There are a ton of teams that translate well to NBA 2K22 in terms of contracts, assets like draft picks, and young players. So, it would be a lot different in the NBA when compared to the game.
Playing teams that do not have the best superstars but have the cap space and some rising talents can be fun to manage. This is why all teams can be considered good if you want to play the business side of things and build your team from scratch.
This guide will show you the best teams to manage in NBA 2k22 MyGM. Both modes have technically that same goal which is to win as many championships as you can.
What Are the Best Teams to Manage?
The teams listed below are either championship contenders already or they have a lot of good contracts with a couple of draft picks to move. These teams will give you the best chances of forming the best team competing for a championship whether it is win-now or in 3 years.
New Orleans Pelicans
Starting the list is one of the most promising young teams to pick in NBA 2k22 My Gm – New Orleans Pelicans. Their roster is not that stacked compared to the others but, you will have Zion Williamson under his rookie contract for the next 3 years. This is what makes Zion Williamson the best young player to trade for in any team.
They have another star, Brandon Ingram, who previously won the Most Improved Player award and is also the main scoring option on the Pelicans. He can still develop into a more complete player along with Zion and their only bad contract is having Josh Hart for $12m per year.
Aside from that contract, they have Jonas Valanciunas and Tomas Satoransky on a 1-year deal which will free up a ton of cap space in the next offseason. You will be able to sign at least 2 more superstars if you play your cards right.
If you move Devonte Graham and Josh Hart for players on a 1-year deal, you can easily have your own superteam during the next free agency. This free agency includes the likes of Kyrie Irving, James Harden, Bradley Beal, and Russell Westbrook.
You will be able to pair two of those players with Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. It is also worth noting that the New Orleans Pelicans also have a bevy of first-round draft picks when they traded Anthony Davis to the Lakers.
You can use these picks to swap any superstar in the league. This is why this team might be the best team you can manage for NBA 2K22.
Brooklyn Nets
Being one of the clear favorites to win the championship, this team is a no-brainer. You have the best player in Kevin Durant who has been paired with James Harden and Kyrie Irving along with a ton of former all-stars to improve the depth of the roster.
On paper, they are the best offensive team in the league by a mile and it will surely be fun to play with. However, you do not have that much flexibility in improving the team.
If ever you want to swap superstars, you will be trading them at a slight discount as you do not have the draft picks to compensate for the trades.
Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies might come off as a surprise but, this team will also be fun to manage because of the flexibility of their contracts. They have a ton of players on a 1-year deal and aside from Steven Adams’ 2-year deal, you will be able to sign a few superstars on the next free agency.
If you choose to trade Steven Adams and Dillion Brooks for players on a 1-year deal, you will free up more cap space in the future. Your team will most likely look the same as the Pelicans. The only difference is that you will be playing Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. instead of Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics made the list just because of how complete their roster is. They already have two young stars in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown but, their flexibility with the roster is hard to manage because of Al Horford and Marcus Smart.
Horford and Smart have ridiculous contracts as their intangibles are valued more in the real NBA but are inexistent in NBA 2K22. However, if you can move these players for a superstar, you will have a stacked roster for the next 5 years.
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors need no introduction. They have two of the best shooters in NBA history. Their core roster that pushed for the 73-win season is still intact and you have a ton of flexibility with James Wiseman to put in a trade.
With Andrew Wiggins’ insane contract, you can flip this for another superstar if you include a ton of draft picks and James Wiseman in the mix. That will put the Golden State Warriors back to the top again if you pull it off.
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets have always been great with their defending MVP, Nikola Jokic. With the rise of Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., they have a bright future ahead of them.
Their depth is unmatched and if you tweak the roster a little bit, you can add another superstar next year. Aaron Gordon is on a 1-year deal while Michael Porter Jr. is still on his rookie contract.
You can trade Will Barton and Monte Morris to clear some cap space and you can pair another superstar with Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., and Nikola Jokic for the next season.
Los Angeles Lakers
Another team that needs no introduction. The Los Angeles Lakers have one of the greatest of all-time players in Lebron James. They also have Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis which are all elite players at their position.
It is amazing how Rob Pelinka pulled this off because they have 3 of the highest-paid players in the NBA. They have a whopping 14 players on a 1-year deal which means that they are at that “win-now” mode.
There are no more tweaks you can do unless you trade one of your superstars to add more depth. Other than that, it is up to you if you want to play the team as is.
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are in the same situation as the Los Angeles Lakers. They have a lot of bad contracts so there are only a few tweaks you can do to the roster.
You have Kawhi Leonard and Paul George as the core players and, you can slightly upgrade a couple of rotation players in exchange for bench depth.
Other than that, you might be stuck with the current roster you have as most of the players in the roster are secured for the next 2-4 years.
If you are going to choose the Los Angeles Clippers, you have to be sure that you are good with playing Kawhi Leonard and Paul George for the foreseeable future. The team’s contracts have no flexibility but, they are already filled to the brim.
Milwaukee Bucks
The list would not be complete without adding the current defending champions. They have their star players and core rotation players signed for the next two years so there isn’t any flexibility for the Bucks as well.
With Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday’s contracts, it will be even harder to upgrade the team as it is currently built. They are also in that win-now mode just like the last two teams on this list.
Honorable Mentions
These are the teams that didn’t make the cut because their ceiling is limited even if you are able to manage them perfectly. They have a few bad contracts but, they already have a strong core in their team that can contend for a championship with a few upgrades.
Portland Trailblazers
With how the team is currently structured, you can see why Damian Lillard wants a change in the roster to push them as title contenders. You have multiple players on expiring contracts but, the challenge will be swapping Norman Powell and CJ McCollum for a better player.
If you are able to swap those players for a couple of expiring contracts or another superstar, you can sign another superstar during the next free agency.
There are a lot of ifs but, getting two other superstars to pair with Damian Lillard will be doable in the offseason. Other than that, your depth might suffer a little as you do not have any young players with a good contract to show for.
Philidelphia 76ers
Just like a few teams on the list, the Philidelphia 76ers suffer from a lot of bad contracts with Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris. On the bright side, Ben Simmons has a lot of trade value in NBA 2K22 compared to the real NBA.
The problem is that you cannot trade players like Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons together because of cap space. Aside from that, the team has one of the best bigs, Joel Embiid, and this team is built to contend for a title already.
It is just a matter of upgrading a few pieces which will be hard to do.
Utah Jazz
For the Utah Jazz, they were able to secure the 1st seed in the tough western conference but, their team does not translate well to NBA 2K22. For one, Mike Conley’s value is incredibly low and he is still on a $22m per year contract for 3 years.
It will be a struggle to replace Mike Conley but, the trick would be to get another bad player with a 1-year deal and build for next season. You already have the best defensive big in Rudy Gobert and another young star in Donavan Mitchell.
If you are able to get rid of guys like Bogdanovic and Conley, you can still get a good player in free agency to pair with Mitchell and Gobert.
Their ceiling is limited but, they still have a decent team to build around since they have a lot of depth.
