30. Washington Wizards (7-41)
Previous Week Ranking: 30th
I believe the Wizards have set their own franchise record for longest losing streaks three separate times in the last calendar year. Just incredible, no words. Somehow though, they were able to pull out a win over the Timberwolves and finally end the current streak.

29. Utah Jazz (11-36)
Previous Week Ranking: 29th
Utah is the land of lost toys at this point and has already facilitated two of the NBA trades that have occurred. This is when Danny Ainge is at his finest, and with the Jazz able to take on dead cap and be a facilitator, he can likely accumulate draft capital that he is always so eager to get.

28. New Orleans Pelicans (12-37)
Previous Week Ranking: 27th
It feels like the Pelicans are in between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, Zion Williamson still has crazy high trade value due to how he looks when he is able to step on a basketball court. On the other hand, can you imagine being the GM to trade a generational talent even though he is injury-prone? Would you move on from Zion or keep him?

27. Charlotte Hornets (12-34)
Previous Week Ranking: 26th
The NBA is interesting in how they view stars. Players like Zion Williamson, Kawhi Leonard, and Joel Embiid are criticized constantly over their availability. Then you have a player like LaMelo, who likely due to the market he is in, does not receive the same criticism. In his four years prior to this, he has played an average of 56% of his team’s games and it falls to 35% in the most recent two seasons.

26. Brooklyn Nets (16-33)
Previous Week Ranking: 28th
A number of NBA news stories came out this week that seemed fake, but one of the funniest has to be that Ben Simmons is hopeful to be bought out and join a contender. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Not that long ago, Simmons was signing a max contract and starting for a competitive Sixers team. A buyout is his only option because no team will trade for him.

25. Atlanta Hawks (22-27)
Previous Week Ranking: 23rd
One of the most disappointing teams in recent weeks has been the Atlanta Hawks. They have gone two weeks without a win and after the Wizards beat the Timberwolves, Atlanta now holds the longest active losing streak at 8 in a row. Are they tanking?

24. Toronto Raptors (16-33)
Previous Week Ranking: 25th
A team seemingly going in the opposite direction of the Hawks are the Raptors. It was only a couple of weeks ago when The Rankings left them for dead and had them vying with the Wizards for the worst team. Toronto has now won 8 out of 10 and looks to be a different team showing up.

23. San Antonio Spurs (21-25)
Previous Week Ranking: 22nd
One of the biggest winners early in this trade cycle is easily the San Antonio Spurs. They acquired Victor Wembanyama’s running mate for the next 5-10 years in De’Aaron Fox and were able to do this while retaining Stephon Castle and other key players. The Spurs may not even wait until next year to make some noise.

22. Chicago Bulls (21-29)
Previous Week Ranking: 21st
Chicago appears to have finally made a decision on their future and is going with a selling mentality. You can expect Nikola Vucevic and Lonzo Ball to be in trade discussions and potential buyouts over the next few days. The Bulls did not seem to get much back for Zach LaVine, however getting out of his contract is the biggest win for the franchise.

21. Philadelphia 76ers (19-29)
Previous Week Ranking: 20th
Another week came and another week went without Paul George or Joel Embiid on the floor for the Sixers. Both players are reportedly close to returning to action, but that news is worth less than the paper it is written on. Tyrese Maxey has an argument for the biggest All-Star snub as he continues to carry a massive load for Philly in the absence of two stars.

20. Portland Trailblazers (20-29)
Previous Week Ranking: 24th
Each week, The Rankings tries to note a couple of fun teams to watch on League Pass and it may sound crazy, yet Portland is becoming one of those teams. The Trailblazers’ most glaring issue is a lack of offense. They average a very low 108 points per game at a time when scoring is at an all-time high.

19. Orlando Magic (24-26)
Previous Week Ranking: 18th
Referencing scoring, the Magic are actually the lowest-scoring team in the league. Orlando scores an average of 103 points per game. An interesting statistic is that opponents only average 105 points against the Magic which is the second-best in the NBA. When you play them you are always in for an old-fashioned dog fight.

18. Golden State Warriors (24-24)
Previous Week Ranking: 19th
If you are the Warriors, are you happy to know that Jimmy Butler stated he would not sign a long-term extension in Golden State? I mean he is a problem and if it is known he is only a rental, then why not offer Miami less and take a 5-month run at a final title?

17. Dallas Mavericks (26-24)
Previous Week Ranking: 15th
Nico Harrison should be fired immediately. Seriously, what he did to the Mavericks organization is legitimately malpractice. Now, Anthony Davis is a tremendous basketball fit for Dallas and I can acknowledge that. It can even be argued for this one year, maybe, maybe AD gives the Mavs a better chance of winning a title. However, trading a 25-year-old, who has been First-Team All-NBA for 5 consecutive years and is a top-3 player in the world when healthy is just flat-out malpractice. Do you know there are only 5 active players to have 5 All-NBA nods in their entire career? LeBron, KD, Giannis, Harden, and Luka. Luka has done in the last 5 years something that Stephen Curry and Nikola Jokic have not been able to attain in their entire careers.

16. Sacramento Kings (24-24)
Previous Week Ranking: 11th
The Kings have reunited the electric duo of Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan in Sacramento since it worked so well in Chicago the first time. Granted, there is much more talent around that duo in Sacramento this time around. A lot of change has happened within the Kings’ organization and you wonder how it affects the remaining players and coaches.

15. Miami Heat (24-23)
Previous Week Ranking: 16th
Jimmy Butler continues to just tank his trade value, much to the displeasure of Pat Riley. This week he said the only team he will sign an extension with is the Phoenix Suns who are trying all they can to get him. Bradley Beal holding a no-trade clause that is keeping many NBA teams hostage at the trade deadline is truly hilarious.

14. Detroit Pistons (25-24)
Previous Week Ranking: 17th
Detroit is on the verge of breaking into the top 6 in the Eastern Conference, a statement never thought fathomable before the season. Cade Cunningham and JB Bickerstaff have this team balling out and this is not a team I would overlook as a potential first-round playoff matchup.

13. Phoenix Suns (25-23)
Previous Week Ranking: 13th
Immediately following the Luka trade, Phoenix should have pressed Miami since clearly the asking price for stars was nowhere near what was expected. After Fox got traded to San Antonio, Miami has the leverage with a market that has come back to normal. If you had to bet, will Butler be in Miami past Thursday’s trade deadline?

12. Minnesota Timberwolves (27-22)
Previous Week Ranking: 14th
What better way to end an impressive 5-game winning streak than a loss, at home, to the Washington Wizards? This was likely a scheduling loss for the Timberwolves, but still. The Wizards have only 7 wins the entire season so clearly other teams still win regardless of recent scheduling difficulties against this pitiful team.

11. Milwaukee Bucks (26-21)
Previous Week Ranking: 8th
The Bucks may be one of the most interesting teams to monitor at the trade deadline. After a head-scratching early start, Milwaukee has figured out its’ roster and looks good. As constructed though, they likely cannot beat the East’s best. If they make a trade though it could mess up the chemistry that took so long to get right.

10. LA Clippers (28-21)
Previous Week Ranking: 10th
Norman Powell is probably the top NBA All-Star snub this season. The Clippers’ guard is having the best season of his career, averaging 24.1 points on 50% shooting from the field and 44% from three-point range. Without his contributions, LA would not have had such a good record when Kawhi was out.

9. Indiana Pacers (27-20)
Previous Week Ranking: 12th
With the season progressing, teams’ true identities are able to be identified better. Indiana appears to be a real Eastern Conference contender. Rick Carlisle has figured out the proper rotation for the Pacers who this week climbed into the top-4 in the East. A home series might come through Indianapolis.

8. Los Angeles Lakers (28-19)
Previous Week Ranking: 9th
For the first time in his illustrious career, LeBron James appears to have not been informed of a move made by the franchise he played for. This time I have a hard time believing he is upset about it though. Yes, clearly the move to trade for Luka Doncic was made with the Lakers having more of an eye on the future of the franchise as opposed to this season. It was a no-brainer though, see the Mavericks section for all the reasons why. They obtained a 25-year-old superstar for one(!!) first-round pick and Anthony Davis. Later in the night, De’Aaron Fox was traded for Zach LaVine, three first-round picks, and three second-round picks. Steal of the century for Rob Pelinka.

7. Denver Nuggets (30-19)
Previous Week Ranking: 7th
Denver continues to be an interesting case. They have the best basketball player on the planet and have integrated Russell Westbrook, yet something still seems wrong. In their last five games, they have lost 3 and the 2 they won were 3 point victories over a short-handed Sixers team and an awful Hornets team. Can they figure out their issues on the backend of this season?

6. Houston Rockets (32-16)
Previous Week Ranking: 2nd
It may seem like Houston had a large drop this week, although the teams toward the top are all close in The Rankings. The recent incredible four-game win streak over the league’s best hit a speed bump with losses to the Grizzlies and Nets. A couple of losses do not take anything away from a team that still looks like they have a chance to come out of the Western Conference this year.

5. Memphis Grizzlies (33-16)
Previous Week Ranking: 6th
This iteration of the Memphis Grizzlies may identify with Grit and Grind than the Zach Randolph and Mike Conley teams. Ja Morant returned this year, but their cornerstone has missed 20 games already with a variety of injuries. And still, Memphis has found a way to sit 2nd in a stacked Western Conference. The Grizzlies have won 8 of their last 9 games.

4. New York Knicks (32-17)
Previous Week Ranking: 3rd
New York is one team I confidently expect to sit pat at the trade deadline. They made their blockbuster trade before the season and Karl Anthony-Towns has been as great as advertised. The Lakers handed the Knicks a tough home loss this week with LeBron going off for a triple-double in the absence of Anthony Davis, which turned out to be foreboding.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers (40-9)
Previous Week Ranking: 5th
The Cavaliers are back to having the best record in the NBA after a tough week with a string of questionable losses. It is hard to stay locked in for 82 games and we likely just saw a mental slip-up for Cleveland. In their most recent four games, they are 4-0 with an average margin of victory of 26 points in those four games. The Cavs are back to making a statement.

2. Boston Celtics (35-15)
Previous Week Ranking: 4th
If you want to see how good the Celtics truly can be when clicking, look no further than their win over the Sixers last night. Obviously, the Sixers are not good this year and were short-handed as usual, however, the Celtics were down by 26 points in this game. Boston closed the game on a 51-18 point run. That is not a typo! The Celtics played perfect basketball and dominated every facet similar to how they did in last year’s title run. If they play like that, no one can beat them in a 7-game series.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder (38-9)
Previous Week Ranking: 1st
The measuring stick in the NBA remains the Oklahoma City Thunder for yet another week. With as impressive as their record is, the Thunder are 20-3 at home, which is likely where all playoff series, at least the Western Conference ones will have to go through. Bad news for anyone with Finals aspirations.