ESPN's NBA insiders endeavored to predict the records of all 30 NBA teams next season. After so much change this summer, include the codification of new lottery rules to disincentivize tanking, trying to render these predictions with any certainty is impossible. Virtually every team will be trying to win on some level, or at least competing to not finish at the very bottom.
The Eastern Conference hasn't been this strong in a while, with LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard both returning to the conference after long stints in Los Angeles. The West, meanwhile, still has two absolute juggernauts in San Antonio and OKC, with plenty of established contenders lurking a tier below. Let's dive into ESPN's predictions and highlight what raises an eyebrow.
ESPN's predicted NBA standings for 2026-27 season
Order | East | West |
|---|---|---|
1 | New York Knicks (53-29) | San Antonio Spurs (62-20) |
2 | Detroit Pistons (53-29) | Oklahoma City Thunder (60-22) |
3 | Cleveland Cavaliers (51-31) | Denver Nuggets (51-31) |
4 | Philadelphia 76ers (50-32) | Houston Rockets (51-31) |
5 | Boston Celtics (48-34) | Minnesota Timberwolves (50-32) |
6 | Atlanta Hawks (47-45) | Los Angeles Lakers (45-37) |
7 | Miami Heat (47-35) | Portland Trail Blazers (43-39) |
8 | Toronto Raptors (45-37) | Phoenix Suns (42-40) |
9 | Indiana Pacers (44-38) | Golden State Warriors (35-47) |
10 | Orlando Magic (44-38) | Utah Jazz (34-48) |
11 | Charlotte Hornets (34-48) | LA Clippers (33-49) |
12 | Washington Wizards (31-51) | Dallas Mavericks (32-50) |
13 | Chicago Bulls (31-51) | Memphis Grizzlies (27-55) |
14 | Milwaukee Bucks (25-57) | New Orleans Pelicans (25-57) |
15 | Brooklyn Nets (18-64) | Sacramento Kings (19-63) |
Is Brooklyn really the worst team in the NBA?
The Nets won 20 games last season and added Julius Randle on the cheap this summer. There is still some uncertainty around Michael Porter Jr., who might not finish the season in Brooklyn without an extension. Randle, however, has proven himself quite adept as a regular season floor-raiser when he's a focal point offensively. I am not the staunchest of Randle advocates by any means, but his arrival — plus a second year of development for Egor Dëmin and the arrival of No. 6 pick Mikel Brown Jr. — certainly indicates an upward trajectory for the Nets.
Most of all, Jordi Fernandez is a phenomenal head coach. Brooklyn has consistently performed above its means since Fernandez joined the organization, even if "above its means" is 20 wins in a weak conference. The East is more competitive this season, so marginal roster upgrades do not necessarily guarantee a better record. For my money, though, Brooklyn has a better outlook than Milwaukee, at the very least, and I'd wager on the Nets beating last season's win total. The Nets will pester teams all year — and their 2027 first-round pick belongs to Houston, so there's no incentive to hold back.
Pacers are better than the play-in ... right?
Now more than a year removed from their heartbreaking Game 7 loss to Oklahoma City and Tyrese Haliburton's ruptured Achilles, the Pacers are back — at least on paper. Haliburton has dealt with more than his share of setbacks during his recovery, but last we saw him, the 26-year-old was arguably the best point guard in the NBA. Haliburton plays an unselfish brand of basketball, Jokić-coded in his ability to elevate the teammates around him. Indiana also, effectively, swapped out Myles Turner for Ivica Zubac during its gap year, which is a sizable defensive upgrade.
Pascal Siakam is another year older, however, and the East is stuffed with 10 teams that could credibly compete for a top-four seed and a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals. It will not be easy to win even 44 games this season, as the margin for error is nonexistant. But Indiana's ceiling is clearly much higher than this. Rick Carlisle is still one of the NBA's best coaches, and there's plenty of built-in chemistry — a real proof of concept — with this Pacers squad. Haliburton and Zubac will need to figure out their dynamic, but it's hard not to see the vision. Zubac sets monster screens and finishes at the rim with force. Haliburton can elevate him to heights he never reached in Los Angeles.
Luka Dončić could win MVP and propel the Lakers to new heights
It is both fair to criticize the Lakers for haphazardly purging assets and restricting their long-term flexibility for a roster that still pales in comparison to OKC or San Antonio, while also recognizing that Luka Dončić is still the most gifted offensive engine in the NBA not named Nikola Jokić, with a roster now tailored more specifically to his unique skill set.
The Lakers gave up far too much for Walker Kessler, but he has a chance to finish top-five in DPOY voting while elevating the interior defense far beyond what it was last season, with Deandre Ayton on cruise control in the paint. Dončić and Austin Reaves have undeniable chemistry in the backcourt and are two of the most dangerous advantage creators in the league. The Lakers' other offseason additions, namely Sandro Mamukelashvili, Quentin Grimes, and based on recent reporting, quite possibly Jonathan Kuminga, are imperfect. But they all fit together logically.
Health is the biggest factor, of course, but if Dončić can play 70-plus games, he is going to put up gaudy numbers and the Lakers are going to threaten 50-plus wins.
The Pistons missed their window
The Pistons just won 60 games and claimed the top seed in the East, now essentially running back the same roster, swapping out Tobias Harris for John Collins (an upgrade) and adding a couple useful guards. The Isaiah Stewart trade hurts emotionally and well as strategically, but Paul Reed was the most impactful backup big in the playoffs last season besides Mitchell Robinson, so Detroit should be fine.
But what if last season was Detroit's one chance to make this work? The Pistons are still heavily reliant on Cade Cunningham as a one-man generator at the end of the day. Jalen Duren figures to return, either on the qualifying offer or a new long-term deal far lower than his desired value. Either way, it's hard to ignore the vibe shift happening there. Duren bombed in the playoffs and now he's locked in seemingly mean-spirited contract negotiations, clearly not valued by the organization the way he expected after an All-NBA campaign.
The East is much, much deeper this season. And while Detroit has the supposed benefit of continuity — with fewer high-profile changes to iron out than Philadelphia, Miami or Boston — the Pistons' strategy of just playing harder than other teams, relying on brute force over talent, might not play as well this season. It's hard to trust the Pistons offense and if Duren is not the world-beater he was during the regular season, and if Ausar Thompson can't figure out how to take a leap offensively, the Pistons aren't going to recreate last season's success. The playoffs felt like an exposure.
It's time to take the Jazz seriously
A lot of teams will improve dramatically and not really climb in the standings this season. The league's paradigm has shifted, with fewer cakewalks on the schedule and — if the lottery changes do their job — more intense competition on a night-to-night basis. Still, the Jazz feel much too talented to win 34 games next season. Portland, Phoenix and Golden State are all more established, but put those rosters side by side, and you'd be hard-pressed to say Utah is the worst team.
Jaren Jackson Jr.'s health is a huge factor, obviously, but he immediately raises the Jazz's defensive floor (and ceiling), while the combined skill and shooting at the forward spots between Jackson and Lauri Markkanen is a kind of superpower. Darryn Peterson figures to be very good very quickly, while Utah's bench is littered with spry upstarts hoping to make their mark. Ace Bailey is slotted for a year-two leap; Brice Sensabaugh and Isaiah Collier are so much better than the wider basketball world realizes.
Losing Kessler hurts, but Jusuf Nurkić is a solid stopgap. If Kyle Filipowski can take another step in his development, Utah will field a competent center rotation. Will Hardy, meanwhile, is one of the league's brightest young coaches, and he has done a tremendous job establishing the culture in Salt Lake City. The Jazz are going to be a proper handful offensively. If the defense is even remotely passable, you're looking at a top-eight finisher in the West.
Kawhi Leonard and the Raptors are somehow underdogs again
We still don't technically know the fate of the Kawhi Leonard trade, as the NBA continues to drag its feet in the investigation of Steve Ballmer and the Clippers over alleged cap circumvention. That said, all signs point to Leonard eventually joining the Raptors on an official basis, returning to the organization where he won his second championship (and second Finals MVP) seven years ago.
Age and injury are always big talking points with Leonard, but he's something of a machine. Last season was his best individual campaign to date. Whether he can replicate that level of availability and physical output remains to be seen, but the Raptors are dramatically better with Leonard in the mix. There's no question about it. Toronto was the No. 5 seed last season with Brandon Ingram in Leonard's place, effectively. To now project the Raptors as a 45-win eight seed, even with all the other improvements in the East, feels extremely disrespectful.
Between Leonard, Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles, the Raptors are going to suffocate teams defensively. Meanwhile, Leonard is the halfcourt shot creator and late-game executioner Toronto lacked in its narrow first-round loss to Cleveland — a team that eventually made it to the Eastern Conference Finals. If Leonard is happy and healthy, there's a nonzero chance the Raptors are a top-two seed and the favorites to come out of the East. That might not be the safest projection, but to expect Toronto to regress after the Leonard trade is absurd.
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