More desperate than playing badly? Six teams with awkward cycle!

For the NBA, the worst situation is not to have a record at the bottom, because at the bottom at the bottom at the least means you have a chance to draw a talented rookie in the draft; it is not to have a big bet on the championship, because it at least means you have stood at a high level. The real bad situation is that it is somewhere in between, not strong enough to win the playoffs, not bad enough to draw a lottery pick. In short, you will always be in the middle of the market that is neither up nor down, and year after year, it is even harder to see the possibility of breaking through the upper limit.

In recent years, the NBA has adjusted the lottery rules, and teams are blindly playing hard does not mean they will win the grand prize. For example, the Jazz, Wizards, Pelicans, etc., last year basically gave up the probability of playing drafts in the entire season, but the result still did not enter the top five picks.

So, such a group of teams appeared in the league, and are deeply trapped in this hell cycle. The following six teams are the most typical cases: The operation of the

Chicago Bulls has been confusing since they were broken. There was originally a chance to be the starting point in 2021, but with Lonzo Ball seriously injured, all hope came to an abrupt end. At that time, the Bulls also had the opportunity to knock down and rebuild, but they were unable to make a decision for a long time, and in the end they still didn't get any bargaining chips.

And in recent years, the Bulls' choices are also confusing. Previously, using Caruso to trade Gidei sounded like looking for a future direction, but it still seemed difficult to see hope. There are veterans like Vucevic in the team, and Kobe White's new contract is also pending. Almost all veterans on the bench are veterans, lacking young potential stocks.

The only hope is placed on rookie Boozelis and first-round pick Noah Essenger. If they can quickly transform into All-Stars, and Gidy corrects their flaws in time, it may support the team's future. But all of these are currently based on what if.

But the reality is that the Bulls may have a chance to hit the eighth seed when the Eastern Conference is reshuffle next season, but that is not what they really need. According to the Bulls' current dilemma, the biggest key should be to fire the operation president Canisovas, but the boss's senior executives chose to renew the contract instead. The final result is that fans are still looking forward to it, but their record is still mediocre and their future prospects are still dark.

Miami Heat

Heat are one of the few teams that have made it to the Finals many times in the 2020s. But in the past two years, their results have been quite awkward, with the regular season stumbling and the playoffs being eliminated early, and after Butler left, it was particularly difficult to win a series.

Adebayo is at his peak, and Hero also performed an All-Star last season, but neither of them is the kind of super core who can stand alone. For the elderly Pat Riley, he has missed the big-name stars in the market in recent years, and the opportunities he will leave him in the future may not be much.

The newcomer Yakussis, selected at the 20th pick this year, is considered a high-quality trading, and young man Kyle Ville has also begun to show his athletic talent, but this is far from enough for the Heat. A more cruel fact is that if they miss the playoffs in 2027, the unprotected first round in 2028 will be given to the Hornets.

So, there are only two ways to face the Heat now: either completely rebuild and endure the pain of making trouble; or bet on a slightly flawed star defender like Morant, Trae Young or Lamelo Ball. No matter which option you choose, the risks in the future are quite high.

Toronto Raptors

For the Raptors, their problem is that the timing of choosing to break up the team does not seem to be well seized. He sent Anunobi and Siakam away one after another, but failed to get high-quality assets that could truly change the team's future. Instead, he put the big contract on Barnes, Ingram, Quickley, Barrett, Pearl and others. This lineup actually looks OK, but in the end he still lacks that real team ace.

This year's first round pick Boyles seems to be a highlight, but the team's role is slightly overlapping with Barnes. The upper limit of the lineup is limited and the lower limit is limited.

Maybe they can still grab a playoff ticket in the chaos in the East in the new season, but that's not the answer the Raptors want. As Ujri leaves the management, the team's future will be even more confusing. Should we continue to hold on? Or push it down again? This is a crossroads worth considering.

The Kings of Sacramento

Looking back a few years ago, the Kings broke the curse of missing the playoffs in 16 years after establishing the internal and external teams of Fox and Sao, and seemed to usher in a new beginning in seven battles with the Warriors. But all this collapsed quickly, Fox was sent away, Mike Brown was dismissed, and the newly introduced DeRozan + LaVine combination seemed to have no chemical reaction.

Looking back at the swap transaction between Halliburton and Sabonis back then, it was once regarded as a win-win choice, but now looking at it, it is obvious who makes money and who loses. Even the king may consider sending Sabonis away in the future and entering the reconstruction moment again. The problem with the king is that no matter who is in front of the stage, it seems that similar mistakes will always be made. And after replacing new general manager Scott Perry, can we turn the world around in one fell swoop? In the west where there are many strong people, the King seems to be barely better than the Pelicans and the Jazz, that's all.

Phoenix Suns

Suns are another team that has exhausted their future chips. The super lineup composed of Booker, Durant and Bill should have made them win the championship, but the ending was the most expensive failure in history. After missing the playoffs, Durant was traded and Bill was bought out, leaving only a mess.

Based on the team situation, the most rational choice is to Booker to send it away together, but the Suns seem to lack this courage at the moment. What's worse is that their future draft picks are almost completely hollowed out, and there will be no draft chips until 2032..

The good news is that in the Durant trade, the Suns won the 10th pick and then selected the newcomer Maluach. As long as he can grow smoothly, the team still has a little future. But how long can this faint hope last?

After Booker renewed his contract, the team's situation seemed stable, but the entire league was waiting in secret. It is not ruled out that Booker will apply to leave the team, and other teams will naturally not stand by.

Memphis Grizzlies

Grizzlies were originally a representative case of the rise of small markets before, but with the rise of the Thunder and the Rockets, the Grizzlies gradually retreated to the second line. This year, I sent Bain away in exchange for four first rounds, and two of them were wasted, but they seemed good. The greatest value chip is the first round of 2026 from the Suns, hoping to draw the future Chosen Son.

The team's core Morant is in a worrying state of health. Although Jaren Jackson Jr. has grown into the core of the inside, the huge contract has compressed the team's operating space. Even though the Grizzlies have always operated accurately in the draft, it is difficult to ensure that they can dig treasures every year.

It seems that they may be the best-run couple on this list, but they can't escape the vicious cycle. They don't choose to play badly at the moment, but they don't seem to be able to get up. In the NBA world, it is the most dangerous to compete for the championship or play badly.