Philadelphia 76ers: Post Free Agency NBA Power Rankings

The Mavericks find themselves in unfamiliar territory as they embark upon a rebuild. Prior to last year, the Mavericks had yet to experience a below .500 season this century, only missing the playoffs once (2012-13). Failing to land marquee free agents and Dirk Nowitzki’s decline has forced the team to embrace the youth movement. After drafting Dennis Smith Jr. — who has been remarkable in Summer League thus far — Dallas appears to have found their point guard of the future. Assuming the Mavericks re-sign restricted free agent Nerlens Noel, the team has found a solid young core to build around with breakout guard Seth Curry, Harrison Barnes, Smith Jr. and Noel. PS: Don’t forget to enjoy Nowitzki while he’s still around because he’s an all-time great and you’ll regret not cherishing his game.

When the Kings traded away All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins last season, the team’s future looked bleak. But after Buddy Hield, WIllie Cauley-Stein and Skal Labissiere all finished the year strong for the Kings, Sacramento now has a promising young core. The additions of De’Aaron Fox, Justin Jackson and Harry Giles gives the team six talented pieces with which to plan for the future. The team also signed 2014 first round pick Bogdan Bogdanovic to a three-year, $27 million contract. Bogdanovic will bring shooting and playmaking ability to a team in need of both.  While I do not support the signings of Zach Randolph and George Hill, as the two will limit playing time for the talented guards and bigs, both will bring leadership and guidance to a young team. Along with the ageless wonder Vince Carter (whose signing I fully support), Randolph and Hill will help turn the Kings into a formidable team next year. With Sacramento not in win-now mode, their young core will have ample time to make mistakes and develop next season while benefitting from the tutelage of veterans Randolph, Hill and Carter.

To put it bluntly, the Knicks have been arguably the NBA’s most dysfunctional franchise of the past decade. In this offseason alone, they signed Tim Hardaway Jr. to an absurd four-year, $71 million deal and nearly traded away the franchise’s centerpiece Kristaps Porzingis. Ranking them as the 10th best team in the East is in no way a compliment but rather an indictment of the other five teams in the conference. Assuming the Knicks retain Carmelo Anthony for at least half the season, they should be able to put out a fairly formidable starting lineup composed of rookie Frank Ntilikina, Hardaway Jr., Anthony, Willy Hernangomez and Porzingis. While this is certainly not a playoff team, the talent level is substantially higher than that of other bottom feeders in the Eastern Conference. With some semblance of a nucleus and the acquisition of Scott Perry as General Manager, there are remnants of a long term plan in place. There could be a bright future ahead for New York but it’s more likely the team trades away one of its talented young pieces in the hopes of acquiring a win-now player, because, like, you know, it’s the Knicks.

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After drafting hometown hero Lonzo Ball during last month’s draft, the Lakers officially have their core of the future. As former No. 2 pick Brandon Ingram looks poised to take a step forward this season, he and Ball could have the makings of a potentially deadly combination in the years to come. In anticipation of Paul George’s impending free agency next summer, the team traded away D’Angelo Russell to the Brooklyn Nets in order to unload Timofey Mozgov’s four-year, $64 million contract. In return, the Lakers received former All-Star Brook Lopez. After the Pistons rescinded their qualifying offer to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Los Angeles inked the fifth-year guard to a one-year, $18 million deal. While Lopez and Caldwell-Pope don’t figure into the team’s long term plans, both will help the Lakers win next season. The Lakers will be an improved team next season and with no draft pick to play for, they should look to win as many games as possible. But with the deepest Western Conference in recent history, victories will likely be few and far between.

After two decades of prolonged success, the Suns now find themselves in a rut. They haven’t made the playoffs since the 2009-10 season and aside from Devin Booker, have yet to land any future stars via the draft. Yet in this year’s draft, the Suns may have found another future star in Kansas’ Josh Jackson to pair with Booker on the wing. Phoenix will rise to prominence again in the future but it will not be next season. They should utilize the opportunity to foster their young talent, allowing them to grow and make mistakes. With a plethora of young players on the roster, including Marquese Chriss, Tyler Ulis and Dragan Bender, the Suns should embrace next season as another rebuilding year to develop said pieces.