These 3 Teams Have the Worst Futures in the NBA Right Now

For nearly two decades, the Washington Wizards have had the bleakest future of any franchise in the NBA.

Congratulations, Washington, for winning the most recent NBA Draft Lottery, you’ve escaped that title and now can look forwards to AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, or Darryn Peterson wearing your franchise’s jersey.

With Washington actually having building blocks now, alongside veterans like Trae Young and Anthony Davis, who now takes the championship belt for the saddest NBA organization?

Here are my choices for the three frontrunners as of today.

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Sacramento Kings

While the Wizards have been in despair for a long time, the Kings are right alongside them when it comes to futility. The Kings might have had the “Light the beam!” pomp and circumstance for a year, but that turned out to be a mirage in a desert of suck.

And unlike the Wizards, who had the ping pong balls go their way, the Kings were awful last season and have the No. 7 pick to show for it. A dysfunctional franchise that hasn’t truly been alive since the early 2000s, the Kings are a mess that doesn’t look to be turning around any time soon.

Brooklyn Nets

The Nets kinda just exist. Brooklyn is bad, but not shockingly terrible, so you don’t notice them on a nightly basis. It might have something to do with the monochrome jerseys and having to play in the massive shadow of the New York Knicks.

Like the Kings, the Nets weren’t rewarded for their terrible season and are picking sixth. Brooklyn will get a good prospect, maybe even a great one, but will it really matter for a team that seems as aimless as they are bad?

New Orleans Pelicans

The last contender for the title, the Pelicans are like a kid who has no idea what they’re doing, so they’re throwing paint at the wall, hoping that it turns out to be a masterpiece.

New Orleans is still hoping that Zion Williamson turns out to be the generational talent he was promised to be almost a decade ago.

Derik Queen is good, but is he good enough to make it so that it’s OK they’re not picking in the first round of what could be an all-time NBA Draft?

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This story was originally published May 12, 2026 at 11:08 PM.