New season goals: Lake Yong Ship faces double timeline considerations, Rockets Thunder Cavaliers extend the championship window

Translator's note: The original text was published on ESPN, and the data in the text were as of the time of publication (local time on August 4), and the dates and times involved were all local time. The views in the article have nothing to do with the translator and the platform.

Three years ago, when ESPN analyzed why all 30 NBA teams were all going all out for the 2022-23 season, it took a while before the Thunder was mentioned for the first time.

At that time, the Thunder had only one cornerstone player - Shea Gilgers Alexander, who had not yet been selected as the All-Star. And the Thunder just selected Chet Homegren (second pick) and Jaylen Williams (12th pick) in the 2022 draft. Although the Thunder's youthful talent and draft assets brought some hope at the time, it was difficult to foresee that this team could rise to the heights they reached last season - 68 wins in the regular season, and then made great strides in the playoffs, becoming the second youngest championship team in NBA history.

However, this also clearly reminds us that not every team can always chase the championship.

Even in an era characterized by balance of strength - the league has produced different championships for seven consecutive seasons, setting historical records - only a few teams really have the ability to compete for the championship every year. So, some teams may go all out to develop young cores like the Thunder three years ago, or go all out to develop in parallel on both timelines like the Warriors or the Mavericks.

After sorting out the lineup, cap space forecast and draft picks of each team, we gave our opinion on the "going all" status of all 30 teams. As the 2025-26 season approaches, we divide the teams into eight levels, which will also define the relative success or failure of each team.

Go all out... Win the championship before the championship window is closed

Nuggets, Bucks, Timberwolves

When you have the best players on the planet, your team will go all out to fight for the present. As far as the Nuggets are concerned, this is true, and the reason is not just because of having three-time MVP Nikola Jokic. First, the super giant center may become a free agent in two years. This undoubtedly brings a sense of urgency, although Jokic is widely expected to renew his contract early next summer. In addition, in order to form the current lineup, the Nuggets have traded almost all future draft assets, including giving away the first round pick in 2032 and exchanging Michael Porter Jr. for Cameron Johnson.

It can be said that no team in the league is more alive than the Bucks. Under the leadership of general manager Jon Horst, they have repeatedly made every effort to make superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo happy. Five years ago, their move was to get Ju Holiday. Two years ago, they traded Holiday as part of their bargaining chips for Damian Lillard. And, this summer, they cut Lillard with extended clauses and paid in installments of more than $110 million in their remaining two years in their contract to sign center Miles Turner, the team's latest attempt to keep up with other contenders in the East while keeping Antetokounmpo staying in Milwaukee.

At the same time, the Timberwolves are one of the more difficult teams to classify. The team's star Anthony Edwards will also stay on our top 25 players under 25, so this does not completely mean winning the moment. But the Timberwolves have traded most of their draft assets to maintain their current roster and are approaching the second luxury tax line. In addition, they must find the ultimate replacement for Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert. It was Conley and Gobert's arrival that helped the Timberwolves reach the Western Conference Finals for two consecutive years.

go all out... extend the championship window period

Cavaliers, Rockets, Knicks, Thunder, Magic

Since there are no starting players over 30 years old, as long as the Cavaliers can manage their expensive lineups well, they should be able to maintain their position as the championship team. All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley's early contract renewal will take effect next season, which will put the Cavaliers past the second luxury tax line, and also means they have a two-year window before they have to make tougher decisions that could cost the Cavaliers some of their core players.

After the trade was obtained by Kevin Durant, the Rockets hope to follow in the footsteps of the Thunder. After being eliminated in the first round, Durant's joining opened a championship window for the Rockets. Although the 38-year-old future Hall of Fame member does not mean an extended window, the Rockets can adjust around younger stars Alperen Shinkyung and Amen Thompson and make good use of the large number of future draft picks with great potential in their hands.

Knicks completed an early contract renewal with Mikal Bridges for four years and $150 million last month, and they had signed a long-term contract with Jaylen Brunson last season. The Knicks now have five players — Bridges, Brunson, Carl Anthony Towns, OG Anunobi and Josh Hart — whose contracts will not expire until at least 2028. This is the blueprint the team has envisioned in the past 18 months, in theory, to give the team a long-term development track.

While winning the championship, it also holds up to six additional future first-round picks, which is unprecedented, not to mention that it is possible to significantly increase the draft pick swap rights of the Thunder's pick. After all, the Thunder's own draft pick is likely to fall at the end of the first round. Now that the Thunder have renewed their contract with MVP Alexander in advance, as well as All-Star Williams and cornerstone player Homgren, luxury tax will be a challenge for them. But looking at modern NBA history, the Thunder may be less pressure on the road to defending the title than any team.

For the Magic, the question is whether the introduction of Desmond Bain can elevate them to the ranks of the championship team. The Magic had a record of 41 wins and 41 losses last season, partly due to the injuries of starters Paul Bankairo, Jaylen Sages and Franz Wagner. And their total salary is rising rapidly, and when Ban Kairo's early contract renewal takes effect in the 2026-27 season, all four players will have an annual salary of at least $32.4 million. But Bain, 27, is the only core player over 24 years old in the Magic.

go all out...Building teams around the young core, Hawks, Pistons, Grizzlies, Trail Blazers, Spurs, all of these teams have both existing talents and players they hope to grow into important contributors in the future, and high-value draft picks they hope to further enhance their respective core lineups.

This summer, the Hawks' future has been greatly improved, with a draft pick expected to enter the top ten pick next year in a draft night trade with the Pelicans, adding more strength to their core roster, including last year's No. 1 pick Zachary Rissach, Jaylen Johnson and Dyson Daniels, the fastest-progress player last season.

Last season, 2021 No. 1 pick Cadre Cunningham made great progress, and the Pistons also won a playoff game for the first time since 2008. Their goal now is to build on the successes of Cningham and its young core around them—including Jayden Ivey, Osal Thompson and Jaylen Durham.

On the other hand, the Grizzlies suffered a short-term setback by trading Bain to the Magic for a batch of draft picks. But one of them is likely to be the Suns' first round pick in 2026, which has great potential for upward growth. They hope that this draft pick, coupled with this year's lottery pick Sidrik Coward, as well as the team's cornerstones Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr., will give the team a long-term development track. The Trail Blazers now have a large number of young talents - Deni Avdia, Shetton Sharp, Scudt Henderson, Donovan Klingen and Yang Hansen are all under 25 years old. After getting veterans Ju Holiday and Damian Lillard this summer, the team hopes they can help these young people grow. It is still unclear what shape the lineup will take before the run-in between these talented players is completed.

Of course, the Spurs have been at the heart of this category since winning the right to pick Victor Vinbanyama in the 2023 draft draw. Since then, the Spurs have relied on the big man to open a new era of excellence in San Antonio. In more than two years after choosing Chinese Banyama, the team won Stephen Castle and Dylan Harper through the draft and obtained De Aaron Fox through the trade, thus adding new members to the team.

Go all out... Arrange two timelines The teams in the group of Warriors, Clippers, Lakers, Heat, Mavericks, and 76ers have many different strategies. After bringing Jimmy Butler (will turn 36 in September) to the roster with Stephen Curry (37) and Draymond Green (35) , the Warriors' goal this season is closest to striving for the championship. But the Warriors have been cautious in handling future draft picks, and only one player (Moses Moody) has a guaranteed contract in the 2027-28 season, which gives the team a chance to adjust. The flexibility of cap space is obviously the plan of the two Los Angeles teams to the Heat, and these three teams are very cautious when signing long-term contracts. All three teams have realistic ways to get maximum-level cap space next summer, but they are more likely to clear cap space in 2027. By then, unless the contract is renewed, multiple MVP winners Antetokounmpo and Jokic may become complete free agents.

But the two teams in Los Angeles are different in how they build the 2026-27 roster. The Clippers bet on the veterans and supplemented the already deep bench with 38-year-old Brooke Lopez and 40-year-old Chris Paul. By contrast, the Lakers hope to find long-term contributors by signing younger players DeAndre Aiton (27) and Jack Laravia (23). There is a clearer timeline inside the roster of

76ers and the Mavericks. For the Sixers, the question is whether Joel Embiid and Paul George can stay healthy long enough to get support from young defenders Terrys Maxi, Jared McCain and No. 3 pick VJ Edgecombe. In the Mavericks, a No. 1 pick (Cooper Flag) who is usually surrounded by young teammates, has joined a squad that aims to win the championship on the timelines of Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving.

Go all out... A transitional year, Celtics, Pacers, if it weren't for the tear of the Achilles tendon of Jason Tatum and Tyres Halliburton, these two teams would have easily entered the top two levels of the list. However, the injury of these two best-squad stars – who will almost certainly spend the entire 2025-26 season on the sidelines – has both teams focused on the future. Turner's departure from the Pacers, and Holiday and Christaps Porzingis' leaving the Celtics make the two teams more likely to fall into the play-offs, rather than fighting for a seed seat in the top four.

go all out... Strive for a better draft pick

Nets, Hornets, Jazz, and Wizards

are four teams with the bottom six NBA record last season, and their expected winnings in the 2025-26 season are also the top four last.

In this group of teams, the Hornets seem most likely to be competitive in the new season, with new players Spencer Dinwiddie and Colin Sexton behind starting point guard Lamelo Ball, improving the depth of the organization's offense. As the only top four picks in this group, Hornets player Con Kniper appears to be the most capable player of these lotto shows to help their parent team in their rookie season after being named MVP for the Summer League Championship.

Nevertheless, all of these teams may be at least one season away from competing for a playoff spot, and they hope to get a high pick first.

Go all out...no goal? It is difficult for the Bulls, Pelicans, Kings, and Raptors to see clearly the direction of these four teams.

This offseason, the Bulls renewed their contracts with team executives Arturas Canisovas and Mark Eversley, as well as head coach Billy Donovan. But they have only made it once in the past eight seasons and have won only one playoff game. And over the past year, they have repeatedly failed to earn valuable draft picks in the deal to send veterans (Alex Caruso, Demar DeRozan and Zach Laven). A glimmer of light at the end of the Chicago tunnel is: there will be plenty of cap space next summer.

Since last summer, the Pelicans' operations include:

(1) the trade was given to Dejunta Murray, who then suffered a torn Achilles tendon;

(2) the sending away Brandon Ingram for future draft assets;

(3) the 23rd pick of this year's draft in June, plus a next year's unprotected first-round pick, traded upward to get the Hawks' No. 13 and selected Derek Quinn. The end result is that if everything goes well, the team may make it to the play-offs. If it doesn't go well, in 2026, which is expected to be the draft year, the Hawks are likely to win a top five pick.

At the same time, the Kings pieced together a lineup of some powerful veterans - DeRozan, Raven, Domantas Sabonis, Malik Monk and Dennis Schroeder. But none of them can provide a long-term upside or a path to the playoffs in the brutal West. The Raptors are the Kings of the Eastern Conference, sending away the last few players of the 2019 championship-winning roster - Fred VanVreet, Anunobi and Pascal Siakam, and then swapped them for Ingram, Emanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett. This puts the Raptors on a luxury tax, but may also be a playoff-level team in the East.

Go to your full strength... Preparing for the 2024 Sun is a negative textbook that shows what happens when the "go to your full strength" strategy goes wrong. If this rating is based on the beginning of the 2023-24 season, then after adding Bradley Bill to the core roster with Durant and Devin Booker, the Suns are clearly striving for the championship. The Suns have one of the most expensive squads in the league and after a trade deadline upgrade and another swap of multiple draft picks, they lost control of all their first round picks. The Bill Durant era not only did not bring a championship, the Suns didn't even win a playoff game, but also reached a buyout agreement with Bill last month. The Suns have left the second luxury tax line, but there is no clear timeline for this lineup with too many defenders after the Durant trade. The Suns didn't trade their first-round picks for 2032, but that's just because they can't - the draft pick was frozen due to restrictions on the luxury tax line. And with both Booker and Bill’s salary will occupy salary space until 2030, the Suns have no way to get enough salary space.