There are many teams with a loaded roster and a bright future, but which team will take over the mantle (from the Golden State Warriors) and dominate the NBA over the next few seasons?
In the last five years, the NBA experienced a renaissance in style of play and the ushering in of a new dynasty in the Golden State Warriors. As we edge towards the beginning of the 2019-20 season, however, the league has undergone a seismic shift through free agency and trades.
The tandems of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard with the Clippers, Lebron James and Anthony Davis with the Lakers, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant with the Nets and James Harden and Russell Westbrook with the Rockets seem poised to make runs at multiple NBA titles over the next 3-4 years.
Many of the stars of the NBA, however, will be aging out of the league over the next five seasons. Only five of the 24 all-stars from last season are under 25 years of age. Of those 24 all-stars, 14 of them will be 33 years of age or older five years from today as we anticipate the opening of the 2024-25 season. LeBron James will almost certainly have retired. Steph Curry, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Paul George, Kevin Durant, and Kawhi Leonard will all have either retired or be in the twilight of their careers at anywhere from 33-36 years of age.
The teams of tomorrow are likely to be the teams who today have the best collection of young talent and future assets. Free agency, trades, the draft, injuries, and retirements will all certainly change the landscape of the league again over the next five seasons, but there are several teams with deep young talent that seem poised to mature into contention and several other teams that have superstar talent that is built not only to win now but win well into the future.