NBA 2026-27 Preview: All 30 Teams Tiered Into 8 Groups — SkimNews
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- Knicks, Thunder and Spurs sit alone as championship favorites — the only teams to win a game in last season's conference finals — returning 14 of 15 starters, with All-Defensive wing Luguentz Dort (traded from OKC to Atlanta) the lone exception.
- Lakers and Timberwolves head the flawed-West-contenders tier after major remodels: the Lakers imported Walker Kessler while losing LeBron James, and the Wolves traded for LaMelo Ball and signed Jonathan Kuminga but lost the Julius Randle/Naz Reid combo; the Nuggets and Rockets largely stood pat, with Houston extending Amen Thompson to a five-year deal alongside Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason.
- Boston, Cleveland and Detroit form the regular-season win-machines tier — the Celtics traded recent Finals MVP Jaylen Brown, the Cavaliers gave up depth plus an unprotected first-round pick for Peyton Watson, and the Pistons still lack secondary scoring behind Cade Cunningham with Jalen Duren unsigned in restricted free agency.
- Pacers, Heat, 76ers and Raptors are tagged high-upside Finals contenders contingent on health: Tyrese Haliburton returning from an Achilles tear, Joel Embiid fresh in April/May, and Kawhi Leonard "presumably" available for Toronto.
- Hawks and Magic occupy a Southeast Goldilocks tier after finishing 46 and 45 wins last season; Atlanta added Dort and Aaron Wiggins while Orlando hired new coach Sean Sweeney.
- Bulls and Kings keep their own 2027 first-rounder under new lottery rules that penalize the three worst records, while the Nets (owed to Houston), Clippers (to OKC) and Bucks (to Atlanta or New Orleans) have no such incentive — a dynamic the piece flags as potentially encouraging tanking from that trio.
- Bucks lost Giannis Antetokounmpo but now carry a half-dozen quality guards including former All-Star Tyler Herro on a contract year, landing them in the bottom tier alongside Brooklyn and the Clippers.
Why it matters: The Bucks' Giannis trade and the Celtics' Jaylen Brown deal reshape the league's competitive map: two perennial contenders now sit in the same noncompetitive tier as the Nets and Clippers, while the new anti-tanking lottery rules give Chicago and Sacramento a concrete reason to play for seeding and strip that restraint from Brooklyn, LA and Milwaukee. With 10+ teams in the crowded middle showing legitimate playoff upside, the Knicks-Thunder-Spurs trio has the clearest title path entering the season.
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