The NBA Cup field is down to four teams — the Knicks, Magic, Thunder and Spurs. And while that quartet is playing for the big prize, plenty of other teams are already working on roster resets or dreaming about this potentially historic NBA Draft class.
This week, our NBA team is answering big questions about the Cup and trades, but also the ongoing embarrassment that is the Clippers and Wizards, and the Thunder's double-barreled pursuit of history.
1. Which team left in the NBA Cup needs the validation of a win the most?
Rucker Haringey: The Orlando Magic need to knock off the Knicks if they want to prove they can be legitimate Eastern Conference contenders. Managing this feat without Franz Wagner would do wonders to raise the stock of the rest of the team’s core stars. Specifically, it’s time for Paolo Banchero to step up and show he can be an A-level star. He’s going to get all the shots he can eat without Wagner in the fold. An efficient game against New York could help get his season on a roll.
Bryan Toporek: The New York Knicks. With the East seemingly wide-open, this could be their chance to send a message that the conference runs through them this year. Toppling the OKC Thunder or the Los Angeles Lakers in the Cup final could also help tamp back some of the "Leastern Conference" chatter that inevitably pops up every season. Besides, this would be the Knicks' first chance to hang a banner in 50-plus years!
Eamon Cassels: Yeah, it's got to be the Magic here. The past two NBA Cup champions (the Lakers and Bucks) got off to a slow start but built some momentum by winning the cup. Orlando could very well be the next example of this. And like Rucker said, doing this without Franz would be an amazing feat.
Christopher Kline: The Spurs toppling OKC would constitute a serious statement in the West, but the “right” answer is probably one of the East teams. Orlando is hoping to establish itself as a top-shelf contender. The Knicks could use the morale boost after an up-and-down start. Orlando was my pick to win the East coming into the season, and thus I’ll put the pressure squarely on their shoulders.
Ian Levy: The Magic and the Knicks probably need it the most, but the Spurs have the most to gain. Their matchup against the Spurs is actually just the first of three games against OKC in the month of December and a chance to both shake up the title race this season and announce themselves as the Thunder's biggest rival for Western Conference dominance over the next decade.
2. Forget about practicality or probability — where would you like to see Giannis end up if he formally requests a trade?
Rucker Haringey: The only right answer here is the San Antonio Spurs. Pairing Giannis with Victor Wembanyama would make the team must-see television on a nightly basis. Just imagine other teams trying to find space against that lengthy duo in the half-court. I can’t help but smile just thinking about how a zone with those two at opposite ends might function. Giannis might not fit the Spurs’ timeline, but they should be forced to make the trade on entertainment value alone.
Bryan Toporek: If I'm being honest, I agree with Rucker. The Wemby-Giannis combo would break brains on a nightly basis. With that said, I don't want to see them break up the Fox-Harper-Castle trio, either. So, I'll go contrarian here and pick the Denver Nuggets. Imagine Jokić diming up the Greek Freak on fast breaks? Or throwing him lobs? This pairing is both completely improbable and impractical, but a man can dream, can't he?
Eamon Cassels: Putting my personal fandom aside for the sake of the NBA, I think Giannis needs to stay in the East. While this move is unlikely to happen, a Mobley-Giannis swap is super intriguing to me. The Cavs would become instant favorites in the East and get their season back on track. For the Bucks, Mobley might be the best player you're able to get for Giannis, and he's still just 24 years old! The Cavs being a second apron team and being in the same division as Milwaukee all but guarantees this move won't happen, but man, it would be fun.
Christopher Kline: Yeah, the Spurs are probably my pick, too, for all the reasons outlined above. But for the sake of parity, I’ll throw out another fun (and extremely realistic) option: Atlanta. Trae Young and/or Jalen Johnson next to Giannis, with Kristaps Porziņģis spacing the floor and the Hawks’ gaggle of high-level perimeter defenders, is one heck of a concept. Atlanta has the draft picks to tempt Milwaukee without siphoning off too much depth. In terms of sustainable winning, Giannis couldn’t ask for a much better situation.
Ian Levy: Am I homer if say the Pacers? I'm not sure I'd actually want Indy to give up a top-3 pick this year for Giannis, but he'd get to run and dunk and run and dunk some more, and then maybe win a ring? What else can you really ask for?
3. First the Kawhi scandal. Then dropping Chris Paul in the middle of the night. What will the Clippers do next to destroy their public image?
Rucker Haringey: The details are up in the air, but it simply has to involve James Harden. He’s far too mercurial to somehow serve as one of the most stable players on the Clippers roster. Something along the lines of Harden going behind Chris Paul’s back to force him on the roster feels like a good fit for Los Angeles’ next media saga. The one certainty here is that it’s a matter of when, no if, for this organization.
Bryan Toporek: A nine-figure sponsorship deal with OpenAI.
Eamon Cassels: Move to Seattle and use the new Intuit Dome to plant real trees. Actually, I don't know that might help their public image. Bryan's answer is pretty good, though.
Christopher Kline: I’ll second Bryan’s answer. Beyond that, handing the No. 1 overall pick to OKC next summer might do the trick.
Ian Levy: Trying to fight the Rockets in the tunnels under the stadium. (I mean, trying to do that for a second time).
4. How many wins do the Thunder finish with?
Rucker Haringey: 74 feels like a good mark here. That would give them the NBA record for wins in a single season, which feels like an underrated storyline right now. They could always push for more if they continue to play at such a torrid pace, but the bet here is that injuries and fatigue will weigh them down slightly during the second half.
Bryan Toporek: The Thunder might feel like an unstoppable buzzsaw, but there's a reason why only two teams in NBA history have topped 70 wins. They also have by far the toughest remaining strength of schedule in the league. So, pencil me in from 70-71 – falling just short of the all-time record, which allows them to save their legs for the playoffs.
Eamon Cassels: Call me a hater, but I don't think the Thunder win more than 73 games. Yes, they're insanely dominant and very well could, but that's such a high mark. Instead, I'll "play it safe" and say that they'll tie the 1995-96 Bulls record of 72 games. The Thunder would still win over 80 percent of their remaining games in this scenario.
Christopher Kline: OKC is the most well-oiled machine we’ve seen since the 73-win Warriors, but it takes extraordinary injury luck and significant resolve to reach that number. OKC has already survived Jalen Williams' extended absence almost unscathed, but if SGA or Chet miss even a couple weeks here or there, the Thunder will falter — if only slightly. So yeah, let’s say 70 to be safe, with the understanding that 74 is genuinely within reach.
Ian Levy: Honestly, it might be 81.
5. Who has a better chance of setting an all-time record for Net Rating — the Thunder for the best all-time, or the Wizards for the worst all-time?
Rucker Haringey: Sadly, the Wizards have to get the nod here. It’s much more fun to pull for the Thunder to win it for a positive reason, but Washington does not have any realistic avenues to improve as the season rolls along. It’s much easier for Oklahoma City to get worse than it is for Washington to get better. Avert your eyes down the stretch, Wizards fans.
Bryan Toporek: The Thunder have a much bigger lead on the field than the Wizards do. (That's what happens when you blow out basically all of your opponents.) The Wizards also owe their 2026 first-round pick to the New York Knicks if it falls outside of the top eight, so you can safely expect that they'll tank to ensure they finish with one of the league's four worst records. With that said, their young players should (theoretically) continue to improve, which could help them avoid the ignominy of being the worst team in NBA history. So, I'll take the Thunder.
Eamon Cassels: I don't think the Wizards are this bad. Worst team in the league? Sure. Worst team of all-time? That feels like a stretch. On the other hand, the Thunder are this good. Am I contradicting myself after saying they'll win "just" 72 games? Maybe. It's also worth noting that the Thunder had the second-best net rating of all time last year. Plus, the difference between them and the second-best net rating is greater than the difference between the Wizards and the second-worst net rating.
Christopher Kline: Alex Sarr, Tre Johnson and company will get hot at some point this season and help Washington avoid making the wrong sort of history. The Wizards are more talented than their record (and Net Rating) suggest. The product won’t get good, but it ought to get better. OKC might literally be the best team we’ve ever seen and thus, I wouldn’t put it past the Thunder to set a new benchmark for their 2026-27 team to chase.
Ian Levy: They're both going to get there. The Wizards' young players might improve as the season goes along, but they're also going to have to explore trading stabilizing veterans like CJ McCollum, Khris Middleton and Corey Kispert. Every time it seems like this franchise has hit rock bottom, they find another way to surprise you.