Looking Ahead: 5 NBA Teams Set Up for Success Over the Next Five Years
Ian Mukundi
Host · Writer
Oklahoma City Thunder
No team in the NBA is better set up for the future than the Oklahoma City Thunder. OKC finished first in the West this season and shored up their weaknesses in free agency by trading for Alex Caruso and signing Isaiah Hartenstein. Like many teams on this list, OKC has an excellent young core with Jalen Williams, Rookie of the Year runner-up, Chet Holmgren, and MVP runner-up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Thunder would be set for the future with their players alone, but OKC’s war chest of draft picks sets them apart from the rest of the league and tees them up best for future success. The Thunder have thirteen first-round picks over the next five seasons, including five in the loaded 2025 draft. They can use those picks to trade for a star, shore up their bench, or retain them and hope to draft a young star. The sky is the limit for Thunder GM Sam Presti. They already have a great shot at making it to the Finals next year without making any moves. Still, with the near-unlimited flexibility their draft assets provide, multiple championships could be headed to Oklahoma over the next five years.
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Looking Ahead: 5 NBA Teams Set Up for Success Over the Next Five Years
Parity is at an all-time high in the NBA, with six different champions over the last six seasons. However, the new CBA makes it more difficult for teams to build a long-term contending team like the Golden State Warriors during their dynasty. Still, there are a handful of teams with great young cores and assets to put themselves in positions to get to the top of the mountain and stay there beyond just one run. Between generational talents, numerous draft picks, and brilliant roster construction, these five teams have the best chance to dominate the league over the next five seasons.
San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs have the best young player in the NBA, 2024 Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama. Wemby is the future of the NBA with his guard-like skillset in a 7'4" frame and is set to build on his already impressive rookie campaign. The 20-year-old Frenchman should take a giant leap this season with the Spurs' addition of Chris Paul in free agency. Paul should be a great mentor to the Spurs' fourth overall draft pick, Stephon Castle, as he develops into the Spurs' point guard of the future. Paul has impacted every team he's been on and will give Wemby better looks than he had without a true playmaker. Wemby is a generational talent. His year-by-year improvement will be instrumental in San Antonio's success. He's projected to be the best player in the league over the next few seasons. The Spurs also have several draft picks to use over the next five years from their trades of DeMar DeRozan, Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, and Jakob Poeltl.
Houston Rockets
Houston has one of the best collections of young talent in Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., and the third overall pick in this year’s draft, Reed Sheppard, who are all 21 or younger. Sengun had a breakout season for the Rockets, averaging 21 points, nine rebounds, and five assists for a Houston team that narrowly missed the play-in tournament. The Rockets also have great vets to mentor their young guys, including Steven Adams and two former NBA champions, Jeff Green and Fred VanVleet. Houston is in an excellent spot with five first-round picks over the next three years, including two in next year’s draft, which many people think is a deep class led by No. 1 ranked Cooper Flagg. Three picks are from Brooklyn in the Harden trade, which works out well as the Nets rebuild. With the proper development of their young guys, Houston is in an excellent position for the future with several tradable assets to build a contending squad over the next few seasons.
Memphis Grizzlies
The Ja Morant suspension and injury derailed the Grizzlies last year, but that’s in the past. Now, they’re back on the track. Memphis has excellent young pieces in Morant, former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane, and GG Jackson, who came into his own at the end of the season, averaging 20 points in April to close out his rookie year. At his best, Morant can play at a near-MVP level. Last season, he averaged 25 points and eight assists. Morant is also one of the most electrifying players in the NBA. Memphis finished second in the West in 2022 and 2023, getting eliminated by the eventual champion, Warriors, and Western Conference finalist, Lakers, respectively. The Grizzlies own all their picks over the next five years, which will make them better, but just getting their players back on the court will be an improvement. They’re all young and entering their prime, so improvement should be expected as their careers progress. Memphis also has great ancillary pieces in Ziaire Williams, Brandon Clarke, another former Defensive Player of the Year, Marcus Smart, and their first-round draft pick, reigning two-time College Player of the Year, Zach Edey.
Boston Celtics
The reigning NBA champions are set to be a force in the league over the next several seasons with their core all locked up on extensions. Over the last two summers, the Celtics gave the two largest contracts in NBA history to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and locked up Derrick White and Jrue Holiday. Tatum and Brown are entering their physical primes and are surrounded by great sharpshooters Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser, who should only get better with the coming seasons. Boston also owns their draft pick over the next three seasons, which they can use to trade or draft a player to fill the void of Al Horford, who will likely retire sometime in the next three seasons. The wild card for Boston will be the future contract and health of Kristaps Porzingis, who was instrumental in the Celtics’ first two finals wins but is set to be a free agent after this season. They say the most challenging championship to win is your first one, and with that done and their core in place, the Celtics’ future looks bright. They’re in a great position to add more titles over the foreseeable future.
Oklahoma City Thunder
No team in the NBA is better set up for the future than the Oklahoma City Thunder. OKC finished first in the West this season and shored up their weaknesses in free agency by trading for Alex Caruso and signing Isaiah Hartenstein. Like many teams on this list, OKC has an excellent young core with Jalen Williams, Rookie of the Year runner-up, Chet Holmgren, and MVP runner-up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Thunder would be set for the future with their players alone, but OKC’s war chest of draft picks sets them apart from the rest of the league and tees them up best for future success. The Thunder have thirteen first-round picks over the next five seasons, including five in the loaded 2025 draft. They can use those picks to trade for a star, shore up their bench, or retain them and hope to draft a young star. The sky is the limit for Thunder GM Sam Presti. They already have a great shot at making it to the Finals next year without making any moves. Still, with the near-unlimited flexibility their draft assets provide, multiple championships could be headed to Oklahoma over the next five years.
Stay ahead of the game and elevate your sports betting experience with SportsGrid.
Looking Ahead: 5 NBA Teams Set Up for Success Over the Next Five Years
Parity is at an all-time high in the NBA, with six different champions over the last six seasons. However, the new CBA makes it more difficult for teams to build a long-term contending team like the Golden State Warriors during their dynasty. Still, there are a handful of teams with great young cores and assets to put themselves in positions to get to the top of the mountain and stay there beyond just one run. Between generational talents, numerous draft picks, and brilliant roster construction, these five teams have the best chance to dominate the league over the next five seasons.
