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Ranking the NBA’s Worst-Positioned Franchises for the Future
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- Ranking the NBA’s Worst-Positioned Franchises for the Future
Jaw-dropping news out of the NBA broke on Wednesday afternoon. The NBA imposed penalties on the Los Angeles Clippers for severe salary cap circumvention . The Clippers were punished after the league found a "pattern of misconduct" involving unofficial and off-court financial benefits funneled to Kawhi Leonard.
The punishments for the Clippers are as follows.
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Clippers stripped of five first-round draft picks (2029-2033)
$30 million fine
Subject to a compliance program
Steve Ballmer suspended from any team or NBA activities
President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank suspended without pay for six months
President of Business Operations Gillian Zucker suspended without pay for one year.
Kawhi Leonard fined $700,000
Dennis Robertson (Leonard's Uncle) banned from conducting business in the NBA for five years
Maybe the stiffest punishment in NBA history, the Clippers plan to fight this NBA ruling. That said, evidence against the Clippers continues to mount.
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MORE: Clippers, Steve Ballmer get severe punishment for Kawhi Leonard, Aspiration
With these punishments in place, the Clippers are among the worst-positioned teams for the next 5-10 years. There are multiple teams who aren't set up for the long term, though. Here are the top five worst long-term situations in the NBA.
5. Milwaukee Bucks
NBA: Miami Heat at Milwaukee Bucks
Feb 23, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) passes the ball away from Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) during the third quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images Credit: USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect (Reuters)
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The Bucks just lost a top-two player in franchise history. Giannis Antetokounmpo is taking his talents down to South Beach, joining the Miami Heat.
This breakup was in the works for years, and it finally came to be in the 2026 offseason. Here's the haul the Bucks receive in return. Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr, Kasparas Jakucionis, 2026 13th pick overall (Nate Ament), unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, 2030 pick swap, and a 2033 second-round pick.
MORE: 5 most impactful NBA offseason moves in 2026
Overall, this is lackluster; Ament's ceiling is yet to be seen, but the player return isn't anything that Milwaukee can build around for years to come.
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Herro is a great scorer, with offensive creation and shot-making skills at the highest level. That's all he is, though; he's a negative defender, he's not a point guard, someone to run an offense. Herro is at best the third-best player on a championship team.
Jaquez and Ware are good young players; they're entering their fourth and third years in the league. Maybe Ware can take another step forward in his development and become a lockdown defender, but thus far there haven't been any signs of future stardom.
Jaquez is just what he is at this point, a 6th or 7th man on a contending team. There isn't much playmaking upside, and he's an inconsistent shooter. These are all good players who can contribute, but the Bucks didn't get back a blue-chipper to build their future around.
4. Sacramento Kings
NBA: Draft
Jun 23, 2026; New York, NY, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver greets the seventh pick in the 2026 NBA draft, Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)
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Maybe Darius Acuff Jr can spark some life into this organization, but it doesn't seem likely. The Kings have a clunky roster, led by Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis. The Kings made the right call releasing DeMar DeRozan, which saved them over $15 million.
LaVine can't be traded because no one wants his $49 million-per-year contract on their books. Sabonis almost got traded this offseason, but it wasn't to be.
MORE: Pablo Torre mentions concerning anecdote about Steve Ballmer and Clippers amid NBA investigation
The Kings had one blip of success in 2023, but were still bounced in the first round of the playoffs. Since then, and moving forward, there's no direction, no franchise cornerstone in place.
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The Kings have draft capital to bring in more young talent over time. They still can't be trusted with high draft picks till they prove they get them right.
3. Golden State Warriors
NBA: Playoffs-Golden State Warriors at Phoenix Suns
Apr 17, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) against the Phoenix Suns during the play-in rounds. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)
What happens after Stephen Curry retires? What can Golden State do to still build around him before that happens? The Warriors tried the Jimmy Butler trade, which got them to a round-two exit, and now Butler will miss a significant portion of this season.
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The Warriors' next franchise cornerstone isn't on the current roster. There's no core star that's ready to take carry the burden after Curry retires. This team is old; Curry is 38, Draymond Green is 36, and Al Horford is 40.
Golden State has flirted with the idea of a splash move before, coming into contention for stars like LeBron James or Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Those moves would've just gashed their future even more, though. The Warriors won't contend for the next five years, and likely won't for the next 10 either.
2. Phoenix Suns
WNBA: Portland Fire at Phoenix Mercury
Aug 16, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia (left) and players Devin Booker (center) and Dillon Brooks sit courtside. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)
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A team in win-now mode, but without a win-now core. Devin Booker is exceptional, but also 29 years old now; the patience could run out if Phoenix doesn't contend soon.
The Suns are also dangerously low in draft capital. Phoenix doesn't control its own first-round pick for six consecutive years.
With such a bad draft outlook and a core that consists of one top-20 player, and then Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green, and Miles Bridges, who the Suns just traded a 2033 first-round pick for.
1. Los Angeles Clippers
NBA: Oklahoma City Thunder at Los Angeles Clippers
Jan 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer watches the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports. Credit: USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect (Reuters)
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No surprise here: the Clippers have successfully become the laughingstock of the NBA. There's no valuable draft capital for the next five years.
LA will get two Toronto firsts back from the Kawhi trade that should go through, but the Raptors are going to contend, so how good will those picks actually be?
The core of the team as of now is No. 5 pick Keaton Wagler, Darius Garland, a fringe all-star talent, and some veterans such as Bradley Beal, Brook Lopez, and Max Strus.
Who would want to come play for the Clippers after such a colossal screw-up? They're no longer a free-agent destination at all.
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The Intuit Dome is going to become the NBA's graveyard. Don't be surprised if more fallout comes from this. There's now no incentive to be involved with the Clippers.
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