NBA Tier Rankings: The real contenders emerge midway through 2018-19

NBA Tier Rankings, where we find out who the real contenders are at the midway point of the 2018-19 season

As the NBA season gets closer to All-Star break we are now seeing which teams could be contenders and which are lottery bound.

We have seen the Golden State Warriors recently find their groove and show the league that they are still the dominant force they were supposed to be, along with a number of other – both surprising and expected – developments.

With that said, here are the NBA Tier Rankings at the midway point of the 2018-19 season. Each of the league’s teams will be ranked in a tier from lottery bound to NBA Finals favorite.

Lottery Bound

Cleveland Cavaliers 9-40

New York Knicks 10-36

Phoenix Suns 11-39

Chicago Bulls 11-37

Atlanta Hawks 15-32

Memphis Grizzlies 19-29

Orlando Magic 20-28

All of these teams will be looking to help improve their lottery chances at the trade deadline meaning they will look to deal their good players in exchange for draft picks or young talent. The Grizzlies are rumored to be open to the idea of trading their stars Mike Conley and Marc Gasol.

The Cavaliers will be getting Kevin Love back soon but will it be in time to convince a team to trade for him? These seven teams will be tough to watch on most nights as they simply lack the talent to compete and will be looking to draft season early.