NBA future rankings published for all 30 teams through 2029
The exercise weighs every franchise against two horizons — the 2026-27 season and 2029 — with New York, San Antonio and Oklahoma City named in its framing, though the five metrics behind it have not been disclosed.
HutchDoesStuff · CC0A ranking of the future prospects of all 30 NBA teams was published on 16 September 2026, built around two dates: the 2026-27 season and 2029. The New York Knicks, the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder are the clubs named in the framing of the exercise, which is reported to rest on five key metrics.
What the ranking covers
Every franchise is included, from the top of the order to the bottom. The assessment addresses both the near term and a point several seasons further out, placing each club against the 2026-27 campaign on one hand and 2029 on the other. Nothing in the material sets out where any individual team sits.
The choice of two horizons shapes what such a ranking can claim. A single season rewards the roster a club holds now; a date three seasons beyond it rewards whatever a club has assembled but has not yet seen play out. Analysis: the exercise is therefore a judgment about direction rather than about results.
The five metrics behind the order
Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0The ranking is described as being based on five key metrics, but those metrics have not been identified. It is not known what they measure, whether they are weighted equally, or whether the same measures are applied to all 30 clubs. Until those definitions are set out, the order cannot be tested or compared with any other assessment.
Why the Knicks, Spurs and Thunder lead the discussion
Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0Those three franchises are the ones named when the ranking is introduced, which puts them at the centre of the conversation without establishing where each one places. No position has been given for the Knicks, the Spurs or the Thunder. None of the three clubs has commented publicly on the exercise, and there is no indication that any of them contributed to it.
Why long-range projections are hard
Analysis: a projection that runs to 2029 crosses ground that cannot be mapped from today's rosters. Trades, injuries, retirements, coaching changes and the outcome of future drafts all sit between now and then, and any one of them can reset a franchise's direction. That does not make the ranking worthless — it makes it a claim about positioning, not a forecast of wins.
What is not yet known
- The five metrics, what they measure and how much weight each carries.
- The full order, from first to 30th.
- Where the Knicks, the Spurs and the Thunder each place.
- Whether any club or the league was consulted, and whether either will respond.
- Whether the ranking will be revisited or updated.
Nothing in the exercise changes a roster, and no club has acted on it. Its value lies in the argument it makes about which franchises are positioned to matter later this decade — an argument that cannot be checked until the criteria are made public, and one that the clubs themselves have so far left alone.
Frequently asked questions
- Which NBA teams are covered by the future rankings?
- All 30 franchises feature in the exercise. The New York Knicks, the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder are the clubs named in its framing, though their individual positions are not given.
- What seasons does the NBA future outlook cover?
- It works to two horizons: the 2026-27 season and 2029. The shorter view covers the next campaign, while the longer one sits three seasons beyond it.
- How many metrics are used in the NBA future rankings?
- Five key metrics are said to underpin the order. What those metrics measure, and whether they are weighted equally, has not been disclosed.
- Have the Knicks, Spurs or Thunder responded to the rankings?
- None of the three clubs has publicly commented on the exercise. There has also been no public response from the league.