Lauri MarkkanenMelissa Majchrzak/NBAE through Getty Photographs
Utah Jazz
Due to the trades that despatched out Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, the Utah Jazz could have a number of first-round picks in 2025, 2027 and 2029, plus a number of further swaps. The Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder are the one different crew with a comparable stockpile.
These belongings alongside Keyonte George, Taylor Hendricks and Walker Kessler give the Jazz a great deal of upside.
That mentioned, Utah would not really feel like a real rebuilder as a result of it simply locked down 27-year-old Lauri Markkanen by way of 2028-29 at a mean pay charge of practically $50 million per season. Jordan Clarkson, John Collins and Collin Sexton are additionally nonetheless on the roster, and the Jazz have gone two straight years with out embracing a tank till too late within the season to safe excessive lottery picks.
Possibly Markkanen is little greater than a commerce asset to Utah, however his presence together with quite a lot of usually anti-rebuild habits means the Jazz do not get to characteristic in our prime 5. That is not essentially a foul factor.
Chicago Bulls
They’re at the very least attempting to get themselves out of the center, however the Bulls aren’t fairly within the rebuild realm but. To get there, they’re going to want to maneuver off of Zach LaVine’s contract, ideally with out giving up any of their very own future picks to take action, and likewise discover a taker for Nikola Vucević’s deal.
Previous treadmill-running habits die arduous, and the Bulls raised eyebrows after they took Josh Giddey again from the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder (as an alternative of draft picks) for Alex Caruso.
Giddey, 21, is at the very least younger sufficient to profile as a progress candidate, however Chicago onboarded him simply as he hit extension eligibility.
Give the Bulls some grace. After years of chasing the eighth seed and avoiding the required ache of an actual rebuild, they’re new at this.
Toronto Raptors
Scottie Barnes is a cornerstone, and Immanuel Quickley is perhaps near that standing, however this crew is in any other case caught within the center.
Jakob Poeltl is making $20 million per season, RJ Barrett is what he’s, and each Kelly Olynyk and Bruce Brown will look misplaced till they’re traded.
Toronto is just too good to tank and never ok to do greater than threaten for a play-in spot. This is not a rebuild, regardless of the absence of the earlier veteran core: Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby.
Charlotte Hornets
Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball are already ok for the Charlotte Hornets to start out desirous about a playoff push, and Miles Bridges’ three-year, $75 million deal suggests tanking is not within the playing cards.
Bear in mind, too, that Ball earned an All-Star nod two years in the past and is already on his rookie-scale max extension. The Hornets are beginning over in a single sense, in that they’ve a brand new head coach, possession group and entrance workplace. However they do not belong among the many early-stage rebuilds we’ll cowl momentarily.
