NBA front offices are basically solving an equation with every move. There's a salary cap and a salary floor. Plus, in addition to various tax aprons and provisions, every team must calculate for its future plans — whether that means stockpiling additional NBA Draft assets or determining how many it can sacrifice without leaving one's team in the lurch when turbulence inevitably hits.
There are plenty of rules around trading draft assets, but generally the best front offices are able to maintain a healthy supply of future first-round picks while also cultivating a competitive roster. Rebuilds are best viewed as a means to an end, with clearly defined goalposts and mile markers for success. Teams who get stuck in the middle and consistently squander the assets available to them — lookin' at you, Sacramento Kings — tend to represent the worst of the worst.
Every NBA team's total first-round picks over next decade (2026-35)
NBA teams are only allowed to trade draft picks within a seven-year window. For example, this season (2025-26), the furthest draft picks a team can theoretically move would be their 2032 selections. Picks from 2033 and onward are off-limits in negotiations until next offseason, when the new league year begins.
So, while the Brooklyn Nets own 16 first-round picks, for example, over the next decade (pending various protections, which you can explore in more detail at Spotrac), the Nets cannot use all 16 in trade discussions. In addition to picks eight years out being immovable, there are protections, pick swaps, and rules (such as the Stepien rule, which we will explore in detail at the bottom) that can limit flexibility.
Rank | Team | Picks Next 10 Years |
|---|---|---|
T-1 | Brooklyn Nets | 16 |
T-1 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 16 |
T-3 | Memphis Grizzlies | 14 |
T-3 | Charlotte Hornets | 14 |
5 | Washington Wizards | 12 |
T-6 | Atlanta Hawks | 11 |
T-6 | Chicago Bulls | 11 |
T-6 | Houston Rockets | 11 |
T-6 | Portland Trail Blazers | 11 |
T-6 | Sacramento Kings | 11 |
T-6 | San Antonio Spurs | 11 |
T-6 | Utah Jazz | 11 |
T-13 | Detroit Pistons | 10 |
T-13 | Indiana Pacers | 10 |
T-13 | Toronto Raptors | 10 |
T-16 | Dallas Mavericks | 9 |
T-16 | Golden State Warriors | 9 |
T-16 | Miami Heat | 9 |
T-16 | New Orleans Pelicans | 9 |
T-16 | Philadelphia 76ers | 9 |
T-21 | Boston Celtics | 8 |
T-21 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 8 |
T-21 | Denver Nuggets | 8 |
T-21 | Los Angeles Clippers | 8 |
T-21 | Los Angeles Lakers | 8 |
T-21 | Milwaukee Bucks | 8 |
T-27 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 7 |
T-27 | New York Knicks | 7 |
T-27 | Orlando Magic | 7 |
T-27 | Phoenix Suns | 7 |
NBA Rebuild Rankings: Which teams are best positioned to blow it up
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
OKC doesn't need to rebuild. In fact, the hope is that this current core of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams can headline a contender for the next decade. If Sam Presti's vision comes to fruition, OKC will use these picks to keep adding talent on the margins of a great roster — or keep spinning them into future picks, kicking the proverbial can down the line. Given the amount of talent on their roster and the volume of picks under their possession, however, if OKC ever decides to blow it up, Presti will be well positioned to work his magic all over again.
2. Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets are equipped with picks galore, a flexible cap situation, and enough quality assets — Michael Porter Jr., Nic Claxton and Egor Dëmin — to really choose their own advantage. Brooklyn has the market size to attract a major star or two and start winning games in the next couple of years. Or, the Nets can continue on the slow-burn path and keep gradually building from the ground up. Sean Marks needs to prove his mettle in the draft (2025 was a disaster), but the Nets' future holds seemingly infinite possibilities.
3. Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies are equipped with tons of fungible capital after the Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. trades. This front office is also one of the smartest in basketball, so Memphis is a good bet to maximize their draft picks once they're on the clock. The Grizzlies have young talent to build around in Zach Edey and Cedric Coward, with more tradable assets to burn (Ja Morant, perchance). The Grizzlies will be patient, but Memphis is equipped to really nail this next chapter.
4. Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets were able to acquire Kevin Durant for pennies on the dollar. When that chapter ends, Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson should still be at the front-end of their primes, with other quality assets such as Reed Sheppard, Tari Eason and even Jabari Smith Jr. in the mix. Houston has a ton of picks left to dangle for immediate upgrades, with the chance to build a true war chest of this current group flames out and Rafael Stone decides to hit the reset button. Houston's front office is the créme de la créme.
5. Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz flipped three future first-round picks for Jaren Jackson Jr. and aren't close to running out of assets, especially if their top-eight protected 2026 first-round pick still conveys. Utah has the nucleus of a near-future contender with Jackson, Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler and Keyonte George, plus quality youngsters in Ace Bailey, Kyle Filipowski, Brice Sensabaugh and Isaiah Collier. If this current core leads to something great, well, great. If it flames out, the Jazz can hit the reset button with their own picks and future picks to spin.
What is the Stepien rule?
Unofficially named after former Cleveland Cavaliers owner Ted Stepien, who once traded away five consecutive first-round picks in the mid-80s, the so-called Stepien rule prevents NBA teams from trading first-round picks in back-to-back years. Here is how it is laid out in the league's bylaws (h/t RealGM):
"7.03. First Round Draft Choice. No Member may sell its rights to select a player in the first round of any NBA Draft for cash or its equivalent, or trade or exchange its right to select a player in the first round of any NBA Draft if the result of such trade or exchange may be to leave the Member without first-round picks in any two (2) consecutive future NBA Drafts.”
Essentially, a team must be able to execute a first-round pick once every two years. That does not mean it's impossible for Hypothetical Team A to trade its 2026 and 2027 first-round picks, but Team A would need to have at least one other first-round pick in either 2026 or 2027 for such a deal to go through.
When Ted Stepien traded all of Cleveland's picks from 1982-86 in a desperate bid to build a contender, the league froze his ability to trade all future picks for a year and required league overview of future dealings. Such restrictions are no longer imposed today, of course, but the goal here is simple: to prevent a front office or team owner from irrevocably derailing a team's future by liquidating all available assets.
What is a 'protected pick' in NBA Draft?
This is easily explained in layman's terms. A protected pick means a team has ownership over its pick within a certain range of the draft board.
Let's us an example. The Philadelphia 76ers dealt their 2025 first-round pick to OKC, protected 1-6, in order to dump Al Horford's salary. That meant if the pick landed 1-6 in the lottery, it was "protected" — as in, Philadelphia was allowed to keep it. Had the pick landed anywhere in the 7-30 range, the pick and subsequent prospect would have belonged to OKC.
Protections can extend over multiple years, which can complicate a team's future dealings with respect to the Stepien rule. Since Philadelphia's pick did not convey to OKC in 2025, the Sixers now owe OKC its 2026 first-round pick, with the protection range shrunk to 1-4. That means if Philadelphia lands anywhere outside the top four, as is expected at this point, OKC will own the pick.
Protections can expire after a certain period of years. Oftentimes, if a pick does not convey within an established window, the first-round pick that is owed is converted into two second-round picks that are owed, thus ending the trading team's obligation.