NBA Mock Draft: Extremely early dive into the highly-touted 2025 draft class

NBA bottom feeders projected to earn a top pick

Looking at the landscape of the NBA, understanding that there are still trades that may happen between now and the start of the season or even before the NBA Trade Deadline, there are a few teams that you can pencil in as "bottom feeders" of the league that will be in a great position to finish with a top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

In the Eastern Conference, you have to start with the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards. As two teams that remain in the very early process of their rebuilds, they are almost certainly to finish with a top 5 pick. The Detroit Pistons, Charlotte Hornets, and Chicago Bulls are three other teams to keep an eye on.

Out West, the Utah Jazz, Portland Trail Blazers, and San Antonio Spurs are the three teams that could be in the best position to finish with the worst records in the conference. Depending on how Houston looks to start the season, the Rockets could be another team that ends up on that watch list in the Western Conference.

With those teams in mind, we're going to make a general prediction for what the tankathon standings could look like to end the season:

Projected end-of-season tanking rankings:

1. Brooklyn Nets
2. Washington Wizards
3. Detroit Pistons
4. Charlotte Hornets
5. San Antonio Spurs
6. Portland Trail Blazers
7. Utah Jazz
8. Chicago Bulls
9. Toronto Raptors
10. Houston Rockets
11. Atlanta Hawks
12. LA Clippers
13. New Orleans Pelicans
14. Sacramento Kings