, Maxi Kleber, and Dwight Powell are all in their 30s, which means they are all approaching the tail ends of their prime. So what this means is, in order for the Mavericks to remain relevant, aside from Luka and Kyrie, the Mavericks need to bring out the dynamite sticks and blow everything up. You can't just roll things back after losing Jalen Brunson, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Dorian Finney-Smith, then missing the play-ins. Hopefully they'll get something good in the lottery, but at this point, they really need to just roll the dice, freshen up the roster, and hope for the best. Anyway, enough of the Mavericks, Utah is up next. The Jazz were supposed to be a rebuilding team this season, but they surprised everyone with their insane start. As the season progressed though, they came back down to earth, but along the way, they got an all-star in Lowry Marketing. They have a huge number of draft picks coming up thanks to the Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell trades, and should really be looking to bolster their roster from the upcoming draft. Their future, and what's the best course of action for them in 2024, will hinge entirely on who they could draft in the offseason, so until that happens, I'll suspend any suggestions. The Trailblazers are up next. As evident from not making the play-in tournament, they're going nowhere fast by keeping Damian Lillard at this point. Honestly, Portland should bring out their C4 Dynamites, and aside from Anthony Simmons, Shaden Sharp, and other young prospects, this team needs to blow things up. If they want to contend for championships, or even look to get past the first round of the playoffs, for all that matter, they need to really get value for their veterans like Lillard, Grant, and Nurkic while they still can. Up next are the Rockets and the Spurs. I'll lump these two together because they're both in the exact same position. You can't really blow up these teams because they've already been blown up, and there's no other direction for them except forward. They're both banking their futures on the 2023 draft, and if they could land Victor Wombanyama, then for them, that's practically the equivalent of them winning a championship. But with that being said, I hope Wemby doesn't land on the Rockets. They already have a host of talents already, and evidently, they don't do a great job of developing that. The Spurs on the other hand, if Greg Popovich and San Antonio can get their hands on the number one pick, I expect to see another dynasty coming. I just hope, for all our sakes, that they don't turn him into a boring bank shooting machine that we'll have to watch for like two decades.