Few things give NBA fans a bigger shot of optimism than the start of a new season.
All 30 teams come into the new year with clean slates, even records, and (theoretically) the same shot at winning the NBA title – though our latest NBA odds greatly disagree with the latter point.
Alas, few teams are fortunate enough to make it through the season without key injuries, cold streaks, or other unfathomable developments that hamper their title runs. And while this particular list of doom predictions is sure to cause more than a few fans to shudder, the reality is that every team faces multiple challenges to a successful season.
Here’s a look at the worst-case scenarios for all 30 NBA teams:
Atlanta Hawks
Dejounte Murray leads the Pelicans to a title
It’s hard to envision a more disastrous scenario for Hawks fans after the Murray-Trae Young backcourt experiment failed to yield any significant returns in two seasons.
Atlanta (+35000) appears trapped in Association purgatory for at least another year, while Murray and the Pelicans could be title contenders. Maybe the grass is greener after all.
Boston Celtic
The green-eyed monster rears its ugly head
Fenway Park’s left field wall has been in the Boston zeitgeist as the “Green Monster” for decades. But it’s the reigning champion Celtics (+320) who will need to avoid being plagued by their own green monster (the one signifying jealousy, if you weren’t sure.)
Jaylen Brown won the Eastern Conference Finals MVP and the NBA Finals MVP over superstar Jayson Tatum, and while Tatum finally won his elusive first championship, perhaps he doesn’t enjoy playing second fiddle to his longtime running mate.
Brooklyn Nets
Cam Thomas goes to Joe Tsai to request a trade
Things haven’t been great in Brooklyn for a very, very long time.
The early 2000s were a boon to the franchise, but the 2010s opened with a spectacular failure as the team brought in Kevin Garnett, Joe Johnson, and Deron Williams while sacrificing too much salary and multiple draft picks. History repeats itself in this borough, as the Nets (+100000) tried unsuccessfully to form another superteam with James Harden, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant.
Thomas broke out last season, and he’ll look to take the next step as Brooklyn’s offensive leader. Will he follow in the footsteps of the giants who came before him and seek to take his talents to greener pastures?
Charlotte Hornets
Spectrum Center continues to offer courtside seats to fans
LaMelo Ball has missed 106 games over the last two seasons due to lingering ankle issues. One such injury occurred when he stepped on a fan’s foot in just his third game of 2022-23.
Ball has been absolutely tremendous when on the court, and Charlotte (+100000) can ill-afford another long layoff. Nosebleeds only, Hornets management! Do it for the franchise.
Chicago Bulls
Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic finish the season in Chicago
How long will Chicago (+100000) languish in its current state?
The DeMar DeRozan-LaVine-Vucevic triumvirate was a resounding flop, and the only winner to emerge from the deal that united them was the Orlando Magic, who are sitting pretty with Wendell Carter Jr. and Franz Wagner (drafted using one of the first-rounders Chicago sent in the deal for Vooch.)
DeRozan is now in Sacramento, and the Bulls need to tear this thing down and build from scratch around Josh Giddey, Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, and rookie Matas Buzelis. LaVine and Vucevic remaining on the roster any longer is simply delaying the inevitable.
