Every year, ESPN’s Kevin Pelton and Bobby Marks release their rankings of all 30 NBA teams. These rankings however involve the future of every NBA franchise, using a variety of factors to score every team based on how healthy their future appears to be. Factors include the current roster, team management, the salary cap situation, the size of the city market, and the draft pick situation. Pelton and Marks rank every team in each of these categories to form a composite ranking as a gauge on the future health of the franchise.
This year, the Denver Nuggets earned third place, behind only the two-time champion Golden State Warriors and a potential Eastern Conference challenger in the Boston Celtics.