The New York Knicks didn't do much this offseason aside from firing Tom Thibodeau after their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in over two decades. While that decision was met with plenty of skepticism, Mike Brown offers much of the same try-hard bravado and he's a far more innovative and accomplished offensive head coach. Thibs did a phenomenal job in New York, but moving on in an effort to take that next, final step toward Finals contention was a reasonable leap of faith.
This roster, as we know, is built to withstand the rigors of an 82-game regular season. New York has built an impressively durable group, especially given how hard Thibs rode his starters. Brown should lean a bit more on the second unit, giving the likes of Duece McBride and Mitchell Robinson more opportunity to shine while conserving his core group. That should also help once the postseason rolls around.
On paper, the East is imminently winnable. The Cleveland Cavaliers still stand in New York's way as a clear frontrunner, but with Boston and Indiana taking gap years due to injured stars, never has the path to Finals contention — and maybe even Finals victory — been clearer.
That said, the Knicks can't get too excited. It won't be a cakewalk, as there are other East teams ready to come out of the woodwork to compete. Beyond Cleveland, here are the five biggest under-the-radar threats to New York's championship aspirations in 2025-26.
5. Milwaukee Bucks
The whole basketball-viewing public seems ready to bury the Milwaukee Bucks and read their final will and testament. That's totally fair, because that roster is bleak. Milwaukee doesn't really control its upcoming draft picks and Giannis Antetokounmpo is already halfway out the door, his current NBA future hinging on the success of Myles Turner, Kyle Kuzma and Damian Lillard's waived and stretched contract. It's just bad.
The path to contention for Milwaukee is extremely narrow and would require basically the perfect confluence of factors, but if Doc Rivers has anything up his sleeve, it's an ace in the form of Giannis freakin' Antetokounmpo. There's still a good argument that he's the second-best player in the world behind Nikola Jokić. When it comes to impacting all areas of the game, few exert their influence more broadly than Giannis. He's an All-Defense candidate on the back line, an annual candidate to lead the NBA in scoring, and a genuine playmaking fulcrum at the four spot.
If Giannis puts together his third MVP season, a totally believable outcome given how much he will be required to do on that team, Milwaukee is going to sneak into the playoffs at the very least. If Kevin Porter Jr. and Gary Trent Jr. get hot at the right time of year again, if Myles Turner can aptly replicate Brook Lopez's inside-out presence at the five spot, if Kyle Kuzma can relocate his jump shot... there's enough there for Milwaukee to at least make things interesting when Giannis is leading the charge.
I am skeptical. You should be too. But the Bucks cannot be ruled out entirely until Giannis is wearing a new uniform or riding off into the retirement sunset. As long as he's in the middle of his prime and touching the rock every time down the floor, the Bucks will be a threat to make things happen. Rivers often coaches his best at a talent deficiency, too. So just keep the Bucks on your radar, even so slightly.
4. Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are the NBA's greatest wild card this season. There is a version of this Sixers roster that is straight up better than every team in the East. Joel Embiid, when anywhere close to full strength, is an MVP candidate and generationally gifted scorer. Paul George was hurt for most of last season. If he comes back, gets right, and returns to pre-2024 form, he's still an excellent second banana, well worth the exorbitant contract Philadelphia handed him a year ago.
That just feels unlikely. Embiid still has not participated in basketball activities this summer and it's reaching the point where hoping for a healthy, happy Joel Embiid feels akin to wishing for world peace. It's just not going to happen. Meanwhile, George is already slated to miss time to begin the season after injuring his knee in a workout, so the cycle has started all over again. Philly is dangerously close to the bad place.
And yet, despite those uncertainties, one can unearth some optimism from the Sixers' young core. Tyrese Maxey is an absurdly talented scorer, with a blend of speed, coordination and touch elsewhere unseen in the NBA. In 23 games before he tore his meniscus last season, Jared McCain was the runaway favorite to win Rookie of the Year, looking like a top-15 shooting guard. Even VJ Edgecombe, the No. 3 overall pick a couple months ago, has what it takes to make an outsized impact as a rookie.
Philly isn't the deepest team, but there is a lot of talent at the top. If, by the grace of God, it can coalesce and remain in tact for an extended period of time, this will be a very dangerous team. In terms of ceiling, the Sixers have arguably the highest ceiling in the East. They also have one of the lowest floors. Time will tell where they ultimately land.
3. Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons took the Knicks to seven games a few months ago, a show of burgeoning force from the NBA's most unexpected contender. Cade Cunningham finally put together all the pieces last season, chief among them health. He's a viable fringe MVP candidate going into 2025-26 and there's no reason to expect Detroit to take a step back.
It's fair to wonder of Cunningham has the necessary support to lead Detroit past New York, Cleveland and the East's upper echelon at the end of the day, but sometimes all you need is a great heliocentric star and a rock-solid group of role players around him. Second-year GM Trajan Langdon clearly knows what he's doing, peppering the roster with shooters will investing in high-upside wing slashers like Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland II.
Thompson and Holland are probably the inflection points for this Detroit team in 2025-26. If one or both takes a substantial leap, a top-3 seed and genuine Finals contention is not out of the picture. While not necessarily likely, the East is weak enough for Detroit to at least pull out a one-off run while the Celtics and Pacers recuperate.
While not quite on his twin's level developmentally, Thompson is a hellacious defender with one-percent athleticism and incredible playmaking chops. If he can hit even a couple 3s a game, the floor will open up big time. As for Holland, he was impressively solid at Summer League, looking far too levelheaded and dynamic for that level of competition. It's what you want to see from a second-year player. He needs to get more consistent from 3-point range as well, but he's a slippery driver with underrated feel and an appreciably high motor. Both those dudes play extremely hard at all times, a trait that is becoming more and more valuable in today's NBA. You need young, fresh legs who don't take plays off.
Teams like Philadelphia and Milwaukee probably boast a higher ceiling due to the superstar talents atop their roster, but the Pistons' floor is high and there is ample room for internal growth.
2. Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks went through a front office overhaul this summer, promoting ex-Spurs and Warriors exec Onsi Saleh from assistant GM to GM after canning Landry Fields. It's hard to give someone too much credit for fleecing Joe Dumars in the year 2025, but Saleh crushed his first offseason at the helm. He turned the 13th pick into Asa Newell and New Orleans' unprotected 2026 first-round pick, one of the most valuable assets in the NBA. He also replaced Clint Capela with Kristaps Porzingis, signed top free agent sixth man Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and added Luke Kennard for cheap.
Those are all great moves that position Atlanta as a genuine contender in the wide-open East. Saleh saw a window of opportunity with Boston and Indiana on hiatus and he seized the moment. There are still those who will question Trae Young as a franchise's 1A, but the man has been to the conference finals before. The blueprint is there.
Atlanta has built a near-perfect roster around Young, at least within their means. Porzingis can space the floor and score efficiently in the post. Onyeka Okongwu is still there to catch lobs and give Atlanta effective two-big looks. Jalen Johnson, if he can stay healthy, is on an All-Star trajectory. Zaccharie Risacher, despite my well-documented skepticism, was the best rookie in the NBA after the All-Star break last season and he looks like the ideal 3-and-D wing to feast on setups from Young.
The Hawks' offense will hum this season. There are injury concerns with Porzingis and others that threaten to derail things, but it terms of ceiling and all-around talent, the Hawks are dangerously close to challenging the Knicks. We know the reputation Young has when it comes to postseason performances at Madison Square Garden. Knicks fans will put on a brave face, but that's not someone the Knicks want to face in a do-or-die situation next summer.
1. Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic pushed their chips in this summer, trading Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and a whopping four first-round picks for Desmond Bane. That trade was met with pushback — many thought it was too much — but it's commonplace for deals of that magnitude these days. It was also the perfect match of skill set and opportunity for Orlando. The East is wide open and very few supplementary stars address their biggest weaknesses quite like Bane will.
If there was anything holding Orlando back last season, it was the Magic's inability to space the floor and open up the halfcourt offense. Bane is an elite marksman who should feast on open looks created by the downhill gravity of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner on the wing. Orlando is also getting back a healthy Jalen Suggs. Lest we forget, the Magic were on a war path last season before Suggs got hurt and the offense fell apart.
Even the more marginal moves, like adding an elite setup man in Tyus Jones and a hyper-efficient off-guard in rookie Jase Richardson, should meaningfully move the needle for Orlando. Richardson was a genuine miracle with the 25th pick. He's a strong All-Rookie candidate. Jones led the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio last season. He doesn't force the issue and he consistently puts his teammates in a position to succeed. He's the sort of steady hand that was missing from the Magic backcourt a year ago.
Orlando has absurd depth across the board, with elite defensive personnel, two burgeoning frontline stars in Banchero and Wagner, and a great upstart coach in Jamahl Mosley. This team feels like a real threat to take the leap and win the East this season. New York and Cleveland are more established, and thus earn the benefit of the doubt, but on paper, Orlando feels very much on the same level.