NBA Teams with the Brightest Futures

With the Los Angeles Lakers acquiring guys like Steve Nash and Dwight Howard over the summer, the City of Angels will have a team to be reckoned with once again.

The Miami Heat was a strong team before, but with solid pickups over the summer, they got even better with depth. 

Teams like the Chicago Bulls, Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs will be contenders once again just due to previous excellence and balanced teams.  Not to mention that superstars such as Kevin Durant, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and Derrick Rose are always nice to have on a team.

What are some teams that got better this summer and have the brightest futures in the National Basketball Association?  Take a look here. 

Denver Nuggets

With the recent acquisition of Andre Iguodala, the Denver Nuggets go from a pretty decent team to a good one. 

The Nuggets are getting a guy who has averaged 15.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists in eight seasons.  He was a leader with the Philadelphia 76ers, taking them to the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons this past year.

He's an All-Star caliber player and a proven Olympian in the London Games. 

With the leadership of Iggy and a very underrated guard in Ty Lawson, the Nuggets should be looked at in a serious manner this upcoming season.  Not too many guys have the quickness and explosiveness of Lawson in the league, as seen in the series against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The team is young, but it is filled with talent in guys like Lawson, Iguodala, Danilo Gallinari, Kenneth Faried and JaVale McGee.  Guys like McGee and Faried will continue to develop, but we have seen how talented they are.

Don't sleep on the experienced guy of the bunch in Andre Miller.  Miller has a way of getting to the basket and scoring.  Him and Lawson should be a very nice 1-2 combination for Denver.

Now, this team may not go to the Western Conference finals, but it certainly is capable of a second-round appearance.  The future is bright for the Denver Nuggets. 

Indiana Pacers

Talk about an explosive young team.  The Indiana Pacers were able to give the Miami Heat a scare in the playoffs in 2012, eventually losing in six games.

The team features a well-rounded, balanced bunch.  David West, Danny Granger, George Hill, Paul George, Roy Hibbert, Tyler Hansbrough, Leandro Barbosa, Gerald Green, Miles Plumlee and D.J. Augustin are some of the guys on this team.

The Pacers will contend in the Eastern Conference led by a young coach in Frank Vogel.  This team has loads of talent, but the inexperience showed against Miami in some crucial stages.

The development of these young guys will continue to show.  It's not one guy who leads the Pacers to wins, but it's a complete effort. 

Look for Indiana to be in the top five of the Eastern conference next season with another talented group with endless potential. 

Phoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns could be a dangerous team in the Western conference after some draft picks and signings.

First, Phoenix signed free-agent forward Michael Beasley.  It was a good pickup for the Suns as Beasley finds ways to get points.  He can shoot the jumper while also having a solid rebounding ability and post-up game.

The Suns also acquired former Houston Rocket Luis Scola.  Scola has been productive in Houston over his career.  The 6'9", 245-pound forward averaged 15.5 points and 6.4 rebounds for the Rockets last season.  The Suns got another winner with this signing. 

With these two additions and guys like Channing Frye, Marcin Gortat, Brad Miller, Goran Dragic and Sebastian Telfair, the Suns could surprise some people and make their way into the playoffs. 

The biggest addition will be the rookie out of North Carolina, Kendall Marshall. The Suns drafted Marshall as the 13th pick in this year's NBA draft.  While Marshall does lack athleticism, a perimeter shooting game and some decision-making, he is one of the best point guards to enter the league from this year's draft.

Marshall had an ACC-record 9.8 assists per game as a sophomore, good for second in the nation.  He can be a guy the Suns build around for the future.  Marshall will find his teammates and he shoots a good percentage as well, shooting 46 percent at UNC last season. 

Look for the Suns to have a chance to sneak into the playoffs next season.  A bright future is upon Phoenix.