Wizards, Trail Blazers Could be Near the Top of 2024 NBA Draft
Not much is currently known about how the 2023-24 NBA regular season will shake out.
The Western Conference is set to be a gauntlet, and the top of the Eastern Conference loaded up on more talent as well, meaning there could be more teams than normal at play for the coveted NBA Finals.
The same can be said for the bottom of the standings, too, as last year’s crop near the bottom of the standings are all set to improve.
Detroit finished dead last in the standings, but is set to add star Cade Cunningham back to the rotation after season-ending injury, and also added a top-five pick in Ausar Thompson. Houston, who similarly has peppered the bottom of the standings in recent years, made waves with expensive offseason additions. And other teams like Orlando, Indiana, OKC and more, should see internal development.
To this point, there’s really only two teams that could be pegged to garner high draft picks next year: the Wizards and Trail Blazers.
Washington is an easy assumption. After offloading nearly all their win-now players in favor of draft picks or younger prospects, Washington is set to undergo a “Thunder-style” rebuild, with former front office guru Will Dawkins at the helm.
There won’t be too many reasons for the Wizards to come away with wins next season. All the more reason to snag a top prospect and continue down rebuild road.
The Trail Blazers situation is much murkier. But if they can manage to offload superstar Damian Lillard in time, they could head into the regular season with a rookie primary and Shaedon Sharpe as their other focal point. Two great ingredients for future success, but not so much next year.
The Spurs, Hornets, Jazz and more could make their way on this list if a few key things happened. But to this point, Washington and Portland are your two sure-fire bets.
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