NBA (Future) Power Rankings: Which team will run the league in 2021?

T-30. Charlotte Hornets

The GOAT debate is pretty hot in the streets these days between Michael Jordan and LeBron James, but I think the better debate is whether M.J. is worse at baseball or as the owner of the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets are the only team where I look at their roster and see zero value. Their best player just left for the Celtics and they hold some of the worst contracts in basketball.

They should have good draft picks over the next few years, but I have no faith in them actually building a quality roster, even if they pick the right players in the draft.

T-30. Washington Wizards

I couldn’t pick just one team to be in last place because I think the Washington Wizards and Hornets will both be on pretty equal footing three seasons from now. The Wizards come in tied for last under the assumption that Bradley Beal isn’t going to want to stick it out here. If he does, they would rise a few spots just based on his stand-alone talent, but I think it’s more likely than not that his days as a Wizard are numbered (insert bad joke about Harry Potter).

After Beal the Wizards are left with the worst contract in basketball after John Wall‘s unfortunate injury, and who else? Their next most promising piece might be Rui Hachimura, and he hasn’t even played in an NBA game. The Wizards need time, and in three years, they’ll still need a lot of time.