With the start of the 2024-25 NBA season just a week away, every team in the league thinks this is the year they achieve their goals. The truth, of course, is that only happens for a handful of teams and the rest enter the offseason disappointed, especially with the number of teams that have gone all-in to build a roster capable of contending for a title right now.
Success for each team in the NBA looks a little bit different. At the top, success is a title or, at the least, a Conference Finals appearance. Others are simply looking to take a step forward from last year and win a playoff series, make the playoffs, or even just crash the Play-In party. And then you have the teams at the bottom, where success isn’t measured in wins, but by seeing growth from young players and giving themselves a chance to add a potential star in what is expected to be a loaded 2025 NBA Draft class.
Here, we wanted to look at what we think success looks like for all 30 teams in the NBA, from the abstract of figuring out who their foundational pieces are to those with more concrete goals of winning series or lifting the Larry O’Brien.
Atlanta Hawks: Figure out a clear direction
To be clear, this does not mean the team has to trade Trae Young, or really anyone (although, it seems likely a move or two is coming for the Hawks). Atlanta’s just so far away from competing for a top-4 seed in the Eastern Conference — let along competing for a title — that they need to determine how they’re going to get there. Whether that’s taking a swing to build around Trae, some maneuvering to seek out a running mate from the top of the 2025 NBA Draft, or staying the course because someone like Jalen Johnson proves themselves to be a budding star, the Hawks are just kind of listless right now and could use a sense of direction.
Boston Celtics: Repeat
Don’t think this section has to be especially long. The Celtics won a championship last year, and are all-in on doing it once again around the core that won them a ring. Maybe they aren’t as dominant in the regular season between the long-term injury to Kristaps Porzingis, but once the postseason rolls around, the expectation is another ring.
Brooklyn Nets: Embrace the tank
Let Cam Thomas shoot the ball 35 times a game, let Nic Claxton try to score exclusively via lobs that he finishes with his left hand, trade Dorian Finney-Smith and other vets, whatever it takes. The Nets are signaling that they plan on being horrible this year — they made it a point to get their 2025 pick back from the Houston Rockets in their offseason wheeling and dealing — and if you’re going to be bad, at least commit to being bad in a fun way. One thing is for sure: Thomas is going to put up some of the most entertaining box scores in the league this year. I can’t wait to watch.
Charlotte Hornets: Literally anything positive
The Hornets have been the league’s most bland team for years. Even when they have fun and interesting players, that just never translates to consistent, winning basketball. Now, they have a new ownership group, a respected new coach in Charles Lee, and a pair of building blocks in LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller that should generate optimism in the Queen City (if, of course, Ball stays healthy). They just have to show they’re laying down a foundation. They don’t need to win 50 games or even be a Play-In team, just show that there’s something cooking here for fans to get excited about.
Chicago Bulls: For ownership, the 10-seed, a Play-In run, and then a 4-1 series loss in the first round; for fans, they finally tank
There is no bigger disconnect in sports than what the decision-makers with the Chicago Bulls want and what fans of the Chicago Bulls want. Really, the one thing that both sides can probably (I think?) agree on is that Zach LaVine plays well enough to rehab his trade value, which is far too low for a player of his caliber (at his best, of course) because of his contract and his injury situation.
Cleveland Cavaliers: The roster construction bet works and they make a playoff run
After plenty of talk about how at least one of Darius Garland or Jarrett Allen could move this offseason, they’re both back, and Allen actually got extended. Donovan Mitchell signed an extension. The team hired Kenny Atkinson to try and get the best out of Evan Mobley — who, you guessed it, signed an extension — on offense. The hope in Cleveland is all of this works, they win a ton of regular season games, and they can make at least the Eastern Conference Finals. If not? We’re willing to wager those trade rumors about Garland and Allen pop back up, at the very least.
Dallas Mavericks: Get back to the Finals
The Mavs made the NBA Finals then added Klay Thompson. That is not something you do if you plan on taking a step back, and as long as Luka Doncic is in town, there’s going to be a ton of pressure on everyone to bring a championship to Dallas. It’s hard to have title-or-bust aspirations when you’re not the clear-cut best team in the conference, though, so we’ll say a successful season involves navigating the West, getting to the Finals, and letting whatever happens happen. And who knows? Maybe Luka is the latest superstar to fail in the Finals, figure out what he has to do on that stage as a result, and win when he gets back there.
Denver Nuggets: Back to the Finals, as well
It’s an interesting year in Denver, which lost Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, gave Jamal Murray a ton of money despite a hobbled playoff run and a horrible Olympics, and has to figure out Aaron Gordon’s contract situation. Having said that, they were awfully close to making the Western Conference Finals last year and still have Nikola Jokic. They need their young guys to all take a big step, particularly Christian Braun, but the expectation is to get back to the Finals. If they don’t (and especially if they have an early exit in the playoffs) then some different conversations will almost certainly start up about Denver.
Detroit Pistons: Bad, but in a way that makes people optimistic
Very little has gone right for the Pistons over the last decade. It would, truly, be a miracle if they suddenly became a playoff team this year, so let’s instead say that we see the sorts of steps forward that lead to optimism under new head coach JB Bickerstaff. Cade Cunningham consistently looking like a guy you can build your whole operation around, guys like Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren look good under a new coach, Ron Holland flashes as a rookie, Ausar Thompson shows literally any progress as a shooter, stuff like that. Just give Detroit fans, who are some of the best in the league, something to latch onto.
Golden State Warriors: Keep the window open for Steph
We saw during the Olympics this year that Steph Curry can do some special things when you need him to win you a high-profile basketball game. The question with the Warriors is whether they can get Steph to a point where they can have him win them games. The good news is that, even though it lost Klay Thompson, Golden State made some smart moves to build out its roster this summer, and should fight for a playoff spot this year. Just getting to the postseason is half the battle with Curry, as he’s still able to make them a threat once there, but he does still need some help.
Houston Rockets: One really big step forward
The Rockets haven’t make the playoffs since 2020. Whether or not they can this year remains to be seen, but they definitely need to show that they’re a competitive Play-In team at the absolutely minimum. They have a ton of young, interesting, talented players, the veterans they have in place tend to complement those guys well, and Ime Udoka is one hell of a coach. Figuring out the futures of their extension eligible youngsters (Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green) is important, too, but that will likely get sorted out by whether they reach that Play-In goal or not.
Indiana Pacers: Last year, only better
The Pacers did get the absolute most out of their roster last year on their run to the Eastern Conference Finals. The question now is if they can repeat that with a full season of Tyrese Haliburton (who, hopefully, will be healthy) and Pascal Siakam. They didn’t really do a ton during the offseason outside of extending their guys, so they’re banking on continuity and maybe the young guys who didn’t play a role for one reason or another during their run last year — the injured Bennedict Mathurin, second-year forward Jarace Walker, rookie Johnny Furphy — giving them a boost.
Los Angeles Clippers: Everything finally clicks and they’re a contender in the West again
Is there a world where the Clippers get better after losing Paul George? If there is, it all comes down to two guys: Kawhi Leonard playing and staying healthy, and James Harden recapturing some of the magic he was capable of creating earlier in his career by having the ball in his hands more. Skepticism is fair, but if they can reach those heights, they can bring L.A. a long way.
Los Angeles Lakers: Don’t waste the final years of LeBron James
LeBron is going to turn 40 this year. For all the talk about how the Lakers are banking on the development of their young guys, there’s urgency to win for that simple reason — you can’t let the career of arguably the best basketball player of all time, who is playing at a high level skill, go out with a whimper. James and Anthony Davis can take the team a long way, but if they’re a Play-In team, the calls that the Lakers are not doing enough in the final years of LeBron’s career will become louder than ever.
Memphis Grizzlies: Back to the top of the West
Memphis went from winning 56 and 51 games in back-to-back years to a horror show of a 2023-24 campaign due to a ridiculous number of injuries. The team won 27 games and had 33 guys take the floor at one point or another. This year, with Ja Morant back and guys like Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. ready to go, the Grizzlies should have aspirations of returning to the top of the conference, and they might even be able to make the conference finals for the second time in franchise history.
Miami Heat: Have Heat Devil Magic (complimentary) strike again
The Heat are in a really weird spot with Jimmy Butler entering free agency next summer. Bam Adebayo is at the peak of his powers and Jimmy still has a high gear he can hit, but everything else is a big ol’ shrug. However, no one is better at taking a roster that doesn’t pop on paper and getting the most out of it than Erik Spoelstra, and perhaps there’s one more magical run left in the Heat. If they’re going to do that, young guys like Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Nikola Jovic need to make some leaps into being high-end starters, but we’ve seen the Heat development system deliver wins a number of times.
Milwaukee Bucks: Make the Finals
The Bucks are still all-in, even if they became a bit of an afterthought in the East this summer. The Knicks and Sixers made the splashy signings and the Celtics are coming off a dominant championship season, but with Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo back healthy, I think it’s pretty clear that success for the Bucks in Doc Rivers first full season at the helm is getting out of the East. Not many outside Milwaukee will be picking them to do so, but that’s got to be the goal for a team with this much high-end talent.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Return to the Conference Finals
We all know trading Karl-Anthony Towns was in part a financial decision, but if the Wolves want to sell people on it being a good basketball move as well, they need to get back to the Western Conference Finals. This is still a really talented roster and the argument for the Towns trade is that they got deeper with Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. DiVincenzo seems capable of fitting in anywhere, and I think he’ll help their guard rotation tremendously (which was very thin behind Mike Conley and Anthony Edwards). Randle’s fit between Edwards and Rudy Gobert is TBD, especially in the Playoffs where he doesn’t have the best track record, but the talent is certainly in place for a return trip to the third round.
New Orleans Pelicans: Win a playoff series (and find a Brandon Ingram trade)
The Pelicans haven’t won a playoff series since 2017-18. It’s hard to do in the West, but after two trips to the first round (via the Play-In) in the last three years, it’s time for this group to take a step forward around Zion Williamson. They went out and got Dejounte Murray to give them the point guard help they’ve been lacking, but they now have a significant hole at center that has gone unaddressed to this point and a bit of a log-jam on the wing. That could all get solved in a Brandon Ingram trade after not extending him this summer, and might just be a prerequisite for reaching this goal.
New York Knicks: Make the Finals
The Knicks didn’t trade nearly everything for Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns just to be in the conversation in the East. Those are moves you make to win a title, and I think anything short of a Finals run will feel like a failure in New York. That, in and of itself, is progress for a team that’s been starved of playoff appearances (much less success) in recent years, but that also means there’s a ton of pressure on this group to stay healthy and capitalize on their talent.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Make the Finals
The Thunder are the favorites in the West after being the 1-seed last year and upgrading their roster in a major way this summer with Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein. Perhaps they’d be happy with a step forward and a Conference Finals berth. This is still a young team that, as proven last year, has some things to figure out about winning in the playoffs and they are at the front end of their apparent window to compete for a title in the way some of these other teams (especially in the East) are not. However, OKC knows that better than anyone that title windows can close quicker than you think, and they need to capitalize now while they’re as loaded as they are.
Orlando Magic: Win a playoff series
Speaking of young teams still learning how to be contenders, the Magic went seven games in their first round series last year and went out and added Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to upgrade their roster. The challenge is, it seems likely they’ll be facing one of the expected top-4 in the East in the Playoffs. Still, the goal should be to get that first series win under their belts and see Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner elevate their games to another level to cement themselves as a threat for years to come in the East.
Philadelphia 76ers: Finally make the Conference Finals (then win that)
The Sixers overhauled their roster around Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, most notably adding Paul George to be the third star Tobias Harris couldn’t be. At minimum, they need to go where the Embiid-led Sixers haven’t gone before, which is the Eastern Conference Finals, but like Milwaukee and New York, this team was built with the idea of winning titles. We’ll see how quickly this new group can come together — and, of course, whether Embiid can be healthy in May and June — but their window is now, right along with three other teams in the East which is going to mean a bunch of fan bases will be unhappy this summer.
Phoenix Suns: Stay healthy and get to the Finals
The Suns are in a similar spot to Milwaukee having flamed out of the playoffs early last year, not making a lot of major roster moves this summer, but still clearly having a goal of winning a title. That’s just the reality of expectations when you have Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal all making a ton of money. They did bring in some point guard help in the form of Tyus Jones and Monte Morris that should give them some needed depth there, but everything in Phoenix relies on their three stars being healthy and really good.
Portland Trail Blazers: Bad in a respectable way, but also, one that doesn’t take you out of the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes
The Blazers have been chasing lottery balls for three straight years, and I can’t imagine there’s that much patience left in Portland for too many more years at the bottom. That said, this Draft is supposed to be special so I think fans will stomach one more year in the tank to get a chance at Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey, and the rest. Still, they’ll want to see some improvement and development from their youngsters to build some confidence that, once they add one more top pick, they can start taking steps forward. Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe, in particular, need to take strides, and Donovan Clingan coming in and being a solid NBA big as a rookie wouldn’t hurt either, especially because that would let them get stuff back for at least one of Robert Williams or Deandre Ayton.
Sacramento Kings: Get back to the Playoffs
Sacramento snapped their playoff drought two years ago as the 3-seed in the West. Last year, they won just two fewer games and finished 9th, losing in the Play-In. Those are the margins in the West these days, and after going out and getting DeMar DeRozan, it’s clear the Kings are pushing to get back into the playoff picture. As they learned last year, being good isn’t good enough in the West, but they certainly have the talent to get one of those 8 playoff spots and that should be the first goal — and then seeing if they can make a little noise once there.
San Antonio Spurs: Victor Wembanyama takes another gigantic, 7’4 step forward
The Spurs should be a good bit better this season than last year, but it’d take a massive leap to even get into the Play-In mix. Everything for the moment is geared around fostering the development of Victor Wembanyama and making sure they’re nurturing what could be an all-time talent. He’s the odds-on favorite for DPOY and is a near-lock for All-Star, and they just need to let him spread his wings and see just how many gears he’s got. Everything in San Antonio is about building around Wemby, with the hope that Devin Vassell and Stephon Castle find their groove alongside him and adding two adults to the roster in Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes to create some more structure and support.
Toronto Raptors: The core pops and Scottie Barnes is in the All-NBA conversation
The race for 10th in the East figures to be wide open so the Raptors could be in the mix there, but it also might not be the worst thing for them to get in on this great Draft and hunt down some lotto balls towards the end. As such, I think success has to be measured in what their few core guys do and seeing them take strides both as a group and individually. They have high hopes for their “BBQ” group of Barnes, Barrett, and Quickley, and while they need to work on their depth in a big way going forward, they’ll want some signs that that trio is the right group to be building around. Most important in that group is Scottie Barnes, who was an All-Star last year, is the centerpiece of what the Raptors are doing, and got a big money extension this offseason. A step forward for him would be to be in the All-NBA conversation as a forward, taking on a bigger scoring load in particular.
Utah Jazz: Cooper Flagg
Yes, the Jazz just extended Lauri Markkanen, but the goal here should be pretty simple. Play the youngsters, see what you have, lose a bunch of games in the process (that’s just what happens when you play young guys), and hope the lottery gods smile in your favor. Let’s see some progress from second year guys Keyonte George and Taylor Hendricks, while getting flashes from their trio of first-round picks from this year. That’d be a successful season, especially if it ends in Cooper Flagg making his way to Utah next June.
Washington Wizards: Get. Those. Lotto. Numbers.
The Wizards are even further away than Utah by virtue of not having a guy the caliber of Markkanen, but the goal is the same. They’re going to give the youngsters the keys and see what sticks. Jordan Poole is going to play point guard apparently. Bilal Coulibaly hopefully takes a step forward. Alex Sarr is going to play a bunch and hopefully by the end of the season he’s having more good games than bad ones. Maybe Corey Kispert takes a stride on the wing after Deni Avdija’s departure. Maybe Kyle Kuzma is really good and they can trade him for some more young talent and picks. Again, let’s see what you’ve got, Wizards, and start figuring out what that foundation looks like in hopes that next year you’re adding one of the top picks to it.
