A few NBA teams will open the 2026-27 season with little to sell besides patience.
Even with the draft lottery tweaks meant to make tanking less tempting, there are still franchises headed for rough years. NBA Analysis Network put together its forecast for the five worst records in the league next season, and the list comes with projected win totals that paint a pretty bleak picture.
At the bottom of the group is Memphis, which the outlet expects to finish at 22 wins. The Grizzlies’ offseason decisions may have made sense for the long haul, but they are not likely to pay off right away.
Losing All-Star point guard Ja Morant should hit them hard on offense, and that alone makes the road steeper. Zach Edey’s durability is also still a concern, though Cedric Coward and Cameron Boozer are viewed as players who could grow into real long-term pieces.
The bigger point is simple: wins in 2026-27 are not the priority in Memphis, and the record may show it.
Brooklyn comes next at 23 wins. The Nets are still digging out from the failed Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden era, and they’re deep into a rebuild built around young players.
That youth movement may eventually lead somewhere, but right now the roster looks too inexperienced to even chase a Play-In spot, even with Julius Randle in the mix. A small step forward - three more wins than last season - plus progress from players like Egor Demin would still count as a positive season.
The Los Angeles Clippers are projected at 27 wins, and their outlook has darkened after the NBA’s harsh punishment for salary-cap circumvention. With five first-round picks gone, the pressure is now on the roster and whatever direction the front office chooses next.
One possibility is moving players like Darius Garland for draft capital. For now, the only thing keeping them from landing even lower on this list is the idea that Garland and Brandon Ingram could form an intriguing pairing.
If that changes, the team would need to lean into developing Keaton Wagler and the rest of the young talent.
Sacramento sits at 28 wins in the forecast, and the rebuild is already out in the open. Waiving DeMar DeRozan earlier this offseason made that clear.
The Kings now have to build around 19-year-old point guard Darius Acuff Jr, whom they took with this year’s seventh overall pick. There’s also the possibility that Sacramento moves veterans such as Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine.
The Kings should still finish near the bottom of the Western Conference, though the projection suggests they have more talent than at least three teams on this list.
Milwaukee rounds out the top five at 31 wins, which would still be a painful step down for a team that just traded Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat. That move stripped away the player who defined the franchise both on and off the floor, and the ripple effect could last for years.
Still, the Bucks may not be as hopeless as they look at first glance. Tyler Herro and Jaime Jaquez Jr. are both capable pieces, and the former Heat duo will have something to prove in their new setting.
The projection has them combining for around 40 points per game, which at least gives Milwaukee a reason to keep watching.
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