In the wake of the Sixers‘ acquisition of Jaylen Brown and signing of LeBron James, some sportsbooks have a new frontrunner to come out of the Eastern Conference next spring, with Philadelphia now neck-and-neck with New York as the betting favorite to represent the East in the NBA Finals.
The 76ers have arguably the most loaded starting five in the NBA, with Brown and James set to join forces with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and VJ Edgecombe. But it’s too early to pencil in Philadelphia as a juggernaut. Embiid hasn’t appeared in more than 39 regular season games in any of the past three years, and the team’s center depth behind him – Adem Bona and Ariel Hukporti – is untested. There are also questions about how quickly the new-look Sixers will develop chemistry and how so many ball-dominant players will fit together.
The Sixers are hardly the only Eastern Conference contender whose significant upside is complicated by some potential red flags. The Knicks, for instance, proved this past season that they’re capable of winning a championship and they’re still considered by most sportsbooks to be the favorite to win the East, but they lost center Mitchell Robinson, who played a key role in this year’s title run.
The Celtics, who signed Robinson away from New York earlier this month, had a terrific regular season in 2025/26 even though Jayson Tatum spent most of the year recovering from an Achilles tear. A healthy Tatum appears ready to lead Boston back to the playoffs in ’26/27, but it remains to be seen how the club will respond after the front office swapped out Brown for a 36-year-old Paul George.
The Pistons led the East with 60 regular season wins in ’25/26, but they struggled to get out of the first round and it’s debatable whether they’ve upgraded the roster this summer. While Detroit added more shooting by trading for John Collins, Isaiah Joe, and Taurean Prince, the club also parted ways with key rotation players like Isaiah Stewart and Tobias Harris, and has yet to work out a new deal with restricted free agent center Jalen Duren. With the exception of drafting Ebuka Okorie, the Pistons also haven’t made moves to lessen **Cade Cunningham**‘s play-making responsibilities.
The Cavaliers won two playoff series and appeared in the Eastern Conference finals this spring, but role players Dean Wade and Keon Ellis walked in free agency, and Meleek Thomas and Mario Hezonja are Cleveland’s only offseason additions so far.
The Heat acquired Giannis Antetokounmpo from Milwaukee and will pair him with Bam Adebayo in a formidable frontcourt, but they sacrificed major depth to make that deal, with Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel’el Ware, and Kasparas Jakucionis traded to Milwaukee while Norman Powell departed as a free agent. It remains to be seen whether they’ll have the supporting cast necessary to seriously contend in Giannis’ first year with the organization.
Acquiring Kawhi Leonard will make the Raptors an intriguing threat to make a run in the East, but that trade remains on hold indefinitely as the NBA works through its Aspiration investigation. And even if it gets done before the regular season, Toronto won’t have much cap flexibility left to add more shooting to a roster that ranked 26th in three-pointers per game in ’25/26.
The Pacers are a year removed from an NBA Finals appearance and look poised to bounce back from a disappointing season with Tyrese Haliburton set to rejoin a roster that now features Ivica Zubac at the five. Still, Haliburton hasn’t played a game in over a year after tearing his Achilles — he may need some time to recapture his previous form.
The Magic and Hawks both made the playoffs last season and will enter training camp this fall expecting to do so again. Orlando had bad health luck last season and finished as the No. 8 seed, but took a 3-1 lead on the top-ranked Pistons in the first round before losing star forward Franz Wagner to a calf injury. Atlanta, meanwhile, finished the regular season on a 19-5 heater and will bring back nearly everyone who played key roles during that run while also adding Luguentz Dort and Aaron Wiggins.
That’s 10 teams for eight playoff spots, and we haven’t even gotten to the Hornets and Wizards. Charlotte won 28 of 38 games to close out last season, while Washington will be incorporating veteran All-Stars Trae Young and Anthony Davis, along with No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa. It’s safe to assume both teams have play-in aspirations, at the very least.
While the Spurs and Thunder are still widely regarded as the NBA’s very best teams and next year’s biggest title threats, it increasingly looks like the East could be the stronger conference top to bottom in 2026/27, with the race for the eight guaranteed playoff spots expected to be extremely competitive.
We want to know what you think. Which eight Eastern Conference teams do you have making the playoffs? Which two will be eliminated in the play-in? Which of the 12 we discussed above will finish outside the top conference’s top 10? And, given that they have no incentive to tank, should we count on the Bulls, Bucks, or Nets to crash the party?
Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your predictions!