Several big names changed zip codes this summer to make for what should be a wild and highly entertaining nine months of NBA basketball.
Anti-tanking rules are in place to prevent teams from intentionally crashing and burning.
Points of emphasis have been defined. No flopping. No arm extensions.
All that remains is starting the 2026-27 season, which begins Tuesday, Oct. 20, with a tripleheader.
- Boston Celtics at Detroit Pistons in an early noon MST start.
- Philadelphia 76ers versus defending champion New York Knicks (4 p.m.) at Madison Square Garden in LeBron James' debut with his new team
- Oklahoma City Thunder at the San Antonio Spurs (6:30 p.m.) in a rematch of the Western Conference finals the Spurs took with a Game 7 stunner over the then-defending NBA champion Thunder in OKC.
Oh wait. One more thing. Here's a breakdown of the 30 NBA teams in four categories — championship contender, playoff contender, play-in possibilities and lottery bound.
Eastern Conference: Title contenders (2)
New York Knicks – Defending NBA champions with a returning starting five led by arguably the league’s best clutch player, Jalen Brunson.
Cleveland Cavaliers – The Cavs went from eighth in defensive
rating in 2024-25 to 15th last season. Must improve on that end to seriously contend.
Playoff contenders (6)
Boston Celtics – This is now Jayson Tatum’s team. Boston will remain 3-friendly, but Mitchell Robinson anchoring their defense is a real difference maker.
Philadelphia 76ers – Landing James, on a veteran minimum's deal by the way, improves the 76ers, and Jaylen Brown and Tyrese Maxey can be one of the NBA’s best 1-2 punches.
Detroit Pistons – Not a 60-win team, but Cade Cunningham can’t be the lone clutch answer.
Toronto Raptors – If Kawhi Leonard plays at least 65 games again, Toronto cracks the top six.
Miami Heat – The Heat didn’t finally land Giannis Antetokounmpo to remain a play-in team.
Washington Wizards – Rookie AJ Dybantsa is nice. If Anthony Davis and Trae Young stay healthy?
Play-in (3)
Orlando Magic – Changing head coach suggests talent isn’t the problem.
Atlanta Hawks – Jalen Johnson triple-double season. Hawks must be better around him.
Indiana Pacers – Tyrese Haliburton back after missing last season with the Achilles injury.
Lottery (4)
Milwaukee Bucks – Expect a rough start to the post-Antetokounmpo era.
Charlotte Hornets – Love the youth. Added vets. Still a work in progress.
Chicago Bulls – Same boat as the Hornets.
Brooklyn Nets – Long seasons, plural, await.
Western Conference: Title contenders (4)
San Antonio Spurs – Dylan Harper’s emergence plus the addition of Tobias Harris makes the defending Western Conference champions even stronger.
Oklahoma City Thunder – As great as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is, having a healthy Jalen Williams gives the Thunder that guy to punish defenses for doubling the two-time MVP.
Denver Nuggets – The Nuggets haven’t reached the conference finals since 2023 when winning it all, but they’re still a title contender with the NBA’s best player, Nikola Jokic.
Minnesota Timberwolves – Major stretch here. Anthony Edwards should be in the running for league MVP. If LaMelo Ball plays consistently well, T-Wolves will be right there.
Playoff contenders (6)
Houston Rockets – Finally see Houston’s vision with a truer point guard in Fred VanVleet.
Los Angeles Lakers – Luka Doncic 35, 7 and 8 again. Everyone else will determine the season.
Portland Trail Blazers – Sleeper. Ja Morant fresh start. Damian Lillard back. Deni Avdija, too?
Phoenix Suns – Looking to build off a surprise season, Suns are younger, more athletic.
Golden State Warriors – Wondering how good they can be if everyone stays healthy?
Utah Jazz – Time for the Jazz to start taking winning seriously again.
Play-in (1)
Dallas Mavericks – Cooper Flagg a year better. Kyrie Irving can still play, people.
Lottery (4)
Los Angeles Clippers – When off-court issues outweigh on-court play, not good.
Memphis Grizzlies – Post-Morant era best for player, organization.
New Orleans Pelicans – Joe Dumars continues rebuild.
Sacramento Kings – Ben Simmons returns.
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: NBA rankings, featuring our 6 championship contenders for this season
