Which NBA teams have the most promising window to win over the next three years? If you've ever found yourself asking that question, you're in luck (or in trouble; I'm not sure): This is the exact curiosity we're about to indulge. "Window to win" is up for interpretation. At its core, this refers to the likelihood of each team bagging a title between now and the end of 2026-27.
For our purposes, though, we'll also include the concept of championship equity—or each squad's year-over-year proximity to conference finals appearances. Putting yourself in a position to consistently sniff the NBA Finals is huge. Would you rather have a team with higher title odds that could plunge in any given season or a steadier championship likelihood across a longer period of time? That's the subplot of this entire exercise.
And it begins right now. Other teams should end up with worse collective records than the Chicago Bulls over the next three years. That's part of the problem.
Chicago appears to have leaned into a more gradual outlook after moving on from Alex Caruso and DeMar DeRozan. That's different from embracing a full-on rebuild. The Bulls used Caruso to bring back Josh Giddey, who is young enough to be part of the long-term plan but will be due for a raise in 2025-26.
They re-signed Patrick Williams, because, well, letting him walk would have been a terrible look. Going on 23, he, too, can be part of the next phase. But having to significantly reinvest in a roster without concrete d.