We are a week into the NBA’s new calendar for its 2025-26 campaign. Free-agency news has slowed to a trickle. When better to take stock of the league’s landscape, starting in the Eastern Conference, where we have power ranked all 15 teams in so perfect an order that you could not possibly find reason to quibble.
One note before we get to it: The East is wide open.
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This past season’s conference champion, the Indiana Pacers, lost All-NBA point guard Tyrese Haliburton to a ruptured Achilles’ tendon. Last year’s conference champion, the Boston Celtics, lost All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum to the same injury. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s commitment to the Milwaukee Bucks remains in some doubt. The New York Knicks fired head coach Tom Thibodeau and replaced him with Mike Brown.
Meanwhile, the Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic made upgrades to enter the fray as fringe contenders. The East will look a lot different this year. Maybe not better. Probably worse. But definitely a lot different.
Are Cleveland and Atlanta the teams to beat in the East? (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
(Kevin C. Cox via Getty Images)
In: Michael Porter Jr., Terance Mann, Nolan Traoré, Egor Demin, Ben Saraf, Danny Wolf, Drake Powell
Out: Cam Johnson, D’Angelo Russell, De’Anthony Melton, Trendon Watford, Maxwell Lewis
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Nets executive Sean Marks proclaimed that the Nets could be “all in” on this summer, and then he selected each of his five first-round draft picks. He also swapped Cam Johnson for Michael Porter Jr., a less reliable version of Cam Johnson. One or more of those picks may turn into something, but probably not this year, when it seems clear that Brooklyn is more intent on tanking than they were last season.
In: Tre Johnson, Cam Whitmore, CJ McCollum, Kelly Olynyk
Out: Jordan Poole, Saddiq Bey
The Wizards did a good bit of good business this summer. They rid themselves of the final two years on Jordan Poole’s contract and added Tre Johnson, the No. 6 overall pick. The additions of CJ McCollum and Kelly Olynyk to a pool of veterans that also includes Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart may do wonders for the development of a young core. That doesn’t change the fact that Washington is going to be bad.
In: Kon Knueppel, Liam McNeeley, Collin Sexton, Pat Connaughton, Spencer Dinwiddie
Out: Vasilije Micić, Jusuf Nurkić, Mark Williams
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It is possible to both like what the Hornets did this summer, adding some scoring punch around their existing young core, and to believe it will make little difference in their performance next season. Nothing will make more of a difference for Charlotte than the healthy return of Brandon Miller, a rising star. But this is still a team led by 23-year-old point guard LaMelo Ball, one of the great inhibitors in league history.
In: Noa Essengue, Isaac Okoro
The Bulls were not very good last season, and they have made no marked improvements over the summer, other than adding Noa Essengue, an 18-year-old No. 12 overall pick. This after they traded Zach LaVine for little return at the February deadline. Trading Lonzo Ball for Isaac Okoro isn’t an answer, either. In fact, it means Chicago has to pay Okoro and Patrick Williams, a pair of wings who have not meaningfully impacted winning in their careers, a combined $29 million for each of the next two seasons.
In: Collin Murray-Boyles, Sandro Mamukelashvili
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The Raptors, who fired their longtime president of basketball operations, Masai Ujiri, shortly after the draft, are slated to pay $156.5 million to Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram, Immanuel Quickley, R.J. Barrett and Jakob Poeltl next season for a team that won 30 games last season. Not one of them is on a team-friendly contract, and while we are not yet sure how well they all play together, since Ingram never returned from an ankle injury last season, we are pretty sure that he does not take them over the top.
In: Norman Powell, Kasparas Jakučionis
Out: Duncan Robinson, Kyle Anderson, Kevin Love
I’m not entirely positive what the Heat’s plan is for the future, but in the meantime they added Norman Powell, a 32-year-old who warranted consideration for his first All-Star selection last season. Between him, Andrew Wiggins, Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo, Miami boasts a handful of players who fall short of their All-Star ceilings more often than not. Gone is Jimmy Butler and any hope of a bona fide superstar.
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How Miami meshes into one team will be a wild experiment and one from which head coach Erik Spoelstra will have a hard time molding a formidable defense. The Heat are a wayward franchise located in one of the league’s premier markets, and I doubt Powell is the one player to get them back on course.
What a magical run it was for these Pacers, who reached Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, only for rising expectations to be undercut in moments. They lost Tyrese Haliburton to an Achilles injury that was somehow less surprising than the departure of Myles Turner in free agency. This is now a team built around Pascal Siakam, and when last we saw that the Toronto Raptors were bound for a 25-win season.
Still, Indiana features Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith and the cast of characters who carried the Pacers on their surprising postseason run. They should have some fight left in them, at least until there is no reason left to fight, so do not entirely write off their ability to compete for a fringe playoff spot.
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The 76ers are made of a whole lot of ifs. If Joel Embiid can get healthy. If Paul George can stay healthy. If Jared McCain can be as good as he looked before he was hurt. If VJ Edgecombe is as good as advertised.
They have to blend a talented young core with two highly paid veterans who are entirely unreliable, which is either a recipe for success or disaster, and that is why we have them ranked squarely in the middle of this pack. They will either finish much higher than eighth or much lower, but for now we keep them here.
In: Anfernee Simons, Georges Niang, Luka Garza, Hugo González, Josh Minott
Out: Kristaps Porziņģis, Jrue Holiday, Luke Kornet
I’m not sure what to make of the Celtics in the wake of Jayson Tatum’s Achilles injury. They are definitely much worse after trading both Kristaps Porziņģis and Jrue Holiday and losing Luke Kornet to free agency. We all knew this was coming, as Boston had a mandate from ownership to get under the second apron.
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They also have some talent remaining. Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard will score in bunches for the Celtics. Anfernee Simons might, too, if he sticks around. My guess is they will remain competitive under head coach Joe Mazzulla. That does not disguise the fact that they are without a true center, especially if Al Horford leaves in free agency, unless you consider Neemias Queta the answer.
In: Myles Turner, Vasilije Micić, Gary Harris
Out: Brook Lopez, Damian Lillard, Pat Connaughton
The Bucks made one of the biggest swings of the offseason, swiping Myles Turner from the Pacers. They waived the injured Damian Lillard in the process, crippling their salary cap sheet for the foreseeable future, but the upgrade from Brook Lopez to Turner is an undeniable one for Milwaukee.
Whether or not it is enough to sell Giannis Antetokounmpo on the long-term health of the franchise we shall see. I wouldn’t be holding my breath on a commitment from the two-time MVP if I were the Bucks. And that creates instability across the organization. Almost as much instability as featuring Kevin Porter Jr. and Vasilije Micić as primary ball-handlers. There are holes on this roster that one summer cannot fix.
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Still, they have Antetokounmpo … for now.
In: Caris LeVert, Duncan Robinson
Out: Dennis Schröder, Tim Hardaway Jr.
I can’t say I’m wild about what the Pistons have accomplished this summer, considering they had the flexibility to do a whole lot more, but I’m not down on them, either. They let walk Dennis Schröder and Tim Hardaway Jr., a pair of veterans who meshed on a team that outperformed expectations, replacing them with Caris LeVert and Duncan Robinson, two more vets whom Detroit hopes can do the same.
Perhaps it is best that Detroit did not rock the boat, as its success depends on how quickly Cade Cunningham can ascend into superstardom, and the Pistons still have the flexibility to improve the roster around him if and when he does. Cunningham is close, if not on the precipice, and so too are the Pistons.
In: Kristaps Porziņģis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Luke Kennard, Asa Newell, David Roddy
Out: Clint Capela, Larry Nance Jr., Georges Niang, Terance Mann, Cody Zeller
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It is hard not to like everything the Hawks have done this summer. They parted with a handful of well-traveled veterans and welcomed a pair of playoff-caliber contributors in Kristaps Porziņģis and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Most of this hinges on Porziņģis’ health, and that is a real concern, but when healthy he is among the best in the business at protecting the rim and spacing the floor from the center position.
Likewise, the addition of Alexander-Walker bolsters a wing rotation that already includes rising star Jalen Johnson, Most Improved Player Dyson Daniels and 2024 No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher. Luke Kennard adds more shooting to the group, too. All in all a summer of significant improvement in Atlanta.
In: Desmond Bane, Tyus Jones, Jase Richardson, Noah Penda
Out: Cole Anthony, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cory Joseph, Gary Harris
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The Magic needed ball-handling and shooting, and they found it in Desmond Bane and Tyus Jones. Jase Richardson, a first-round pick, could help in that regard, too. As should a healthy return of Jalen Suggs.
Health was the biggest factor in the Magic’s fall to a seventh seed last season. Both Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner suffered torn obliques that kept them out for good chunks of the season. When combined with a season-ending injury to Suggs, Orlando’s best players only played a smattering of games together.
What was most impressive about the Magic was their ability to sustain a high level of defensive effort into the playoffs, despite their injuries. If that carries forward into next season, and if the additions of Bane and Jones keep them from the bottom 10 on offense for the first time in forever, the Magic are a handful.
In: Jordan Clarkson, Guerschon Yabusele
Out: Precious Achiuwa, P.J. Tucker
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The Knicks added Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele, two rotation players who may or may not be able to contribute meaningful minutes in the playoffs. They will help during the regular season, when the Knicks had as few as six reliable players at points last season, and that should assist them in their pursuit of a top seed in the East, but neither new player meaningfully alters New York’s playoff ceiling.
It is also unclear if firing head coach Tom Thibodeau and replacing him with Mike Brown will mark any overall improvement. The offense should benefit, and everyone in the rotation should have fresher legs for the playoffs, but will the Knicks have the same grit under Brown? They still boast the same seven-man rotation that led them to the Eastern Conference finals, and that should be plenty to navigate this East.
In: Lonzo Ball, Larry Nance Jr.
Out: Ty Jerome, Isaac Okoro
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The Cavaliers are a 64-win team that largely remained intact through the first week of free agency. Sure, they underwhelmed in the playoffs, losing in five games of a second-round series to the Pacers, but injuries (specifically the one to Darius Garland’s toe) played a major factor in their disappointment.
The acquisition of Lonzo Ball replaces much of the playmaking they lost from Ty Jerome’s free-agency departure while marking an upgrade on defense, assuming Ball can stay healthy. Further development from ascendant young star Evan Mobley also allows room for improvement. There is a very real chance, with another year of head coach Kenny Atkinson’s tutelage, the Cavs could be better than they were a year ago, especially in a watered-down Eastern Conference. At the very least, they should be no worse.
