Tankathon Reverse Standings: Second Pistons' Losing Streak Yields Trade

Two of the three worst teams in the NBA swapped players on Sunday.

Despite similar records, some of the teams near the bottom of the NBA standings have drastically different philosophies and timelines.

Some are looking to win games now in an effort to stay afloat, and others are already positioning themselves for the 2024 NBA Draft.

Here are the official Tankathon reverse standings as of Sunday, Jan. 14:

1. Detroit Pistons, 3-36

Despite breaking their all-time losing streak, the Pistons haven’t inspired any confidence in a turnaround of late.

They’re on another seven-game losing streak, highlighted by a 22-point loss to the league’s second-worst team, the San Antonio Spurs.

Cade Cunningham hasn’t played his last several games due to a knee injury, which he should return from soon. And on Sunday, the Pistons traded Marvin Bagley III, Isaiah Livers and some picks for Wizards’ forwards Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala, who should add a new perimeter boost to the frontcourt.

For now, they’re still the leagues worst team. But they’ve got some time to string together wins.

T2. San Antonio Spurs

Win two wins in their last three contests — albeit over two other struggling franchises in Detroit and Charlotte — the Spurs are somewhat on the up-and-up.

They now sit at 7-31, and their new star Victor Wembanyama is continuing to show improvement each and every night after the change to center.

San Antonio won’t be making a push for the playoffs this season, of course, but there’s hope they can continue to gel more while still nabbing a top 2024 draft pick.

T2. Washington Wizards

A similar story, Washington enforced a 127-99 beatdown on the Hawks last night, pushing their record to 7-31.

Overall, though, the new-look front office is undoubtedly on the hunt for more high draft picks after hitting on Bilal Coulibaly last season. And Sunday's trade is a clear sign of that.

4. Charlotte Hornets, 8-28

5. Portland Trail Blazers, 10-28

6. Memphis Grizzlies, 14-25

7. Toronto Raptors, 15-24

8. Atlanta Hawks, 15-23

9. Brooklyn Nets, 16-22

10. Golden State Warriors, 18-21

11. Chicago Bulls, 19-22

12. Los Angeles Lakers, 19-21

13. Houston Rockets 19-19

14. Utah Jazz, 21-20

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