NBA Teams Stuck in Neutral

Earlier this week, I broke down the worst starts and best starts to the NBA season through roughly 10-12 games. To conclude this mini-series, I want to shift my focus to what might be considered by some to be the worst position in sports – mediocrity. Of course, when you have championship aspirations like the Philadelphia 76ers (2-9) and the Milwaukee Bucks (4-8) and are trending in the wrong direction, that is probably a worse in the short-term.

However, through the lens of a long-term outlook, being stuck in neutral means you are not in a position to win the title, and you also are not likely to land a top pick in the draft. Even when you are bad, you can always sell hope. It is hard to sell mediocrity.

I am not talking about teams like the Dallas Mavericks (5-6) or Minnesota Timberwolves (6-6) as both have too much talent to hover around .500 for much longer. Dallas just needs to get healthy in the frontcourt. Minnesota was fine until they laid two major eggs against the Portland Trailblazers on a recent back-to-back against them.

Instead, I am talking about teams like the Chicago Bulls (5-7) and Los Angeles Clippers (6-6). Their rosters are not set up to win now and they do not have a lot of young, intriguing players either. Making matters worse, mediocrity usually lands teams in the late lottery of the draft and neither team has a great outlook for future selections anyway.

Chicago does not own either of their two picks in the 2025 NBA Draft. They are owed a 1st rounder from Portland, but it is top 14 protected. I would venture that the Trailblazers are going to be in the lottery once again.

Los Angeles is in an even worse position. Between swaps and outright trades, the Clippers will not have full control of one of their 1st rounders until the 2030 NBA Draft. That is not a great place for any franchise to be when they are not likely to win a championship barring some crazy good fortune (perfect health), likely at the expense (horrific health) of other teams.

The Bulls have some talent. Their issue is that their best players do not profile as top options on a title team. But even the aggregate falls short in that regard. Chicago could retool by finding trade partners for Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic in hopes of getting back younger players and draft selections. Both have had strong starts to the year.

LaVine leads the Bulls in scoring at 23.4 points per game and is shooting 54.2% from the field through nine games, including an efficient 42.6% on three-pointers. If he can continue at that pace (unlikely) both would be career-highs. Vucevic has also been a model of efficiency. He is shooting 59.1% from the floor through 12 games and 44.9% on triples on route to 20.7 points per game, his highest mark since the 2020-2021 season. Their play has certainly increased their value.

The issue is that LaVine is owed nearly $90 million in guaranteed money through next year and will almost certainly pick up his $49 million player option for the 2026-2027 season. On the plus side, he will be 30 years old in March, so any team that acquires him would not have concerns about his physical abilities diminishing. On the other hand, Vucevic just turned 34 years old last month. However, his contract is very affordable at just over $41 million remaining through the end of next year. Vucevic is the kind of piece that could tip the scales in favor of whoever acquires him, and his deal is both short and cheap given his consistent production.

Now, let me ask you a question: Does a core of Coby White, Josh Giddey, and Patrick Williams excite you? My guess is that is a “no”. You can throw Matas Buzelis in there as well and I do not think your answer changes.

White is an offensive dynamo that signed a great deal (for Chicago) after his rookie deal expired in 2023. He is a near 20 point per night scorer (19.7) that has averaged at least five assists since last season. Not a franchise player, White can probably be the third best player on a championship team. The issue the Bulls are facing is they are going to need to pay him some major coin after his current four-year deal expires at the end of next year. Without having a franchise player in place, will they overpay for White’s services?

Giddey needed a change of scenery for a variety of reasons after he overstayed his welcome in Oklahoma City. Every team needs a Swiss Army knife type of player with live dribble playmaking skills. But this is another example where Chicago is going to have to figure out how much they want to pay him after this season without having a centerpiece to build around.

Signing Williams to a four-year $72 million contract with a player option in the fifth year was a complete headscratcher to me and I think signals that the front office was justifying using the 4th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft on him. Maybe $18 million per season is not that much money in the NBA these days, but I still think that is too much for too long.

To their credit, Los Angeles has stayed afloat due to the early play of Norman Powell and James Harden. Powell has been one of the better rotation players in the NBA for quite some time but is now putting together a career year while increasing efficiency as a starter. That is not easy to do. He leads the Clippers in scoring at 24.9 points per game on 50.5% shooting and 49.5% from beyond the arc.

Harden flirts with a triple-double every night. But that has come at the cost of efficiency, however. His shooting percentages from the floor (36.2%) and three-pointers (31.3%) are currently career lows and he is turning the ball over more per game (4.8) than he has since wearing a Brooklyn Nets jersey.

Ivica Zubac could be a contributing piece on a title team, but that team would need to be loaded at the top. There are no other players on the roster that are worth discussing here. Of course, the elephant in the room has been and will always be the health of Kawhi Leonard. But honestly, how much better is this team in a loaded Western Conference even if Leonard is healthy? I would still have them outside of the top six.

With no real draft capital for the foreseeable future and with a roster that is mostly under contract through next year, Los Angeles is truly stuck in mediocrity with no relief in sight.

There are certainly teams that are having more disappointing seasons, but if you are a Bulls or Clippers fan, not only is this year likely a lost one but so is the immediate future barring a major and unforeseen change.