Thorpe’s 2024-2025 NBA tank brigade

More than just a race for last place

BY DAVID THORPE

No one expects the Spurs to compete yet, but they might just have two young All-Stars on their squad. RON JENKINS/GETTY IMAGES

I hate the idea of tanking. I understand the strategy, but losing does nothing to inspire players to study more tape, make the extra pass, or race harder on defense. Losing begets losing, and breaking that cycle requires enormous amounts of energy; often drafting a star isn’t enough to fix a broken team. The very few exceptions are rare talents known by one name: Magic, Bird, LeBron, Luka … Wemby. 

Still, the group of teams below will likely transition into “tank mode” by year’s end. The way the lottery odds are designed, the team with the worst record isn’t guaranteed the best pick—it could be as bad as fourth. But this year, that’s high enough to bring in a great prospect. Next summer’s draft class features prized talents like Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, and V. J. Edgecombe—all of whom would have been selected ahead of last June’s top pick, Zaccharie Risacher.

Each team in the tank brigade rosters at least one player who can boost a contender, so expect to see a flurry of moves this season—and don’t be too shocked if one squad claws their way into the Play-In. 

Below, I dig into why I predict the Brooklyn Nets will “win” this year’s tankathon:

• Nets (20-62)

• Wizards (21-61)

• Bulls (24-58)

• Pistons (25-57)

• Jazz (26-56)

• Blazers (30-52)

• Spurs (31-51)

San Antonio Spurs

Regular season prediction: 31-51

Contender trade target(s): Chris Paul, Keldon Johnson