"Ranking the Most Disappointing NBA Teams of the Last 3 Seasons"

    Joel Embiid and LeBron JamesTim Nwachukwu/Getty Images

In the NBA, three years can feel like an eternity. With player and coach changes happening frequently, a single decision can set off a chain reaction that impacts a franchise for years to come.

As a result, a few teams have experienced stretches of underachievement over the past few seasons.

Some franchises grew complacent after past success, while others were plagued by injuries that derailed their seasons. One team, in particular, found itself dealing with an unforeseen external factor, and the way it was handled ultimately led to its downfall.

Despite the different circumstances, these are the five teams that have been the most disappointing over the last three years.

**5. Los Angeles Clippers**

      Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Let’s be honest: it’s hard to call any three-year stretch for the Los Angeles Clippers a success, especially when you consider the lofty expectations placed on them. The combination of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George was supposed to elevate the team to perennial contenders, yet over their five years together, they've reached only one Western Conference Finals—an undeniable disappointment.

In the last three seasons, George's availability has been a major issue: he played just 31 games in 2021-22, 56 in 2022-23, and 74 in 2023-24 (his highest total since joining the Clippers). Leonard hasn't fared much better—missing the entire 2020-21 season with an ACL injury, and playing just 52 games in 2022-23. While he managed to play 68 games in 2023-24, another injury derailed his postseason once again.

This pattern of injuries and unrealized potential has defined the Clippers' recent years—really, it's been the story of their entire five-year window with this duo.

But the 2024-25 season will bring a new chapter. With George gone via free agency, the team will transition into their new home, the Intuit Dome, under the leadership of team governor Steve Ballmer. A new logo and a fresh arena might just be the change the franchise desperately needs to turn their fortunes around.

4. Atlanta Hawks

     Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images

After their unexpected run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2020-21, the Atlanta Hawks have been nothing short of disappointing. Expectations were high, but the reality has been a far cry from that magical playoff run.

The following season, the Hawks finished with a mediocre 43-39 record, landing eighth in the East and forcing them into the play-in tournament. They managed to make it into the playoffs but were quickly ousted in the first round by Miami in just five games. The team’s overall lack of urgency and effort during the regular season became a source of frustration for fans, with franchise cornerstone Trae Young even admitting, "It's regular season. I'm not going to lie, it's a lot more boring than the playoffs."

In hindsight, the front office's biggest mistake after the conference finals run was failing to make significant moves to improve the roster. Former president Travis Schlenk acknowledged the error in a 92.9 The Game interview, saying, “We made the decision last year to run the same group back, and…we probably should have tried to upgrade as opposed to stay status quo."

While the Hawks made a big move in the 2022 offseason—trading a package of future draft picks to San Antonio for Dejounte Murray—the pairing of Murray and Young never quite worked as hoped. The idea was to ease the offensive load on Young and provide a defensive boost, but the reality was far less impactful.

The following season saw even more turmoil: Schlenk was replaced by Landry Fields, coach Nate McMillan was fired, and Quin Snyder was brought in to steer the ship. Yet, the Hawks still only managed a 41-41 record, squeaking through the play-in tournament before falling to Boston in the first round.

Last year, injuries to Young and a disappointing 36-46 record sealed another year of underachievement. To make matters worse, the Hawks landed the first overall pick—but a year too late for Victor Wembanyama and a year too early for Cooper Flagg.

In the span of just three seasons, the Hawks have gone from conference finalists to a lottery team, all while watching Trae Young’s prime slip further away.

**3. Philadelphia 76ers**

           Elsa/Getty Images

For the Philadelphia 76ers, the last three seasons have been a never-ending cycle of hope followed by crushing disappointment.

The 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals were a turning point for the franchise, as the infamous Game 7 collapse—highlighted by Ben Simmons passing up an open dunk—led to his trade request and a prolonged holdout. The fallout from that series cast a long shadow over Philly’s 2021-22 season, as team president Daryl Morey took his time orchestrating a trade. His patience eventually paid off in February 2022 when the Sixers acquired James Harden from Brooklyn, pairing him with Joel Embiid, a perennial MVP candidate.

The move created immediate excitement, but disaster struck during their first-round series against the Toronto Raptors. With Philly cruising to a 29-point lead in Game 6, Embiid took an elbow to the face, leading to an orbital fracture and mild concussion. With the game well in hand, there was no reason for Embiid to still be on the court, but the injury kept him out for the first two games of the next series against Miami. While he returned for Game 3, Embiid was clearly not at his best, and the Sixers were eliminated in six games.

After that painful exit, hope was reignited for the 2022-23 season, with a full year of Harden, Embiid, and rising star Tyrese Maxey on the horizon. The regular season went smoothly, as they finished with a solid 54-28 record. They even swept the Brooklyn Nets in the first round, but once again, injuries took their toll. Embiid missed Game 4 of the series due to a right knee sprain, which also caused him to miss Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Boston.

Despite his injury, Embiid returned for Game 2, and the Sixers took a 3-2 series lead. With Game 6 at home, they were on the brink of reaching the conference finals for the first time since 2001. But Boston had other plans, going on an 11-3 run in the final six minutes to force a Game 7, where the Sixers were once again sent home.

This exit led to the firing of head coach Doc Rivers, who was replaced by Nick Nurse. Harden’s free agency then became a saga in itself, with the former MVP opting into his deal, demanding a trade, and publicly accusing Morey of being a liar. The tension between Harden and the front office stretched well into the offseason, with the trade to the Clippers not happening until November 1.

Despite the drama, the 76ers looked like genuine contenders during the regular season, with Embiid playing at an MVP level and Maxey emerging as a strong No. 2. But once again, injury struck. Embiid suffered a lateral meniscus tear that sidelined him for a significant chunk of the season, and the team’s standing plummeted.

Though Embiid returned for the playoffs, he wasn’t fully healthy, and the Knicks eliminated the Sixers in the first round.

The story is the same every year for Philadelphia: Embiid’s injuries, trade rumors, and off-court drama create a cloud over the team’s potential. Year after year, the 76ers are talked about as championship contenders—only to face bizarre setbacks that prevent them from even making it past the second round.

2. Los Angeles Lakers

                                                                                 

    AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post

The Los Angeles Lakers were sitting on top of the NBA at the end of the 2020 season, winning a championship in the bubble. Since then, it has been a rough sledding.

Many of the Lakers' problems stem from management making bad decision after bad decision. It started even before the three-year stretch we're considering. Following that most recent title, L.A. traded key pieces like Danny Green to retool around LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The team got swept out of the playoffs that season.

The Lakers moved Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to Washington for Russell Westbrook ahead of 2021-22. That season was a disaster; Westbrook never found his role, James played only 56 games and Davis just 40. The Lakers missed the playoffs and scapegoated head coach Frank Vogel.

The following season, L.A. brought in first-time head coach Darvin Ham. Westbrook again did not find a clear role, and the Lakers suffered another season of James and Davis missing large chunks of games.

To the organization's credit, it made a big in-season trade, bringing in D'Angelo Russell and Jared Vanderbilt for Westbrook in February 2023. The move solidified the Lakers' spot in the play-in, leading to an improbable run to the Western Conference Finals, where Denver dispatched them in five games.

That should have been enough to knock the Lakers out of consideration for inclusion here. Still, the following season, 2023-24, saw the front office make no major additions; the team ended up in the play-in tournament again and was swept by the Nuggets in the first round.

This led to Ham being relieved of his duties as head coach. The Lakers fired two head coaches in three years and have been in the play-in regularly. Making a conference finals is good enough for some teams, but those teams do not have LeBron James on them.

1. Brooklyn Nets

Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images

The past three seasons of Brooklyn Nets basketball can best be described as a roller coaster in a constant state of freefall.

The 2021-22 season was supposed to be the one where the Nets made their Finals push. After taking the Milwaukee Bucks to seven games the previous year and coming within a Kevin Durant toe of advancing, expectations were sky-high. But things quickly spiraled downhill. New York's mandate requiring all players to be vaccinated for home games left Kyrie Irving sidelined for most of the season. As a result, Brooklyn was forced to rely heavily on Kevin Durant and James Harden.

However, the season was riddled with setbacks. Durant went down with an injury, missing significant time, and then Harden, frustrated by the team's direction, demanded a trade to Philadelphia. That cloud of uncertainty hung over the team until the trade deadline, when the Nets finally granted Harden's request, bringing in Ben Simmons and Seth Curry.

When the vaccine mandate was lifted, Irving returned to the court, but it was too little, too late. The Nets were swiftly swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs, closing the book on another disappointing season.

In the offseason, things only got worse. Durant, frustrated by the team's direction, issued an ultimatum: either fire head coach Steve Nash (whom Durant had personally handpicked) and general manager Sean Marks, or trade him. Ultimately, Durant relented, and the 2022-23 season began with him still on the roster—alongside Irving, Nash, and Marks. But just seven games in, the Nets fired Nash and brought in Jacque Vaughn as head coach.

Despite holding a winning record, the turmoil continued. Irving, after requesting a trade, was sent to Dallas, and then, in an even more shocking move, Durant was traded to Phoenix just before the deadline. The "super trio" of Durant, Irving, and Harden—widely considered one of the most disappointing in NBA history—was finally broken up.

The following year-and-a-half was little more than a slow descent toward the lottery. Midway through the 2023-24 season, Vaughn was also let go. 

In summary, Brooklyn's three-year stretch was defined by dashed championship hopes, multiple trade demands, the dismantling of a supposed super team, and the firing of two coaches. While much of this chaos unfolded over just two years, it was more than enough drama to fuel an entire decade of franchise turmoil.