In the NBA, the rebuilding process is one of the most uncomfortable stages for any franchise. Pressing the restart button means committing to a long-term build-up that's filled with hard lessons, disappointments, and losses. As a result, winning a championship after a rebuild only makes the taste of success much sweeter. However, not all rebuilds end up with gold, especially when done incorrectly. Check out the gallery to see the 10 NBA teams with the worst rebuilds.
10. Toronto Raptors (2003-2010)
The 2003 NBA Draft was remembered for being stacked. With the fourth pick, the Toronto Raptors selected Chris Bosh. Naturally, the Raptors transitioned into rebuilding around Bosh after trading away Vince Carter. But since giving the keys to Bosh, Toronto was a relatively mediocre team in the East. In seven seasons, the Raptors only made the playoffs twice, both of which resulted in first-round exits. As a result, Toronto eventually hit the rebuild button when Bosh became a free agent in 2010, opening the doors for his signing with the Miami Heat to form the Big Three.
9. Minnesota Timberwolves (2014-2019)
After several seasons of having Kevin Love as the franchise centerpiece, the Minnesota Timberwolves pretty much hit the reset button when they orchestrated a trade that landed them first overall picks Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett. As the years passed, the team bolstered their 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 went over the playoff hump. Although they ended their postseason drought in 2018, it still ended up as a first-round exit. To make matters worse, Butler would have a dramatic exit. Furthermore, the departure of Wiggins 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 the players that Charlotte tried to make it work in the NBA. Although each player was talented, it certainly didn't work out. Then called the Bobcats, it wasn't long ago when they registered a measly seven-win regular season to set the NBA record for all the wrong reasons. It also didn't help that MKG failed to adapt to the NBA style of play. While Walker evolved into a superstar, his production hardly translated to wins. Under his era, the Hornets only made two playoff appearances, both of which ended up in first-round exits.
7. Minnesota Timberwolves (2008-2014)
Speaking of the Minnesota Timberwolves, the franchise enjoyed the rising superstardom of Kevin Love before shipping him away in 2014. Love proved that he was a double-double machine playing for a terrible team. Although the UCLA star was racking up double-doubles, Minnesota was a bottom-feeder during his time, including a measly 17-win season in 2010-11. Furthermore, it also didn't help when they drafted the likes of Jonny Flynn and Ricky Rubio, who failed to live up to the billing as lottery picks. The aforementioned point guards were drafted before Stephen Curry.
6. Cleveland Cavaliers (2018-2021)
LeBron James had just left Cleveland for the second time in his career. Naturally, the franchise was in disarray, as they tried to build around 2018 NBA Draft lottery pick Collin Sexton and trade deadline acquisition Jordan Clarkson. While the Cavs had young pieces to work with, the team was hardly competitive, as they registered back-to-back 19-win seasons. Fortunately, bringing over Donovan Mitchell to form a duo with Darius Garland was the start of another bright era for the franchise, post-LeBron days.
5. Los Angeles Clippers (1998-2003)
A lot of basketball fans would classify the Los Angeles Clippers as a cursed franchise, thanks to failed regular seasons, terrible draft choices, and front office controversies. In 1998, the team easily made one of the worst first-round picks in history with the selection of Michael Olowokandi. Other high picks they made include Darius Miles, Melvin Ely, Chris Wilcox, and Quentin Richardson. Just with these selections alone, one can tell that the Clippers completely blew away their chances of building a formidable team. As a result, Los Angeles never tallied more than 39 wins in any of the seasons with Olowokandi as the centerpiece, including a forgettable 9-41 season in his rookie year.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers (2010-2014)
The Cleveland Cavaliers basically endured two LeBron James departures. However, the first one had to hurt a lot more, given that James had yet to fulfill 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 across four seasons. Fortunately, the return of The King stopped the bleeding, as they punched consecutive tickets to the NBA Finals, including a championship in 2016.
3. Philadelphia 76ers (2013-2018)
It wasn't long ago when the Philadelphia 76ers boldly announced the Process Era. The Sixers looked like they were hell-bent in ending the franchise's championship drought by stocking up on lottery picks and making smart draft choices. Although the idea was great, the execution was disappointing. In the Process era, Philadelphia made injury-riddled selections, including Michael Carter-Williams, Jahlil Okafor, Markelle Fultz., and the problematic Ben Simmons. Among their selections, only Joel Embiid turned out to be a blue-chip talent, but even then he's still marred by his lack of availability. In that stretch, the Sixers registered losing seasons with exception to 2017-18, when they made the playoffs with a 52-30 record. But aside from that year, Philadelphia was a cellar dweller who couldn't even win more than 30 games in a year.
2. Washington Wizards (2021-2025)
The Washington Wizards pretty much opted to move on after breaking up Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal. In the process, they exchanged Westbrook for a haul of role players 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's collapse with the Golden State Warriors. Washington tried to bank on the duo of Kuzma and Poole, which ended up in a total disaster. Inefficiency and heavy reliance on hero-ball led to several lost games. The Wizards only won 103 games over the past four years. Now they try to navigate their rebuilding chapter after letting go of Poole and Kuzma this year.
1. New Jersey Nets (2008-2012)
With a duo of Devin Harris and Vince Carter, the New Jersey Nets still struggled to rack up some wins. And in order to prepare for the future, the Nets selected Brook Lopez with the 10th overall pick of the 2008 NBA Draft. Since then, the franchise built around Lopez. While he did turn into an All-Star, the Nets were easily a bottom-feeder in the league. In fact, they even registered only 12 wins during the 2009-10 season. The franchise only started to see improvements after relocating to Brooklyn, where they surrendered draft picks in return for aging veterans Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Jason Terry. Until this day, the Nets have continued to usher in different eras without results to show for.
