30. New Orleans Pelicans (5-27)
Previous Week Ranking: 29th
New Orleans needs to trade Zion Williamson. His current trade value is probably not great, but it will still probably never be higher. The Pelicans traded for Dejounte Murray in the offseason and had hopes Murray, Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and CJ McCollum would be a dynamic starting core. Blow it up.

29. Toronto Raptors (7-25)
Previous Week Ranking: 25th
Adios Darko Rajakovic! I am sure many people do not know who that even is. He is the head coach of the Raptors and had a recent quote that the team “hit a wall” and “looks tired”. That is not acceptable and accountability starts with Darko who needs to be fired.

28. Washington Wizards (5-24)
Previous Week Ranking: 30th
It is hard to give the Wizards hope in the New Year. They are so far away from being a competitive NBA team. First steps almost have to be freeing Jordan Poole, Kyle Kuzma, and Malcolm Brogdon. Even if Washington has to lower their asking prices, they need a full reset, again.

27. Charlotte Hornets (7-24)
Previous Week Ranking: 27th
Can you believe Charlotte almost had Kenny Atkinson as their head coach a couple of years ago. They must be sick watching what the Cleveland guards are doing. The problem does not seem to be the coach though. The Hornets have young talent but need a star in the frontcourt. They should keep an eye on the situation in Sacramento if Domantas Sabonis becomes available.

26. Utah Jazz (7-23)
Previous Week Ranking: 28th
When Danny Ainge took over, the Jazz tried to adapt the Sam Presti long-term view that worked in Oklahoma City. Utah should continue down that path and promptly offload Lauri Markkanan, Collin Sexton, and Jordan Clarkson. Stack up those picks and the future may be bright.

25. Brooklyn Nets (12-20)
Previous Week Ranking: 22nd
Let’s say D’Angelo Russell going back to Brooklyn was not the resolution I would expect for the team. They are clearly in offloading mode having already moved Dennis Schroeder and Dorian Finney-Smith, with Cam Johnson soon to follow. DLo and Ben Simmons are going to be in stat padding mode for a Nets team going nowhere.

24. Portland Trailblazers (11-20)
Previous Week Ranking: 26th
If you think Zion’s trade value diminished, what do you say about Scoot Henderson? You might have even forgotten he was in the league. Portland will likely not get much back for Scoot, though they should try. Deandre Ayton has been playing great basketball and the Trailblazers need to pair him with a young complementary guard.

23. Sacramento Kings (13-19)
Previous Week Ranking: 19th
This one may seem like a head-scratcher, but the best way forward for the Kings is to trade De’Aaron Fox. He is arguably the best player on the team, however, he is not committed to the future having refused to sign another extension in Sacramento. After next season he could be an unrestricted free agent and getting something back for him is a necessity.

22. Detroit Pistons (14-18)
Previous Week Ranking: 23rd
The Pistons have already tied their win total from last season in 32 games this year. The most notable change has been the veteran presence of players like Tobias Harris and Tim Hardaway Jr. They currently sit in a Play-In spot and if they want to stay there, they need to add more veterans to help Cade Cunningham continue to grow.

21. Chicago Bulls (14-18)
Previous Week Ranking: 21st
What needs to happen in Chicago has been evident for a number of years (to those not running the team). They have aging veterans and are not getting any better. Moving on from the older players and giving Coby White some younger talents is the best direction for the Bulls.

20. Philadelphia 76ers (12-17)
Previous Week Ranking: 24th
Health, period. Obviously, you can say every team should be hoping for health in the New Year, but the Philadelphia 76ers need it more than any other team and it should be pretty obvious why. Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey have barely played together this year. When they did recently, in their Christmas Day matchup against the Boston Celtics, they played the best basketball Philly has seen this year. Health, that is all.

19. Indiana Pacers (16-17)
Previous Week Ranking: 20th
We are trading and firing a lot of players and coaches in The Rankings’ wish list. Add Rick Carlisle to the list. Rick is a good NBA coach, however he does not seem to fit with this current Indiana roster. The last two years they have been in the bottom of the league defensively. Yes, they made the run to the Eastern Conference Finals last year which means they won’t likely fire him, but that locker room needs a different voice.

18. Golden State Warriors (16-15)
Previous Week Ranking: 15th
Give the people what they want. Trade for LeBron James. Both Steph Curry and LeBron are on the back nine of their careers and we got to see the duo together in the Olympics this past summer. ESPN wants it, LeBron secretly wants it, and Adam Silver definitely wants it.

17. Phoenix Suns (15-16)
Previous Week Ranking: 11
The Sixers got blanket health as their New Year’s wish. The Suns desire health for one specific player, Kevin Durant. Phoenix is a legit title contender when he plays and maybe not even a Play-In team when he does not. The funny thing is, they also look like they need an athletic center, maybe say, Deandre Ayton to complete this roster. Sorry, not sorry.

16. San Antonio Spurs (16-16)
Previous Week Ranking: 18th
All respect to Chris Paul. He is a legend of the game and his time has come to join a coaching staff somewhere. The Spurs are potentially a Play-In team this year and they should be craving a young point guard to pair with Victor Wembanyama. Stephon Castle with Trae Young or De’Aaron Fox in the backcourt playing alongside Wemby would be scary.

15. Miami Heat (16-14)
Previous Week Ranking: 13th
Please trade Jimmy Butler. Everyone understands if the term “culture” applies to any team in the NBA, it applies to the Miami Heat. No player or coach is above Pat Riley and he will let you know that. When news dropped of Butler wanting to be traded, Riley shut that down within a few days saying they were not trading the disgruntled star. I don’t think it will set any precedent if, in this one instance, Miami acquiesces to a player. They could even do it while attempting to reunite Bam Adebayo with De’Aaron Fox.

14. Minnesota Timberwolves (17-14)
Previous Week Ranking: 14th
Minnesota realistically needs a time machine to go back and not trade Karl Anthony-Towns to the New York Knicks. Since they cannot undo that, they might need to give the youth on their team more minutes. They drafted Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr. who both likely have bright futures. What they are doing right now is not working so why not try something new?

13. Atlanta Hawks (18-15)
Previous Week Ranking: 16th
Other teams have to be inquiring with the Hawks about Trae Young’s trade status. Simply put, Atlanta should ignore those calls. They are only a slightly above-average team record-wise, yet they have some impressive wins this year. When the lights are the brightest, I like Trae Young with his younger co-stars (Jalen Johnson and Dyson Daniels).

12. Milwaukee Bucks (16-14)
Previous Week Ranking: 8th
Let us get the band back together. For Giannis, bring back his brother Thanasis and let him have that family around in the locker room and not just sitting courtside. For Dame, make the move to bring his boy CJ McCollum over from New Orleans. CJ’s asking price cannot be too high and he would be the perfect sixth man on this Bucks’ team.

11. Los Angeles Lakers (18-13)
Previous Week Ranking: 17th
Los Angeles will obviously do whatever LeBron James wants. It is getting to the point where that might cost them significantly in the post-LeBron years, which may be upon us sooner than expected seeing the level he is still playing at. For the Lakers, the most important thing in 2025 is keeping all of their future first-round picks. LeBron will of course want you to trade them to upgrade at the deadline, but fight it with all your might.

10. LA Clippers (18-13)
Previous Week Ranking: 12th
New Year, New Kawhi. Unfortunately, the likelihood of that is almost zero. Even without Kawhi, James Harden and Norman Powell have been balling out. The Clippers are a borderline contender this year and they should probably just sit Kawhi, healthy or not, until the playoffs and then let him go unrestricted for a month or two and see how far they can make it.

9. Orlando Magic (20-14)
Previous Week Ranking: 10th
The Magic have been very impressive in the absence of their two best players. Jamahl Mosley needs to be in discussion for Coach of the Year for what he is doing down in Orlando. Down in Florida, they should retire their PT staff. There may not be a connection to player injuries and the training team, though what is the harm in finding some retired trainers in the Sunshine State to keep this team healthy?

8. Denver Nuggets (18-13)
Previous Week Ranking: 9th
The New Year’s wish for Denver seems to have come a bit early. Jamal Murray is averaging 25.5 points per game in the last six games played for the Nuggets while shooting 62% from the field. The turnaround has been abrupt and Denver is hoping it will last.

7. Houston Rockets (21-11)
Previous Week Ranking: 6th
The Rockets have something cooking down in Texas. Some might consider trying to expedite the timeline by trading for veterans or a star to add to the young core. They would be mistaken. Patience is a virtue and the chemistry that Houston has with the young core led by Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun should not be disturbed. They are ascending right on schedule under Ime Udoka.

6. Dallas Mavericks (20-12)
Previous Week Ranking: 4th
Dallas got tough news with Luka Doncic being sidelined due to a calf injury. Doncic has history of calf injuries and hopefully, it is not as concerning as it sounds. The addition of Klay Thompson was exactly what the Mavericks team that lost in the Conference Finals needed. The only thing they may be missing is a true big at center. Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively fit with Luka and Kyrie, yet they are no match for Nikola Jokic. Having flexibility in the playoffs is the only thing missing.

5. Memphis Grizzlies (22-11)
Previous Week Ranking: 5th
Memphis looks and feels nothing like the Memphis from last year and for obvious reasons. Similar to the Mavericks, they could use a true center to complement Jaren Jackson Jr. For a starting center in the NBA, 5.9 rebounds per game is really light. Matchups make fights and the Grizzlies need to be more than one-dimensional.

4. New York Knicks (22-10)
Previous Week Ranking: 7th
Since the beginning of the season, there appeared to have been three teams in the top tier (Cavs, Celtics, and Thunder) and then a drop off. New York is closing that gap having won 7 straight games with KAT playing at an MVP level. Tom Thibodeau is a proven NBA coach, yet he still has one big criticism. He plays his players too many minutes and that is still a concern. The Knicks need to work to dial back their starters’ minutes in the regular season.

3. Boston Celtics (23-9)
Previous Week Ranking: 1st
When you get to the top of the league, it can be hard to find resolutions or wishes for the New Year. Boston is the most complete and deep team in the NBA. If you watched their last few weeks though, you can see the regular season disinterest creeping in. They are losing sight of the Cavaliers for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics should not underestimate the value of having the 1-seed and need to get on a run. They are 5-5 in their last 10 contests.

2. Cleveland Cavaliers (27-4)
Previous Week Ranking: 3rd
Two words: Cam Thomas. The Nets are running a fire sale right now and even with the best record in the NBA, many still have questions about Cleveland. Adding a bonafide scorer who can create his own shot to lead a thinner second unit should be a no-brainer. This trade deadline the Cavaliers must be buyers to solidify themselves as a real threat to Boston.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder (26-5)
Previous Week Ranking: 2nd
Youth usually shows itself very clearly in the NBA playoffs. Teams who may be a lower-seed (Lakers, Heat, etc.) can flip a switch and win a series as underdogs. My only concern with the Thunder is peaking too soon. They have the roster variability to compete with all the best teams in both the Eastern and Western Conferences. Oklahoma City has won 11 straight games and they have to ensure they save some game for the postseason.