Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder celebrates with the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player trophy after defeating the Indiana Pacers 103-91 in Game Seven of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center on June 22, 2025 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
The Western Conference is usually the stronger of the two in the NBA but the East has rarely looked as weak as it does heading into the 2025-26 season.
Oklahoma City Thunder, with MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, are undoubtedly the team to beat as they try to become the first franchise since the golden era Warriors to successfully defend their NBA title.
Denver shape as their main challengers with Nikola Jokic now supported by a much deeper roster with the Kevin Durant-enhanced Houston, Golden State, both LA teams and Minnesota also in the title conversation from the West.
With Boston and Indiana missing their injured franchise cornerstones to long-term injuries, New York and Cleveland are the only two squads from the East with a realistic chance of winning it all unless Orlando and Atlanta can make a massive leap or Philadelphia and Milwaukee can extract a playoff run from their injury-prone rosters.
Team by team, here’s how all 30 franchises are shaping up for the 2025-26 season which gets underway on Wednesday (AEDT) when the Thunder begin their title defence against Houston.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dribbles.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
Eastern Conference
Atlanta Hawks: They have built the best team around Trae Young in his previous seven seasons which have yielded just two playoff series wins. It’s a make or break season for the All-Star guard with Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Kristaps Porzingis now on deck to complement his offence-first skill set and Boomers guard Dyson Daniels expected to again challenge for Defensive Player of the Year.
The Hawks should be a lock for a playoff spot but they are unlikely to make it past the second round.
Boston Celtics: They have said goodbye to Jrue Holliday, Al Horford and Porzingis, as well as a few role players who were crucial to their championship win two seasons ago.
Even with Jayson Tatum rehabbing his Achilles, they can’t be totally counted out but with no signings of note apart from Blazers guard Anfernee Simons, the Celtics will be a fringe playoff team unless Tatum gets back well ahead of schedule.
Brooklyn Nets: They are bound for the lottery as they plot a path through the draft to become relevant again after the final remnants of the Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving failed experiment have been traded away.
Ex-Denver forward Michael Porter jnr will put up a ton of shots, as will Cam Thomas, but the Nets will finish at the bottom of the East.
Charlotte Hornets: Yet another season where the franchise is banking on LaMelo Ball to carry them to credibility but his ongoing injury problems and shoot-first style of play means Charlotte will never get anywhere with him as their No.1 option.
They are bound for the bottom rungs of the Eastern Conference yet again and another crack at the draft lottery.
Josh Giddey Chicago Bulls
Josh Giddey. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
Chicago Bulls: Boomers guard Josh Giddey eventually inked a four-year deal to stay in the Windy City and he will be given the keys to the rebuilding team.
He should rack up plenty of triple doubles alongside Coby White in the backcourt but it’s hard to see the Bulls getting anywhere with their roster and another mid-table finish in the play-in tournament beckons.
Cleveland Cavaliers: They are putting their faith in stability after flaming out in last year’s playoffs.
They have an elite scoring option in Donovan Mitchell and if Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley can take another step forward with his offensive game, coupled with the Celtics and Pacers falling off, the Cavs could potentially make the NBA Finals.
If they don’t, expect a significant roster upheaval after this season.
Detroit Pistons: After Cade Cunningham went from good to great last season, the Pistons need to prove they can continue on an upward trajectory.
They no longer have Malik Beasley on the roster after his off-season betting allegations and have replaced him with Miami sharpshooter Duncan Robinson.
The Pistons may not improve too much but they should be hovering around fifth or sixth in the East.
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 27: Johnny Furphy #12 of the Indiana Pacers looks on against the Washington Wizards during the second half at Capital One Arena on March 27, 2025 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Johnny Furphy. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Indiana Pacers: On top of Tyrese Halliburton being sidelined, they have also lost starting center Myles Turner to Milwaukee.
Coach Rick Carlisle will look to develop their younger players this season and Indiana should be a chance at making the playoffs but this will be a gap year after going all the way to the finals last season.
After a better-than-expected rookie season, young Aussie guard Johnny Furphy should get more game time this time around.
Miami Heat: They are stuck in the middle following the Jimmy Butler trade last season with Andrew Wiggins not giving them much of a boost at all.
They haven’t made any significant signings in free agency with Norman Powell the best of a mediocre bunch.
He will rack up buckets and take some of the scoring pressure off Tyler Hero but the Heat are bound for play-in range again.
Milwaukee Bucks: This shapes as a major turning point in the franchise with Giannis Antetokounmpo’s camp making noises that he could be requesting a trade, possibly to the Knicks, if the Bucks don’t click in 25-26.
They targeted Turner on a four-year deal to ease the pressure on Antetokounmpo in the paint and moved on from the Damien Lillard experiment after his injury but there is not much else on the roster that will help keep their franchise star in Wisconsin.
Even Antetokounmpo will struggle to get this team into the top four in a weakened Eastern Conference.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
(Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
New York Knicks: They have their best chance to break their 52-year championship drought since the ‘90s Knicks era.
They fired coach Tom Thibodeau and replaced him with a proven performer in Mike Brown and there is greater depth in the roster so he can reduce the minutes on Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns to have them fresher for the playoffs.
The Knicks shape as the best bet to make it out of the East.
Orlando Magic: They fixed some of their shooting woes by acquiring Bane from the Grizzlies.
With Paolo Banchero now a bona fide All-Star and Franz Wagner not far behind him, the Magic should finish in the top four in the East.
Philadelphia 76ers: Good luck trying to predict the fate of this franchise which has been all over the ship since The Process era.
There are already injury concerns over Joel Embiid and Paul George – if those two stay on the court, the Sixers should be a playoff lock but recent history suggests they’ll miss plenty of time and the team will miss the playoffs.
Toronto Raptors: This is a weird looking roster. After adding Brandon Ingram in a mid-season trade last year, they are hoping he will reverse the injury struggles that he had at the Pelicans to form a solid partnership with Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley.
They have a bunch of players who would be great second or third options but no foundational star.
Although they will be competitive, they give off the impression of a team that does not have a path to title contention.
Washington Wizards: They are heading straight to the bottom as they try to invest in a few young prospects on their roster in the hope that they become long-term NBA players.
They will likely trade CJ McCollum, Khris Middleton and any other veteran player who can get them a draft pick or two in the season as they battle with Brooklyn for the worst lowest record in the Eastern Conference.
DALLAS, TEXAS - MAY 13: Dante Exum #0 of the Dallas Mavericks dribbles the ball against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Four of the Western Conference Second Round Playoffs at American Airlines Center on May 11, 2024 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tim Heitman/Getty Images)
Dante Exum. (Photo by Tim Heitman/Getty Images)
Western Conference
Dallas Mavericks: With Kyrie Irving sidelined for most of the season, if not the entirety of it, with his torn ACL, the Mavericks are backing No.1 draft pick Cooper Flagg to hit the ground running and Anthony Davis to defy his injury history by staying on the court.
Boomers veteran Dante Exum is back on a one-year deal but with a streaky point guard in D’Angelo Russell running the point while Irving is out, the Mavericks are a fringe playoff contender at best.
Denver Nuggets: The front office has shaken things up on the back of firing title-winning coach Michael Malone late last season with Bruce Brown returning to the Mile High City and Tim Hardaway jnr, Cam Johnson and Jonas Valanciunas giving Jokic the support cast he needs.
They may finish only second or third in the regular season but the Nuggets are in prime position to be a playoff juggernaut and are far and away the biggest contender to OKC for the title.
Golden State Warriors: On paper, this veteran team can challenge the very best squads in the league on their day but the problem is that Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler are in the twilight of their illustrious careers and with Celtic recruit Al Horford even older, they are a risky proposition because the nucleus of their team will struggle to perform over the course of an 82-game season.
Jonathan Kuminga wants to take on a greater role on offence but after the way in which the Warriors dragged their fleet before eventually re-signing him in the offseason, it’s unlikely that he will be on the roster past the trade deadline.
This team should make the playoffs but it’s hard to see them going any further.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 15: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors dribbles the ball up court against the New York Knicks during the second half of an NBA basketball game at Chase Center on March 15, 2025 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Steph Curry. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Houston Rockets: After acquiring Kevin Durant in the NBA’s first seven-team trade, the Rockets were on a trajectory towards title contention.
But that flight path hit a massive obstacle in the pre-season when playmaker Fred VanVleet tore his ACL at training.
Houston are ultra thin at the guard spot so they should be looking for a trade as soon as possible otherwise they’ll struggle to get Durant and their other tall timber the ball.
LA Clippers: If you thought the Warriors were old, check out this roster. – they added Bradley Beal, John Collins, Brook Lopez and Chris Paul in the off-season.
As has been the case since he arrived there six years ago, the big question will be surrounding how many games will they have Kawhi Leonard on the court.
Tyronn Lue will have them in contention for top-four spot in the West but such is their injury history and the age of their roster, it’s a massive gamble to think they could do any damage in the playoffs.
LA Lakers: With Luka Doncic slimming down in the off-season and Marcus Smart added to the roster to take some of the load off LeBron James, there is a pathway for the Lakers to get close to the Nuggets and Thunder in the West even though the King is turning 41 in December.
Speculation has already surfaced that all is not rosy in James’ alliance with Doncic so Coach JJ Redick is at the helm of a potentially combustible situation.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 30: Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers dribbles during a 103-96 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game Five of the Western Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on April 30, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Luka Doncic. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Memphis Grizzlies: They traded away Desmond Bane to get Kentavius Caldwell-Pope, four future first-round picks and a swap – a tremendous haul for a player who has yet to make an All-Star team.
They will go as far as Ja Morant takes them and they could be a sneaky top-four challenger in the West.
Boomers centre Jock Landale will likely be in the starting line-up when the season gets underway with Jaren Jackson jnr sidelined by a toe injury.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Apart from Alexander-Walker going to the Hawks, they have brought back the same squad that made it all the way to the Western Conference finals last year with Boomers veteran Joe Ingles providing leadership from the bench.
The question for the Timberwolves is whether Anthony Edwards can elevate into an MVP or whether they will remain just a hair below the top two in the West.
New Orleans Pelicans: Zion Williamson has finally got into shape but doubts remain about whether the All-Star forward will still be able to stay on the court after a string of injuries have hampered his ascension to fulfilling his potential.
They need defensive stopper Herb Jones and Trey Murphy to stay on court to be any hope of making the playoffs.
They should get former All-Star guard Dejounte Murray back early in the new year from an Achilles tear to give them hope of a playoff berth in the second half of the season.
Oklahoma City Thunder: There is little to suggest they won’t dominate again this season and for the next few years with a roster built around Shea Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams who are all in or entering the peak of their careers.
There’s a sniff of the Golden State Warriors of a decade ago about the Thunder and while there’s a long way to go before they build any sort of dynasty, they are the team most likely even with San Antonio rising on the back of French phenom Victor Wembanyama.
Phoenix Suns: The trade frenzy which yielded Kevin Durant and Bradley Beale failed spectacularly and Devin Booker is again looking around the locker room trying to see where he will get any help.
They’ve added Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green and a few other role players but the Suns look a play-in team at best this season.
Portland Trail Blazers: Lillard is back where he belongs but he won’t play this year due to injury and although Holiday is now also on the books, he is chewing up plenty of salary cap and he’s no longer the elite defensive weapon he once was.
The Blazers have plenty of young talent and should be in the play-in range but they are probably a couple of years away from being true contenders in the West.
Sacramento Kings: They should be looking to tear down this weirdly shaped roster and start rebuilding yet again.
They have talent in DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Domontas Sabonis that should be able to get them plenty of draft picks in return.
Sacramento’s defence is diabolical and they could end up a long way out of the playoff picture.
San Antonio Spurs: It all depends on Wembenyama – if he stays on the court, he will win Defensive Player of the Year, feature in more highlights than anyone else in the NBA and he could take the Spurs all the way to the playoffs to fast-track their rebuild.
The Spurs need to get his combination with De’Aaron Fox firing and then the rest of the pieces around them should fall into place.
Utah Jazz: This should be the worst team in the league and poor old Lauri Markkanen should have his Finnish fingers crossed that he is traded to a decent side sooner rather than later.
The Jazz have ummed and aahed about a tank job over the past couple of seasons but after getting rid of Collins, Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton and replacing them with cast-offs and journeymen, they have their eyes firmly on the prize of the top draft pick next season.