#25 Toronto Raptors
This season has been a complete mess for the Toronto Raptors and it has only got worse. Entering the year, Toronto had posted five straight seasons with 50+ wins and had made seven consecutive postseason appearances, but they are now fighting for their postseason lives at this point.
They are a half-a-game back from the Chicago Bulls for the 10-seed in the Eastern Conference and with numerous players on their roster banged up and dealing with injuries, they could very well end up missing a chance to even play in the play-in tournament this year!
Toronto traded away a rising star in Norman Powell at the trade deadline, they kept their veteran leader in Kyle Lowry, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and they could wind up losing a talented win in Gary Trent Jr. in free agency this offseason.
Nothing has gone right for the Raptors over the last several months and as a result, going through a rebuild could very much be in-play for them in the offseason.
#24 Cleveland Cavaliers
Ever since LeBron James left the Cavaliers for a second-time in 2018, this organization has been trying to put together the pieces to find long-term success and they have done a terrific job to this point.
Collin Sexton and Darius Garland are two, dynamic scorers in the Cavaliers backcourt, giving them one of the top backcourt duos in the entire NBA, and after acquiring both Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince in January as part of the James Harden to Brooklyn trade, they finally have an all-around balanced team, but they need to continue adding talent to their roster.
They are a couple of games back from being in the play-in tournament this season, but next season, they could very much be in the conversation for a playoff spot. Collin Sexton is only going to get better as the scoring leader of this team and with them having the pieces in place to be a really solid defensive team, there is a lot to like about the Cavaliers.
While it may not seem impressive finishing with 25+ wins this year should be considered a win for this organization and they should continue to develop and grow their young talents to build themselves back into a relevant team in the Eastern Conference.
RELATED: 2021 NBA Mock Draft: Davion Mitchell’s big tourney bolsters stock
#23 Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings have not been to the playoffs since 2006, the longest active playoff drought in the NBA, and it is looking more and more like this streak will not be snapped this year.
They have lost 9 of their last 10 games and with De’Aaron Fox really being the only key contributor for this team, it would take a miracle for them to make the play-in tournament at this rate.
Sacramento is in an interesting possession as a franchise because they have their All-Star caliber leader in De’Aaron Fox, but overall, their roster is not that impressive talent wise and they are not going to have a ton of cap space in the offseason. With Richaun Holmes set to become a free agent in the offseason and Marvin Bagley III nearing the end of his deal, the Kings will have some big decisions to make about who they keep long-term and who they let go.
Having De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield and rookie Tyrese Haliburton in the backcourt seems very sustainable for the Kings to build with moving forward, so figuring out the rest of their roster and freeing up some much needed cap space in the offseason seems to be the route they are heading in.
#22 Chicago Bulls
The Bulls have been rebuilding ever since “The Last Dance” during the 1997-98 season with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, but things may finally be starting to change in Chicago. Zach LaVine has continued to turn himself into one of the best scoring weapons in the NBA and with the addition of Nikola Vucevic at the trade deadline, the Bulls currently find themselves holding onto the 10-seed in the Eastern Conference.
With LaVine sidelined right now due to health and safety protocols, other key role players like Coby White, Lauri Markkanen and rookie Patrick Williams will have to continue to step up if this team is going to make the play-in tournament this season.
Overall though, this team is set up for quite a bit of success moving forward. They have two All-Star talents, they have some young, core pieces in White and Williams and they will have some cap space to play around with in the offseason.
Expect to see the Bulls be competitive in free agency this offseason and expect to see them try and add a third, high-level talent to pair with LaVine and Vucevic to try and build themselves into a threat in the Eastern Conference.
#21 Washington Wizards
Over the last few weeks, Washington has looked like a completely different team than they did to start the year, as they have won 7 of their last 8 games. With Westbrook posting triple-doubles left and right and Bradley Beal still leading the NBA in scoring, these two superstars are doing everything they can to keep the Wizards “in the hunt” for the postseason and now, they are tied with the Bulls for the 10-seed in the Eastern Conference.
Whether or not they make the postseason this year, Washington is going to have their work cut out for them in the offseason since they will not have much cap space. Westbrook’s and Beal’s contracts equate to just under $80M next season in payroll, not giving the Wizards much space to go after a third All-Star talent.
However, they could look to put together a bunch of contracts and younger talents on their roster to go after a third, high-level talent via a trade. Whatever this organization does, they are still ways away from being a threat in the Eastern Conference.
