NewsBreak Original

The Washington Wizards made a run at the end of the last season to make the playoffs after trading for Kristaps Porzingis, but just missed out of the play-in games with a 35-47 record. During the offseason, the Wizards decided to add more offense to the starting lineup by trading for point guard Monte Morris and small forward Will Barton. The trade will allow for more space at the offensive end for Bradley Beal to operate.

Although the Utah Jazz finished with a respectable 49-33 record last season, the Jazz ended up losing in the first round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs to the Dallas Mavericks. The Jazz did not have any picks in this year's NBA Draft, so the assumption was that the organization was going to stay put with their core and make another playoff run this season.

Although the other four teams in the Atlantic Division always seem to be making big-time moves over the past few years, the Toronto Raptors have found a way to remain a perennial playoff team. The Raptors have qualified for the NBA Playoffs in eight out of the last nine seasons. Last season, the Raptors went 48-34 and finished as the #5 seed in the Eastern Conference. However, Toronto was ousted in the first round by the Philadelphia 76ers in six games.

The Sacramento Kings are stuck in a perpetual rebuild after finishing with a record of 30-52 last season. The Kings have not qualified for the NBA Playoffs since the 2005-2006 season. We are talking about 17 years of ineptitude.

After qualifying for the NBA Playoffs for eight straight seasons, the Portland Trail Blazers went into full rebuilding mode with a 27-55 record last season. However, Portland looks to turn things around rather quickly after trading for Jerami Grant and signing free agent Gary Payton II.

The Orlando Magic ended up with the #1 pick in the NBA Draft after finishing 22-60 last season. The main reason why the Magic were so tragic last season was due to their roster construction. Orlando has too many power forwards and point guards on their roster. Hopefully, this trend changes so that the Magic can actually make it to the NBA Playoffs before this decade ends.

After reaching the NBA Playoffs in 2021, the New York Knicks just missed out qualifying last season with a 37-45 record due to injuries. However, the Knicks will look to get back on track this season after signing free agent guard Jalen Brunson.

The Milwaukee Bucks were close to repeating again as NBA champions, but an injury that knocked Khris Middleton out of the NBA Playoffs in the first round led to the Bucks losing in the Eastern Conference semifinals to the Boston Celtics in seven games.

The Los Angeles Lakers were on the outside looking in last season after injuries derailed their season. The Lakers finished 33-49 last season. Their lack of depth was exposed for the second season in a row.

"Detroit Basketball!" Although the Detroit Pistons finished 23-59 last season, there is finally light at the end of the tunnel for Pistons fans. Cade Cunnigham, last year's #1 pick, proved that he has the game and the demeanor to be the foundation that the Pistons franchise has been lacking for quite a few years.

The Dallas Mavericks shocked the basketball world by giving the Phoenix Suns one of the biggest Game 7 losses in NBA history with a 123-90 victory in the Western Conference semifinals. The Mavericks were then ousted in five games by the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.

The Cleveland Cavaliers were way ahead of schedule last season after qualifying for the play-in games. However, they lost both games to the Brooklyn Nets and to the Atlanta Hawks. Although the Cavs were a good team last season, they lost those two play-in games because the best playmaker on the court was on the other team.

The Chicago Bulls reached the NBA Playoffs for the first time in five years last season. However, late-season injuries derailed what could have been a monumental season. Despite of a season-ending injury to PG Lonzo Ball, the Bulls finished with a 46-36 regular season record and the #6 seed in the Eastern Conference. However, they lost 4-1 in the first round to the Milwaukee Bucks.

The good news is that the Charlotte Hornets qualified for the play-in games into the NBA Playoffs for the second straight season. The bad news is that they were thoroughly routed as the #10 seed in both of those games.

The Boston Celtics endured two grueling seven-game series against the Milwaukee Bucks and the Miami Heat in order to win the Eastern Conference Championship in the NBA Playoffs. However, they lost in the NBA Finals to the Golden State Warriors.

The Atlanta Hawks (43-39) were looking to replicate their playoff success from two seasons ago when they reached the NBA Eastern Conference Finals. However, injuries to key players led to the Hawks being ousted in the first round against the Miami Heat.