The 10 NBA teams with the worst rebuilds, ranked

In the NBA, the rebuilding process is one of the most frustrating stages for any franchise. By pressing the restart button it means commitment to long-term development that is filled with hard lessons, disappointments and losses. As a result, winning a championship after rebuilding only makes the taste of success that much sweeter. However, not all renovations end in gold, especially when done wrong. Check out the gallery to see the 10 NBA teams with the worst rebuilds.

10. Toronto Raptors (2003-2010)

The The 2003 NBA draft was remembered for being a streak. The Toronto Raptors selected Chris Bosh with the fourth pick. Of course, the Raptors moved to rebuild around Bosh after trading Vince Carter. But since handing the keys to Bosh, Toronto has been a relatively mediocre team in the East. In seven seasons, the Raptors have only made the playoffs twice, both of which resulted in a first-round exit. As a result, Toronto eventually hit the rebuild button when Bosh became a free agent in 2010, opening the door for him to sign with the Miami Heat to form the Big Three.

9. Minnesota Timberwolves (2014-2019)

After several seasons in which Kevin Love was the centerpiece of the franchise, the Minnesota Timberwolves pretty much hit the reset button when they pulled off a trade that netted them first overall picks in Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett. As the years passed, the team bolstered its roster with first-round picks Shabazz Muhammad, Karl-Anthony Towns and Zach LaVine. They even brought in All-Star Jimmy Butler. But despite boasting several promising pieces and a certified star, Minnesota never made the playoffs. Although they ended their postseason drought in 2018, it still ended as a first-round exit. To make matters worse, Butler would have a dramatic exit. Furthermore, Wiggins’ departure pretty much forced the franchise to usher in a new era.

8. Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets (2011-2019)

Kemba Walker, Bismack Biyombo and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist were players that Charlotte tried to bring to the NBA. Although every player was talented, it certainly didn’t work out. Then called the Bobcats, it wasn’t long ago that they went a measly seven wins in the regular season and set an NBA record for the wrong reasons. It didn’t help that MKG was unable to adapt to the NBA style of play. While Walker has evolved into a superstar, his production has hardly led to wins. In his era, the Hornets made just two playoff appearances, both of which ended in the first round.

7. Minnesota Timberwolves (2008-2014)

Speaking of the Minnesota Timberwolves, the franchise enjoyed the rising superstardom of Kevin Love before shipping him out in 2014. Love proved that he was a double-double machine playing for a terrible team. Although the UCLA star had double-doubles, Minnesota was the best player in his time, including a meager 17-win season in 2010-11. Furthermore, it didn’t help when they drafted Johnny Flynn and Ricky Rubio, who failed to live up to their lottery billing. Listed they were peak time drafted before Stephen Curry.

6. Cleveland Cavaliers (2018-2021)

LeBron James just left Cleveland for the second time in his career. Of course, the franchise was in disarray as they tried to build around 2018 NBA Draft lottery pick Colin Sexton and deadline acquisition Jordan Clarkson. While the Cavs had young players to work with, the team was not competitive, as they posted back-to-back 19-win seasons. Fortunately, bringing in Donovan Mitchell to form a duo with Darius Garland was the start of another bright era for the franchise, in the post-LeBron days.

5. Los Angeles Clippers (1998-2003)

Many basketball fans would classify the Los Angeles Clippers as a haunted franchise, thanks to underwhelming regular seasons, terrible draft picks and front office controversy. In 1998, the team easily made one of the worst first round pick in history with a selection by Michael Olowokandi. Other high picks they made were Darius Miles, Melvin Eli, Chris Wilcock and Quentin Richardson. With these selections alone, it can be said that the Clippers have completely blown their chances of making a great team. As a result, Los Angeles never posted more than 39 wins in any season with Olowokandi as the centerpiece, including a memorable 9-41 season in his first year.

4. Cleveland Cavaliers (2010-2014)

The Cleveland Cavaliers have basically endured two LeBron James departures. However, the former must have hurt a lot more, given that James has yet to follow through on his promise. Obviously, the Cavs couldn’t fill the void left by James, even with the first overall selection of Kyrie Irving. In fact, Cleveland could only muster 97 wins in four seasons. Fortunately, the Kings’ comeback stopped the bleeding, as they earned back-to-back NBA Finals berths, including the 2016 championship.

3. Philadelphia 76ers (2013-2018)

It wasn’t long ago that the Philadelphia 76ers boldly announced the process era. The Sixers looked hell-bent on ending the franchise’s championship drought by stocking up on a lottery pick and making smart draft picks. While the idea was great, the execution was disappointing. In the Process era, Philadelphia fielded injury-riddled rosters including Michael Carter-Williams, Jahlil Okafor, Markelle Fultz and the troubled Ben Simmons. Among their selections, only Joel Embiid turned out to be a blue-chip talent, but even then he’s still marred by a lack of availability. In that span, the Sixers have had back-to-back losing seasons with the exception of 2017-18, when they went 52-30 in the playoffs. But other than that year, Philly was a cellar dweller that couldn’t even win more than 30 games a year.

2. Washington Wizards (2021-2025)

The Washington Wizards have pretty much decided to move on after cutting Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal. In the process, they traded Westbrook for a slew of picks in Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell and a draft pick. A few seasons later, the Wizards also gambled on trading Chris Paul for Jordan Poole after the latter fell through with the Golden State Warriors. Washington tried to count on the duo of Kuzma and Poole, which ended in a total disaster. Inefficiency and heavy reliance on hero ball led to several turnovers. The Wizards have won just 103 games over the past four years. They are now trying to navigate their rebuilding chapter after letting Poole and Kuzma go this year.

1. New Jersey Nets (2008-2012)

With the duo of Devin Harris and Vince Carter, the New Jersey Nets still struggled to get some wins. And to prepare for the future, the Nets selected Brook Lopez with the 10th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. Since then, the franchise has been built around Lopez. Although he did turn into an All-Star, the Nets were easily at the bottom of the league. In fact, they even only recorded 12 wins during the 2009-10 season. The franchise only started to see improvement after moving to Brooklyn, where they surrendered draft picks in exchange for aging veterans Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry. To date, the Nets have continued to usher in various scoreless eras.