Over the last year or so, there has been a crystallisation of classes within the NBA’s ecosystem. There are teams such as the Rockets, Thunder and Magic who are rebuilding for a competitive window in the future. There are teams such as the Lakers, Bucks and Nets who are desperately trying to win now.
The middle class is arguably the most difficult to define; there are some teams trying to catapult into that contending teams and some teams working out where they stand. The Portland Trailblazers are possibly the best example of a team in this class.