The 2025-26 NBA season has been one of my favorites to watch in quite a few years, and I can’t think of a better way to ring in the new year than with some resolutions for NBA teams.
Now that the calendar has turned to 2026, teams across the association will be changing gears. Whether it be championship contenders flipping the switch to earn as high a playoff seed as possible, or the league’s lower-tier squads bottoming out in hopes of securing a high draft pick, true colors will be shown in the new year.
Despite climaxing levels of parity and competitiveness, it is now a league heavily tainted by uneducated takes and negative media. A New Year’s resolution for the casual fan is to begin to give the NBA the same level of respect that it once received.
The Sacramento Kings need to bottom out and trade aging leaders Domantas Sabonis, Zach Lavine and DeMar DeRozan. Their 10-30 record tells all, and holding onto those three veterans, who do not fit this team’s timeline to compete, does nothing for an organization that is essentially a lost cause with the current regime.
Their priority should be to finish with one of the league’s worst records for a better chance at securing a top-3 pick in this summer’s draft. That pick could land Sacramento a franchise-changing rookie to add alongside young studs Keegan Murray and Nique Clifford.
The Philadelphia 76ers have looked the part of a borderline contender in the Eastern Conference as of late and should avoid any impulse trades that may interrupt the team’s rhythm. With point guard Tyrese Maxey boasting an MVP-caliber season, former MVP Joel Embiid nearing full health again and the supporting cast of VJ Edgecombe, Quentin Grimes and Paul George, among others, all delivering, the 76ers are quickly rising.
Philadelphia should be content rolling with this roster into the playoffs. However, I think both Obi Toppin of the Indiana Pacers and Royce O’Neale of the Phoenix Suns would be valuable acquisitions before February’s trade deadline if either is reasonably obtainable. Both would add versatile shot-making at the forward position, bolstering this team’s depth of options, making their New Year’s resolution to continue to boost their star players while fighting for additional depth.
2026 is the time for the Milwaukee Bucks to trade their franchise star, Giannis Antetokounmpo. Despite rumors, the multiple-time MVP and Defensive Player of the Year recently said, “There will never be a chance, and there will never be a moment that I will come out and say, ‘I want a trade.’” While it seems to be his way of paying homage to the city that made him who he is today by sticking around, Giannis’ frustration and desire to win elsewhere is evident on the court this season.
He led the Bucks to an NBA championship in 2021, but despite that mountain-top success, the Bucks' ownership has failed to build a competent roster around their superstar since. Their current 17-23 record means it is time to capitalize on the superstar’s value and reset in 2026.
The Golden State Warriors are competitive, but don’t have enough to truly contend in the stacked Western Conference. Trading for Michael Porter Jr. should be their top priority in the new year. Porter Jr., who is having a career-best season, would add unparalleled levels of three-point shooting and pure scoring at the forward position, something that this team lacks heavily.
This Warriors roster is one of the oldest in the NBA, and while Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler III are, of course, still stars, adding the breakout 27-year-old would help both now and in the post-Curry era.
The new year will reveal true identities throughout the NBA, as the basketball played from January to April is uber-important to playoff seeding. Several teams across the league should embrace the youth movement and hope to land a stud in the loaded 2026 draft. Others, though, will be making phone calls left and right, trying to trade for their missing piece before Feb. 5th’s trade deadline.
Each of the 30 teams across the NBA could benefit from a New Year’s resolution, and no matter what that may be, let’s hope theirs work out better than ours do most years.
Jack Muldowney is a freshman studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note the opinions expressed in this column do not represent those of The Post. Want to talk to Jack Muldowney about their column? Email/tweet them at jm760224@ohio.edu or @JackMuldowney1.
