With the free agent frenzy and the number of high-profile players that have been traded this summer, there is a good chance the offseason period has already produced more drama than we should expect to see during the actual NBA season. The Golden State Warriors have established themselves as the obvious championship favorites. The Cleveland Cavaliers could take a step back without Kyrie Irving. Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets have reloaded with the hope they can contend with the Warriors while the San Antonio Spurs could be one move away from joining the discussion. With the balance of power in the NBA so slanted towards the top teams it makes sense for a handful of teams to accelerate their rebuilds by tearing things part this coming season. Here is a look at the four NBA teams that should tank in 2017-18.
Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks lost Dwight Howard, Paul Millsap and Thabo Sefolosha from their starting five this offseason. Tim Hardaway Jr. is also out. That leaves sophomores Taurean Prince and DeAndre Bembre as the potential key core players remaining on the roster with plenty of question marks around them. Kent Bazemore is under contract for the next three years at $54.3 million so it might make sense for Atlanta to try to trade him for future assets. Marco Bellinelli and Dewayne Dedmon are two other pieces that could be traded. The Hawks are in a very tough position without many quality pieces remaining on their roster. It only makes sense that they will attempt to accelerate their rebuild by tanking this season.
Chicago Bulls
The Bulls began their rebuild when they traded Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The good news is they acquired some solid young pieces in return in Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and Lauri Markkanen. Chicago can accelerate its rebuild by moving remaining veterans Robin Lopez and Dwyane Wade for young players and draft picks. The Bulls are better off giving more minutes to their young players so it makes sense to move some of the remaining veterans anyways. Chicago will have a lot of work to do to build a contender so it makes sense that they will tank this season with the long-term future in mind.
New York Knicks
The Knicks absolutely need to find a new home for Carmelo Anthony. The situation in New York has become toxic and it’s definitely not a good environment for the young players on the roster. There are a number of teams interested in Anthony so it shouldn’t be difficult to get a deal done. The Knicks should be able to get a decent return for Anthony and that will help accelerate their rebuild. Kristaps Porzingis has the potential to be the face of the franchise for years to come. By building around Porzingis and bringing in more young players the rebuild in New York could be accelerated this season. The Knicks have plenty of options but the sooner they commit to the future the better off they will be.
Phoenix Suns
The Suns have one of the most exciting young shooting guards in the game in Devin Booker. With so many loaded teams at the top of the Western Conference, it would make sense for Phoenix to accelerate its rebuild by tanking this season. Tyson Chandler and Jared Dudley will serve as mentors. The rest of the veterans on the roster could serve as trade bait. Eric Bledsoe’s name has constantly been mentioned in trade talks and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Suns decided to move him in the near future. There are too many quality teams ahead of Phoenix in the Western Conference power rankings so in a lot of ways that should force their hand. The best way to eventually becoming a contender again is to tank now with a focus on the future. Booker is the centerpiece of a team that will eventually contend. Now the Suns have to do everything they can to surround him with quality young pieces and build up their roster through the draft.
The 2017 NBA futures are out. It’s been a wild offseason already, but keep an eye on the betting lines as they move around at Diamond Sportsbook! Get the latest NBA betting lines right here.
