What are the oldest teams in the NBA? Lakers top full list entering 2021-22 season

Yash Matange

What are the oldest teams in the NBA? Lakers top full list entering 2021-22 season image

A lot has been made of the Los Angeles Lakers' offseason acquisitions prior to the 2021-22 season. It's more about the age of those summer signings than anything else.

Will that experience come in handy when it matters the most or will it wreak havoc with injuries and load management? Only time will tell. 

Either way, those offseason additions make the Lakers the oldest team entering the league's 75th anniversary season with an average age of 30.0. Once rotations begin to shake out and we see who is actually piling up minutes, we'll be able to gauge how the Lakers stack up historically. Depending on who plays and stays healthy, the Lakers could even threaten to set an all-time record. 

When accounting for minutes, the oldest teams in NBA history are the 2000-01 Jazz and 1997-98 Rockets, which finished with an average age of 32.0

The Lakers have three of the league's five oldest players and six of the league's 12 oldest. How much Carmelo Anthony (37 years old), Trevor Ariza (36), Dwight Howard (35), and Rajon Rondo (35) play — in addition to soon-to-be 37-year-old LeBron James — will ultimately determine where the Lakers land on the list of all-time oldest teams.

MORE: Lakers projected starting lineup

Trailing them in second by a sizeable margin, are championship contenders the Brooklyn Nets, who are tied with last season's top seed the Utah Jazz with an average of 28.1.

Average age of 2021-22 roster (via Real GM)

Team Average Age
Los Angeles Lakers 30.0
Brooklyn Nets 28.1
Utah Jazz 28.1
Miami Heat 27.9
Phoenix Suns 27.7
Golden State Warriors 27.7
Milwaukee Bucks 27.3
LA Clippers 27.0
Portland Trail Blazers 27.0
Indiana Pacers 26.6
Denver Nuggets 26.5
Atlanta Hawks 26.5
Dallas Mavericks 26.3
LEAGUE AVERAGE 26.1
New York Knicks 26.1
Boston Celtics 25.9
Philadelphia 76ers 25.8
Sacramento Kings 25.5
San Antonio Spurs 25.5
Washington Wizards 25.4
Toronto Raptors 25.2
Chicago Bulls 25.2
Orlando Magic 25.2
Houston Rockets 25.2
New Orleans Pelicans 25.0
Charlotte Hornets 24.9
Detroit Pistons 24.8
Minnesota Timberwolves 24.3
Memphis Grizzlies 24.2
Oklahoma City Thunder 24.1

No surprises for guessing the teams at the bottom of the table.

Rebuilding franchise the Oklahoma City Thunder are the youngest team in the league, holding a slim lead over the Memphis Grizzlies and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Yash Matange

Yash Matange Photo