How will your team perform over the next three NBA seasons?
The Future Power Rankings are ESPN's projection of the on-court success expected for each team over the next three seasons: 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24.
Consider this a convenient way to see the direction in which your favorite team is headed. To determine the Future Power Rankings, we asked ESPN analysts Kevin Pelton, Bobby Marks, Andre' Snellings and Tim Bontemps to rate teams in five categories and rank them relative to the rest of the league.
Since the last version of the Future Power Rankings dropped in October, we've played nearly an entire regular season, with some surprising teams emerging as contenders to take home a title in 2022.
For an explanation of each category and a full view of how each team did in each category, click here. Each team also received an overall Future Power Rating of 0 to 100, based on how well we expect it to perform over the next three seasons. Here are our latest rankings.
Note: The last version of these rankings was released in October 2021.
Welcome the Grizzlies to the top of the future rankings -- a massive, 15-spot climb from where they ranked last October. Memphis is ahead of schedule in its impressive rebuild around Ja Morant and has a deep group of talented young players. The Grizzlies have rolled to the league's second-best record with one of the five youngest rosters weighted by minutes played. As I outlined in our recent piece on how the Grizz have done it, they're a historical outlier. Such precocious success doesn't always or even typically translate into a title, but Memphis has put itself in position to contend for years -- exactly what these rankings aim to measure. -- Kevin Pelton
(Previous rank: No. 16)
With Pat Riley running the front office and Erik Spoelstra manning the sidelines, the Heat have long been one of the most stable and well-run franchises in the league. That's allowed Miami to churn out a whole host of under-the-radar players from the G League and elsewhere -- including guys like Duncan Robinson, Max Strus, Omer Yurtseven and Gabe Vincent on the current roster -- and gives Miami the league's top management score once again. That stability also allowed the Heat to move up from fifth in the last round of rankings, as several of the teams ahead of them fell behind while Miami just kept on churning out talent and wins. The question though is whether this team is now good enough to make a deep playoff run this year, especially in light of its recent slide, or if this group has maximized its potential during this impressive regular-season run. -- Tim Bontemps
(Previous rank: No. 5)
Head coach Monty Williams and All-Star Chris Paul have changed the perception in Phoenix. Prior to their arrival, the Suns had an average rank of 24.9 in FPR since 2009. After Williams was hired and Paul was brought in, the Suns have ranked No. 9, 6 and now 3. Not only does Phoenix have the top record this season, but there is not an indication a drop-off is on the horizon. Paul and All-Star Devin Booker are under contract through at least 2023-24. Outside of restricted free agent Deandre Ayton, the Suns' top eight players are under contract in 2022-23. If there is a blemish it's that the roster is set to get expensive. In the likely scenario that Ayton returns, the Suns will enter the luxury tax for the first time in franchise history. The cost is justified by the championship roster that Phoenix has in place for the next three years. -- Bobby Marks
(Previous rank: No. 6)
The Bucks are right in the pocket of a multiyear championship window in which their core players are all signed and in their primes. Giannis Antetokounmpo is at the absolute peak of his powers at age 27, but both Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday are entering their early 30s and could be starting to slow by the time their current deals end in 2024 and 2025, respectively. Veteran big men Brook Lopez and Serge Ibaka are aging, with Ibaka's deal expiring, which will make retaining Bobby Portis an offseason priority. The Bucks control their first-round draft picks in 2022 and 2028, but don't control any of the first-rounders in between and are repeat luxury-tax payers with no cap space. Essentially, they're hanging their hats on contending around their big three for the foreseeable future -- but that core has already won a championship, so that's not the worst situation to have. -- Andre' Snellings
(Previous rank: No. 2)
What a difference two months makes. At the start of the season and deep into January, Boston was seen as a bit of a rudderless team, stuck in the dreaded middle. Now, though, the Celtics are tearing through the league, winners of 24 of their past 28 games. They are outscoring teams by more than 16 points per 100 possessions over that stretch. It's a run of form that saw Boston's player score take a massive leap -- from 13th in October to second this time around -- and, as a result, saw the Celtics launch themselves back into the top five. Predictably, the work of Brad Stevens in the front office and Ime Udoka on the sidelines also got a boost thanks to the team's turnaround. -- Bontemps
(Previous rank: No. 14)
Despite hovering at .500 all season, having limited draft assets and having the third most expensive roster, the Clippers rose three spots from the last FPR. But if this season taught us anything, it is that a healthy Paul George and Kawhi Leonard will boost the Clippers from a play-in team to a championship roster for the foreseeable future. The two All-NBA players are under contract through 2024-25 (both have a player option in 2023-24) and join a nucleus that includes Norman Powell, Marcus Morris, Ivica Zubac, Terance Mann, Reggie Jackson and Luke Kennard. The Clippers are also bolstered by a management group that jumped from seventh to third. They have one of the front-runners for Coach of the Year in Tyronn Lue, an owner in Steve Ballmer who is willing to spend to improve the product on the court, and a front office not content with the status quo. -- Marks
(Previous rank: No. 9)
The Nuggets dropped a few spots in the rankings after committing to a huge contract extension for Michael Porter Jr., who joined Jamal Murray on the sidelines due to injury for much of the season. When added to the money they just committed to Aaron Gordon, the Nuggets will be over the luxury-tax threshold next season and should remain there for years if they're able to complete the anticipated supermax contract extension for Nikola Jokic. With that said, Jokic is turning in a second consecutive MVP-caliber season and the Nuggets, if healthy, have a team that could contend for the title every year for the foreseeable future. -- Snellings
(Previous rank: No. 4)
It's certainly been an eventful season in Brooklyn. After a chaotic few months that saw Kyrie Irving banished, then brought back, and now finally able to play in both home and road games (other than in Toronto), the Nets saw themselves take a hit in players (from first to seventh) and management (from seventh to 12th), which helped spur their drop from first in October to eighth now. Of course Kevin Durant and Irving are now on the court and could be joined by Ben Simmons at some point over the next couple of months. Brooklyn still holds out hopes of a title run, but what not too long ago felt like a potential dynasty in Brooklyn now feels much more uncertain. -- Bontemps
(Previous rank: No. 1)
The first half of the season showed the Warriors have a path to win a championship now while developing recent lottery picks Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and James Wiseman as the core of their next great team. Injuries in the second half to Stephen Curry and Draymond Green -- plus setbacks in Wiseman's rehab costing him development time -- have shown the fragility of that plan. With Curry, Green and Thompson making a combined $100-plus million through 2023-24, Golden State placed last in the money category, meaning improvement will have to come from the Warriors' young players. -- Pelton
(Previous rank: No. 7)
It's fitting that Philadelphia held steady at 10 after the 76ers spent the majority of this season in a holding pattern waiting to find a solution to the Ben Simmons situation. And while they finally did, flipping him, Seth Curry and Andre Drummond (plus draft picks) for James Harden, the corresponding bump in their player score (11th to eighth) was offset enough across the board to keep the 76ers in the same space again. Whether this score changes significantly between now and the next iteration of this ranking will come down to whether Harden can help lead a deep playoff run, and whether president of basketball operations Daryl Morey can better fill in around Harden and Embiid with a full offseason to tinker with the roster. -- Bontemps
(Previous rank: No. 10)
Toronto's move up the rankings here is almost exclusively due to its jump from 18th to 13th in the player category. That jump corresponds with Scottie Barnes emerging as a franchise cornerstone as a rookie, Gary Trent Jr. continuing to come into his own and Pascal Siakam returning to his pre-bubble form. Pairing that with one of the league's best management teams in Masai Ujiri and Nick Nurse has the Raptors, despite not having a superstar, moving up this list with more room to grow in the future as Barnes, in particular, continues to develop. -- Bontemps
(Previous rank: No. 15)
The Mavericks moved up one spot from the last FPR, despite Luka Doncic signing a rookie max extension and a top-five roster in the West. A jump into the top 10 was certainly warranted, but Dallas failed to crack the top 10 in any of the five categories, including players. That does not mean the Mavericks are stuck with the current roster. Although they are a luxury-tax team next season, Dallas has roster flexibility as a result of no players outside of Doncic earning more than $20 million. -- Marks
(Previous rank: No. 13)
With questions looming about the future of their Rudy Gobert-Donovan Mitchell-Quin Snyder core, the Jazz drop out of the top 10 for the first time since 2014. Utah still has a talented-enough roster to rank fourth in point differential, but changes could be in store if the Jazz fall flat in the playoffs. Utah has all but tapped out its financial and draft resources, making improvement difficult, and it's unclear how power is distributed in an organization with numerous strong voices. -- Pelton
(Previous rank: No. 8)
There was a real sense last offseason that the Bulls had overreached in their attempts to add talent via trade and free agency, particularly in the move that brought DeMar DeRozan into the fold. Instead, DeRozan turned in the season of his career to earn MVP buzz while leading a contender to win the East for the bulk of the campaign. Their big question this offseason is whether they can retain Zach LaVine, but if so they'd have a playoff-caliber nucleus without any cap space. They owe two first-round picks but also have a lottery-protected first incoming in the next several seasons. -- Snellings
(Previous rank: No. 19)
A year ago, the Timberwolves were one spot from the basement in the FPR. Now almost a year later, Minnesota has cracked the top 15 for the first time since March 2018 and without a roster overhaul. The jump is the result of seeing Karl-Anthony Towns more on the court and not on the sidelines in street clothes. The 26-year-old is not only playing like an All-Star but one of the top centers in the NBA. He is supermax-extension eligible this offseason if named to the All-NBA team and could be in a Timberwolves uniform for the foreseeable future. As for the future, do not expect this season to be a one-hit wonder. Minnesota has 11 players under contract next season and the financial flexibility in 2023 to continue retooling the roster around Towns and Anthony Edwards. -- Marks
(Previous rank: No. 25)
Things were going great in Atlanta six months ago. The Hawks were coming off a breakthrough run to the Eastern Conference finals, and had a young roster built around a young superstar in Trae Young. A disappointing regular season has followed, however, which has seen the Hawks drop in the player (12th to 17th) and management (15th to 19th) categories. This is a prime example of the burden of expectations weighing down a team, and the Hawks will head into the offseason -- presumably after losing in either the play-in tournament or, if they survive it, the first round -- with a lot of questions to answer about their direction going forward. -- Bontemps
(Previous rank: No. 11)
After languishing near the bottom of the rankings since LeBron James' departure, the Cavaliers made the second-biggest leap of any team from the previous installment. Cleveland is in position to return to the playoffs thanks to a young core led by All-Stars Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland and Rookie of the Year front-runner Evan Mobley, all of them under age 24. The Cavaliers still must put the right pieces around them, but look poised to continue moving up in years to come. -- Pelton
(Previous rank: No. 30)
Wasn't this supposed to be fun? After trading the bulk of their young players and draft picks for Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook, the Lakers are headed for a second straight play-in appearance with little hope of an extended playoff run. Star LeBron James is 38 and openly talking about heading elsewhere to team with his son if and when Bronny reaches the NBA. Davis continues to miss extended time with injuries and Westbrook has proved a poor fit. Even if the Lakers manage to put things together for one more run, the long-term outlook is murky. -- Pelton
(Previous rank: No. 3)
The Knicks went from seventh in these rankings a year ago to 12th in the fall to 19th now, as reality has quickly caught up with what was the best story of the 2020-21 regular season. The flaws that emerged in the first-round playoff loss to Atlanta -- most notably in how to slow down Julius Randle -- resulted in both the players and management categories tumbling to 22nd in the rankings. The Knicks now once again will play out the string in a lost season, missing the playoffs for the eighth time in the past nine seasons. -- Bontemps
(Previous rank: No. 12)
The Spurs have found a star in Dejounte Murray, have gotten promising performances from Keldon Johnson and Jakob Poeltl, and have seen some development in youngsters Devin Vassell and Joshua Primo. They still need more star power at the top, and this offseason they'll have three top-20 draft picks and between $16.5M and $30M in cap space with which to build. Their long-term assets include a future first-round pick from the Bulls that could convey as soon as 2025, and the right to swap firsts with the Celtics in 2028. -- Snellings
(Previous rank: No. 22)
The Pelicans are in a holding pattern due to the health and long-term outlook of former No. 1 pick Zion Williamson. New Orleans has a strong core with CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram, Herbert Jones and Jonas Valanciunas, but the ceiling for that team without Williamson is the play-in at best. Besides the injury concerns that have kept him out all season, Williamson is also extension eligible this offseason and could become a restricted free agent in 2023. If Williamson returns to his All-Star form from a year ago, expect the next FPR to feature New Orleans in the top 15. -- Marks
(Previous rank: No. 21)
Paradoxically, a breakthrough campaign for Miles Bridges works against the Hornets, who dropped two spots in the rankings. With Bridges headed toward restricted free agency, Charlotte is looking at a big contract that would swallow up the team's cap flexibility in the best-case scenario. The Hornets could soon find the luxury-tax line an impediment to spending. If Bridges does sign a long-term contract, Charlotte's current roster might prove undervalued by our rankings if second-year guard LaMelo Ball continues on his current trajectory. -- Pelton
(Previous rank: No. 20)
The Pistons jumped five spots in these rankings on the strength of their young nucleus that has played much-improved ball since the All-Star break. Cade Cunningham has performed at Rookie of the Year levels for months, Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart look like keepers, and Marvin Bagley III has flashed enough since being acquired at the trade deadline to remind everyone that he was the second overall pick just four years ago. Add in a solid vet in Jerami Grant, who could be either extended or traded, a high lottery pick and between $10M and $33M in cap space, and the Pistons have a decent foundation to build upon. -- Snellings
(Previous rank: No. 28)
If the FPR was based solely on draft picks and the front office, Oklahoma City would be in the top 10. Unfortunately, because the rankings are weighted heavily toward how the existing roster will project out, the Thunder sit at No. 24. The positive is that Oklahoma City has 19 first-round picks in the next seven years and up to $32 million from the end of the season to June 30 to use in a trade. The downside is that outside of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort, Josh Giddey and Tre Mann, the roster is filled with development projects and average role players. -- Marks
(Previous rank: No. 23)
The Pacers' stock fell significantly during the first half of this season, as it became clear that their multiple-center approach had reached its ceiling and their roster was unlikely to even reach the postseason. They stemmed their dive through the rankings at 25 with a big deadline deal that turned Domantas Sabonis into promising young guard Tyrese Haliburton and productive 3-point marksman Buddy Hield to match with incumbents Malcolm Brogdon and Myles Turner. They also have three of the top 32 picks in this season's draft, about $21M in cap space and three trade exceptions totaling $20.1M. -- Snellings
(Previous rank: No. 17)
The Rockets are in a similar position to the Thunder. They are loaded with first-round picks in the next seven years, including two in this year's draft, and a solid core of young players that includes Jalen Green. However, there are too many questions -- including the futures of John Wall, Kevin Porter Jr., Christian Wood and Eric Gordon -- to move the Rockets out of the bottom five. -- Marks
(Previous rank: No. 27)
While Orlando largely held serve in these rankings, the arrow is pointing up for the Magic. Franz Wagner has been a revelation this season, while Wendell Carter has also impressed. With Jonathan Isaac likely to return next season, Markelle Fultz back on the court, another high draft pick on the way -- plus extra picks in the future -- and cap space to improve the roster, the Magic have a chance to be an upwardly mobile group moving forward. In the suddenly far more difficult East, however, moving up the ladder won't be easy. -- Bontemps
(Previous rank: No. 29)
Blazers star Damian Lillard recently told Yahoo! Sports he's confident the team can translate flexibility into a team capable of contending next season. We're clearly not as optimistic. Lillard and promising youngsters Nassir Little and Anfernee Simons don't yet look like a contending core. We're also understandably uncertain about Portland's management after a season of upheaval. That won't be resolved until the Blazers decide whether to make interim GM Joe Cronin's role permanent or bring in a more experienced executive. -- Pelton
(Previous rank: No. 18)
The Wizards were credited last offseason for breaking Russell Westbrook's massive contract into multiple smaller deals attached to productive players, but they still find themselves locked into a situation with limited upside without many tools to make significant improvement. Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis could be a talented one-two punch, but might really be more like a two-three punch on a contender. The only way the Wizards generate cap space this offseason is if Beal doesn't opt into his $36.4M player option, but it would be difficult to find a replacement of his caliber. They also owe the Thunder a future first-round pick, as soon as 2024. -- Snellings
(Previous rank: No. 24)
Our last installment highlighted guard Tyrese Haliburton as a reason for optimism about the Kings' future. Naturally, they traded him last month for All-Star Domantas Sabonis, a move that yielded no short-term upgrade. (Sacramento went 5-10 with Sabonis in the lineup before he was sidelined.) Because Kings ownership is so desperate just to make the play-in after last reaching the playoffs in 2006, other teams will surely win fewer games over the next three seasons. However, the ceiling of Sacramento's core appears the lowest in the NBA. -- Pelton
(Previous rank: No. 26)