NBA 24 Increasingly Bold Predictions for the 2025-26 NBA Season
The most wonderful time of the year has arrived: the NBA is back! To mark this special occasion, here’s my fourth annual column, in which I’m making increasingly bold predictions about the upcoming season. Some of these predictions are more absurd than others, and due to a restrictive CBA that stifles the most creative trade possibilities, some may seem like pushing a square into a round hole. But such is life.
Without further ado, here are 24 increasingly bold predictions for the 2025-26 season.
Let’s put these two predictions together from the outset. Neither is bold; both can be unconditionally linked, and even though Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his Oklahoma City Thunder are performing historically impressively, they shouldn’t be considered controversial in any way.
Jokic is the best player in the world and deserves five MVP awards. The statistics speak for themselves, but when choosing any one player, placing him in any situation, and then observing his positive impact on winning, Jokic’s edge over everyone else remains significant. He embodies Denver’s cerebral cortex, spine, biceps, and expertly tailored Canali suit.
Jokic is the game’s most efficient passer, whose panoramic vision allows him to hit the target in the blink of an eye. And he’s also the game’s most efficient scorer: 288 players in NBA history have taken at least 10,000 shots, and Jokic’s 63.8 true shooting percentage tops them all. He’s also a great rebounder whose defense has been underestimated for years, despite evidence to the contrary.
Why should he be an easy contender to win this year’s MVP? Besides all of the above, it’s very likely the Nuggets will win more regular-season games than ever before (58 wins would be enough). Thanks to Denver’s new bench, Jokic’s on-field stats may not be as impressive, but when he’s on the court, his team will surely make a splash.
Now, after losing seven games to a six-man Thunder team—just weeks after David Adelman was suddenly appointed Nuggets head coach in place of Michael Malone, while Michael Porter Jr. was running with one arm and Aaron Gordon severely strained a hamstring in the final moments of Game 6—the Nuggets have replaced MPJ, DeAndre Jordan, and Russell Westbrook with Cameron Johnson, Bruce Brown Jr., Tim Hardaway Jr., and Jonas Valanciunas.
Translation: This is the deepest, most talented, and most versatile supporting cast Jokic and Jamal Murray have ever played with. They will have more room than ever to operate their two-player game, which will be further enhanced by a capable cavalry. Westbrook’s volatile temperament and Porter’s absurd recklessness are now gone. This group is going to be a powerful one.
Some might say I’m going too far by saying it won’t happen, but they’ve encouraged me to be bold. Only time will tell.
Kuminga’s new contract with Golden State feels like the opening statement in a divorce arbitration. Why? Because typically, the fourth-highest-paid player on a team trying to win a championship isn’t someone who has been benched multiple times in their previous playoff appearances.
The breakup will happen this season, and when it happens, Kuminga will have little, if any, influence on which team acquires him, and it’s unlikely to happen before January 15th.
It’s probably no coincidence that Golden State resolved this impasse by giving Kuminga a one-year, $22.5 million deal, essentially a trade exception that increases their options and the level of talent they can get back. Here are two interesting possibilities:
A. Trade Kuminga to the Suns in exchange for Dillon Brooks. Warriors fans who are busy searching for apples in boiling water instead of cheering for this player every night, please hear me out! This is a simple change that’s better for every team’s life cycle. The Warriors are aging, but they’re doing so with a veteran wing who’s ready to defend and rebound, and who has learned to replace contested jumpers with extra passes. Do many Warriors believe Brooks is a dirty player? Yes, absolutely. Should that hinder a deal that could bring Steph Curry closer to his fifth ring? Absolutely not! The Suns are doing this because Kuminga just turned 23 and, in some people’s view, still has All-Star potential. Phoenix is in a very bad position right now, and even with a 10 percent chance of reaching that threshold in the next five years, they’re a good bet.
B. Kuminga to the Heat in exchange for Norm Powell. How about another one-for-one swap? Man… If that happened, I’d seriously consider picking Golden State to win it all. By adding a scalable skill set that could fit anywhere, the Warriors would truly benefit from adding one of the world’s 10 best shooters to an offense that, with Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green, can sometimes seem a bit monotonous.
Kuminga doesn’t need to run the ball or play to be effective. Miami made this deal because it makes more sense to give Kuminga his next contract rather than give the 32-year-old Powell a long-term extension.