The NBA's Eastern Conference is hot right now, with the defending champion New York Knicks sitting atop a deep collection of improved teams.
LeBron James is back in the East, signing with the Philadelphia 76ers last month after eight seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. Kawhi Leonard could return to the conference too, as his trade to the Toronto Raptors awaits the league's investigation into possible salary cap circumvention by the LA Clippers.
The Miami Heat added Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Detroit Pistons return much of the core that won 60 games last season. The Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic all feel they deserve a place in the conference's upper tier.
While the East race might prove to be a gauntlet this upcoming season, the Western Conference is still home to the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs and Denver Nuggets -- contenders who boast five of the past six MVPs and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Victor Wembanyama.
How will the races for home-court advantage, the play-in tournament and draft lottery positioning play out? ESPN's NBA insiders are projecting the full East and West standings for 2025-26. (Note: Summer Forecast continues Tuesday with predictions for 2027 conference and NBA Finals champions.)
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East standings | West standings
Big questions on the rookie class
East standings projection
The contenders
1. New York Knicks (53-29)
2. Detroit Pistons (53-29)
3. Cleveland Cavaliers (51-31)
4. Philadelphia 76ers (50-32)
5. Boston Celtics (48-34)
The strength of the conference is its top tier. That begins with the champion Knicks, who return every major contributor with the exception of center Mitchell Robinson. And each of our forecast's top four teams can make the case that with its pure talent, continuity or a mix of both, it could pace the conference at the end of 82 games.
After securing 60 wins and the East's top seed in 2025-26, Detroit chose to rely mostly on internal improvement. The Pistons' biggest move this offseason has been swapping in John Collins for veteran Tobias Harris, who signed with the Spurs.
Cleveland hopes a full season of the Donovan Mitchell-James Harden backcourt and its recent acquisition of two-way wing Peyton Watson can buoy the franchise after last season's run to the conference finals.
Philadelphia, after trading for Jaylen Brown and signing LeBron James, enjoyed the greatest infusion of talent the conference has seen since James left Miami for his second stint with Cleveland over a decade ago. Health and cohesion will be among Philly's biggest concerns, but the 76ers have by far the biggest upside of any team in the East.
Boston is banking on a full season from Jayson Tatum -- the star forward played just 16 games last season after returning from an Achilles tear -- and hoping Paul George can stay upright and healthy long enough for coach Joe Mazzulla to work his regular-season magic once again. -- Vincent Goodwill
The play-in group
6. Atlanta Hawks (47-35)
7. Miami Heat (47-35)
8. Toronto Raptors (45-37)
9. Indiana Pacers (44-38)
10. Orlando Magic (44-38)
The days when the bottom of the East could be perceived as a cakewalk are gone. Several teams up and down the standings loaded up on talent during the offseason with aspirations of taking the next step, and all five teams in this group could make a case that they deserve to compete in the higher tier.
Miami and Toronto acquired Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kawhi Leonard, respectively. After pulling off such seismic deals, both teams will begin the season considering themselves top contenders -- pending the health of those stars.
The Pacers are also getting a major boost with Tyrese Haliburton returning after missing last season with a torn Achilles. The last time the Pacers were fully healthy, they were on one of the most thrilling playoff runs in recent memory, which brought them one win away from the championship in 2025.
And both the Hawks and Magic looked promising at the start of last season's playoffs, taking a lead in their postseason series as underdogs before losing three straight games. Both teams can enter this season with hopes of capitalizing on that initial momentum. -- Jamal Collier
The bottom five
11. Charlotte Hornets (34-48)
12. Washington Wizards (31-51)
13. Chicago Bulls (31-51)
14. Milwaukee Bucks (25-57)
15. Brooklyn Nets (18-64)
These five teams fall out of the playoff picture for different reasons.
The Hornets made a risky bet after one of their strongest seasons in years by trading former franchise player LaMelo Ball to shift the focus to some of their more successful recent draft picks -- particularly Brandon Miller and 2026 Rookie of the Year runner-up Kon Knueppel. If it works, Charlotte could be back in the play-in mix. If not, the Hornets might keep meandering for years to come.
The Bulls and Wizards just added potential franchise players with the Nos. 1 and 4 picks in this year's draft, respectively. But while Chicago turns the keys to Caleb Wilson and tries to use its veterans to complement its rising star, Washington has a more delicate dance. The Wizards will try to balance the development of top pick AJ Dybantsa with the presence of Trae Young and Anthony Davis, who are trying to resurrect their careers in D.C.
Meanwhile, the Bucks will pivot after reaching the end of the Antetokounmpo era but still have a collection of solid veterans, led by Tyler Herro and Myles Turner, and a mix of young talent. The Nets ... are also here, but Brooklyn did add former All-NBA forward Julius Randle to help provide legitimacy to its rebuild.
With the league's newest draft lottery rules and the relegation zone in effect, the five teams in this category won't have as much incentive to lose. How that will affect the bottom of the standings will be a storyline all season long. -- Collier
West standings projection
The contenders
1. San Antonio Spurs (62-20)
2. Oklahoma City Thunder (60-22)
3. Denver Nuggets (51-31)
4. Houston Rockets (51-31)
5. Minnesota Timberwolves (50-32)
Just when you thought Oklahoma City might strengthen its hold on the West, Wembanyama and the upstart Spurs embarked on a surprising run to the NBA Finals and knocked off the defending champions along the way. This rivalry has been brewing for years, but it ramped up last season. Including the NBA Cup, the regular season and the playoffs, the Spurs and the Thunder met 12 times last season, with the former seizing eight victories.
San Antonio upgraded this offseason by adding veteran Tobias Harris while keeping the core of Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, De'Aaron Fox, Devin Vassell, Dylan Harper, Keldon Johnson, Julian Champagnie and Carter Bryant intact. The Thunder, meanwhile, lost Luguentz Dort, Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins but remain confident Cason Wallace and Ajay Mitchell are primed for bigger roles.
The West goes through either Oklahoma City or San Antonio, but don't count out Houston. The Rockets expect to take another step in Year 2 with Kevin Durant, bolstered by the return of guard Fred VanVleet and continued improvements from Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard. The Timberwolves could creep into the mix, too, if LaMelo Ball meshes well and draws some of the extra attention Anthony Edwards routinely receives. However, Minnesota lacks a true power forward after the franchise lost Julius Randle (to Brooklyn) and Naz Reid (to Charlotte) this offseason.
In Denver, you can never count out a team that features a three-time MVP in Nikola Jokic. But the Nuggets' biggest move this summer was essentially swapping Peyton Watson for DeMar DeRozan, plus gaining some much-needed breathing room above the second apron. -- Michael C. Wright
The play-in group
6. Los Angeles Lakers (45-37)
7. Portland Trail Blazers (43-39)
8. Phoenix Suns (42-40)
9. Golden State Warriors (35-47)
10. Utah Jazz (34-48)
The Lakers were a play-in team three times with LeBron James, and now that he is gone, it will be Luka Doncic's challenge to lead L.A. to a top-six spot. The Lakers are coming off back-to-back 50-win seasons with coach JJ Redick but will field a drastically different lineup beyond the obvious change with James' departure. Gone too are major contributors Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura, Deandre Ayton and Luke Kennard, with Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Collin Sexton headlining the roster turnover.
Portland has undergone an even more dramatic transition. Interim coach Tiago Splitter parted ways with the team after guiding it to a 42-39 record. Chauncey Billups was suspended and is now coaching the Bulls. New Blazers owner Tom Dundon hired longtime Timberwolves assistant coach Micah Nori and ruffled feathers in the coaching community by offering only one guaranteed year on Nori's contract.
Nori will be commanding a new-look team featuring Ja Morant, who has played just 79 games over the past three seasons after back-to-back All-Star nods in 2022 and 2023, and franchise icon Damian Lillard, who missed all of last season (save for a triumphant 3-point contest) while rehabbing an Achilles tear.
Rounding out the tier, Phoenix traded Royce O'Neale and Grayson Allen to Charlotte for Miles Bridges and signed Kennard as a free agent while retaining the core that won 45 games under first-year coach Jordan Ott. Golden State missed out on James and had an otherwise uneventful offseason, but the Warriors did see a glimpse of first-round draft pick Yaxel Lendeborg's potential during summer league. Their chances could hinge on just how quickly Jimmy Butler III can return from the torn right ACL he suffered in January.
And the Jazz, winners of a combined 70 games over the past three seasons, finally appear primed to compete next season with No. 2 pick Darryn Peterson added to a core of Lauri Markkanen, Keyonte George, Ace Bailey and former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr., who was acquired in February via trade with Memphis. -- Dave McMenamin
The bottom five
11. LA Clippers (33-49)
12. Dallas Mavericks (32-50)
13. Memphis Grizzlies (27-55)
14. New Orleans Pelicans (25-57)
15. Sacramento Kings (19-63)
Each of these teams is in the relatively early stage of a franchise reset.
The Mavericks are optimistic they can be competitive in rising star Cooper Flagg's second season. Dallas overhauled its front office and coaching staff in the offseason, bringing in Masai Ujiri to run basketball operations and Dusty May to roam the sideline, but the most impactful addition will probably be Kyrie Irving's return after missing all of last season with a knee injury. Irving, who was an All-Star for the ninth time in 2024-25, should provide a major jolt to an offense that ranked 27th last season.
The Clippers, after failing to make it out of the first round of the playoffs the past five years, hope to move on from the Kawhi Leonard era. However, the trade they struck to send Leonard back to Toronto is on hold as the NBA's investigation into potential salary cap circumvention drags on. The roster uncertainty makes it a fool's errand to attempt to forecast the Clippers' record.
The Grizzlies and Kings are relying heavily on rookie lottery picks Cameron Boozer and Darius Acuff Jr., respectively. Both franchises anticipate growing pains after committing to building around young cores.
The Pelicans' plan is not so clear. In a season marred by a tanking epidemic, New Orleans finished with only 26 wins despite ample incentive to contend due to trading its first-round pick. The Pelicans didn't make any significant roster changes over the summer. -- Tim MacMahon
