Grading Every NBA Team's Title Chance After 2025 Offseason
We're just a few weeks from the start of NBA training camps, the time of year when optimism is still running high.
The Oklahoma City Thunder will open the 2025-26 season as title favorites, although no team has repeated as champions in almost a decade. The Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant-led Golden State Warriors were the last to do so in 2016-17 and 2017-18. There are a number of franchises with a real shot at a championship in 2026.
When assigning a grade to every team's title chances, we'll be using the following formula:
- A: The top title contenders. These teams should expect to win the 2026 championship.
- B: Playoffs locks, but one small trade away or need a little internal development to win a title.
- C: Playoff aspirations, but will need a blockbuster trade to reach championship contention.
- D: Hoping for a play-in spot at best. Still a year (or more) away from title talk.
- F: Start checking the 2026 mock drafts.
Let's see how all 30 teams grade out following a busy offseason.
Atlanta Hawks: B
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The Atlanta Hawks' title chances have taken a big step forward from this time a year ago.
Kristaps Porziņģis is the perfect fit as a stretch-five and rim protector at center if he can stay reasonably healthy. Jalen Johnson, 23, was a borderline All-Star before tearing his labrum and Zaccharie Risacher showed real improvement in the back nine of his rookie season.
Believing in Trae Young as the No. 1 option on a championship team is a bit of a stretch, however.
Johnson is going to need to take a massive leap this season or else this team should be having serious Giannis Antetokounmpo trade discussions if it wants to win the 2026 title.
After ranking in the bottom half of the league in offense and defense last season, the Hawks will be better—but probably not a title contender.
Boston Celtics: C
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The 2024 NBA champions can't completely be counted out, especially since they decided to keep Finals MVP Jaylen Brown and two-time All-Defensive team member Derrick White.
The Boston Celtics also have multiple first-round picks they can trade moving forward as well as Anfernee Simons on an expiring $27.6 million contract. The potential to make a move for some frontcourt help is there.
The Eastern Conference is weak enough for the Celtics to still snag a playoff spot, even as Jayson Tatum likely misses the entire season with a torn Achilles.
This is a roster built for the 2027 title race, however, when Tatum, Brown, White and others will all be on the floor together again.
Brooklyn Nets: F
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Brooklyn Nets fans shouldn't even try to talk themselves into being a contender in 2026.
But what if we trade all the future New York Knicks picks for Giannis Antetokounmpo? The East is weak enough we can sneak in! Cam Thomas All-Star season loading!
No. No. No. Just no.
This year is all about development for the Nets and their five first-round picks. This is a complete rebuild that's still in its infancy with a top selection in 2026 the ultimate goal.
Figuring out mutual ground on a new contract for Thomas, seeing improvement in the rookies throughout the year and identifying some building blocks for the future are the primary boxes to check here. Title talk will have to wait for a few years.
Charlotte Hornets: D
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The Charlotte Hornets are tied with the Brooklyn Nets, Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards for the worst championship odds of any NBA team.
This seems a bit unfair, as the Hornets should at least be trying to win.
LaMelo Ball has been an All-Star. Brandon Miller averaged 21.0 points per game last season at age 22. No. 4 overall pick Kon Knueppel could start immediately with his sweet outside shooting.
No one is arguing that Charlotte is going to be a playoff team this season, as there's no real answer at center on this roster. Placing them at the bottom of the NBA with teams who will be actively trying to lose isn't fair, however.
If Ball is healthy, this team is a center trade away from at least being a play-in team in the East.
Chicago Bulls: D
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There's reason for optimism in Chicago this season, although there's a far greater chance the Bulls' season falls apart instead of making a deep playoff run.
Josh Giddey has yet to sign a new contract. Coby White and Nikola Vučević are entering the final season of theirs. Matas Buzelis is going to be a really good starting forward in a few years but needs more polish. The shine on Patrick Williams has officially worn off.
This is a franchise that should be shooting for title contention in 2026-27 coming off a summer where they project to have maximum cap space.
The Bulls may not even be a play-in team this season, especially if White gets traded at some point during the year.
Cleveland Cavaliers: A
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Winning 64 games and leading the NBA in offense was a nice start for the Cleveland Cavaliers' young core a season ago, although now expectations are much higher. Anything less than a championship for this group will be a disappointment.
Letting Ty Jerome walk out the door for $9 million a season may come back to bite this team, especially since Darius Garland and now Max Strus will likely miss the first chunk of the year with injuries.
Still, Lonzo Ball will fill the backup point guard role if healthy and Larry Nance Jr. is the perfect piece for this frontcourt. Donovan Mitchell is at the peak of his powers and Evan Mobley is coming off an All-Star, All-NBA and Defensive Player of the Year season at age 23.
The Cavs should be the favorites to come out of the East and the biggest challenger to the Oklahoma City Thunder's dreams of a repeat.
Dallas Mavericks: C
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A lot will need to go right in order for the Dallas Mavericks to win the 2026 title, although that possibility certainly exists.
Kyrie Irving would need to return at a reasonable time in the 2026 calendar from a torn ACL and look mostly like himself by the start of the playoffs. Anthony Davis would need to stay relatively healthy for the entire 2025-26 campaign and Cooper Flagg can't look like a rookie.
Swapping Daniel Gafford for another ball-handling guard would balance out the roster far better than it stands right now as well.
There's a lot of talent and depth on the new-look Mavs, although injury concerns will likely hold this core back from ever reaching the Finals unless Flagg becomes an All-Star in the next few years.
Denver Nuggets: A
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The 2023 champions pushed the Oklahoma City Thunder to seven games this past spring and look even better on paper to begin the 2025-26 season.
Nikola Jokić is still the best basketball player on the planet at age 30. Cameron Johnson doesn't have the offensive ceiling of Michael Porter Jr., but he may be a better overall fit with his passing and defense. Jamal Murray played some of the best basketball of his career over the final 20 games of the regular season (24.1 points, 5.8 assists, 1.2 steals, 43.8 percent shooting from three).
With a revamped bench that now features Jonas Valančiūnas, Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr., this is the deepest team that the Denver Nuggets have ever put around Jokić.
This is easily the second-best team in the West that features a three-time MVP with nearly 100 games of playoff experience already in his career.
Detroit Pistons: B
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If all goes right with the Detroit Pistons, this can be the third-best team in the Eastern Conference. For a franchise that finished an NBA-worst 14-48 just two years ago, that's a remarkable turnaround.
Cade Cunningham should be an All-Star lock for the next decade. Ausar Thompson is already an outstanding defender at age 22 and Jalen Duren is coming off back-to-back seasons averaging a double-double and is still just 21.
There are questions, however.
How will Jaden Ivey look coming back from a broken leg and sharing ball-handling duties with Cunningham? Is there enough shooting in a starting lineup that features both Thompson and Duren? Will this team go all-in for a star at the deadline?
The Pistons aren't a title contender yet, but could get there quickly with one blockbuster-ish trade.
Golden State Warriors: B
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The Golden State Warriors have to wonder what could have been, as a 1-0 lead in the second round of their series against the Minnesota Timberwolves quickly turned into a gentleman's sweep following Stephen Curry's hamstring injury.
A 23-7 record with Jimmy Butler inspires some confidence that age won't have this team falling off a cliff this season, even with Curry set to turn 38 in March.
The Jonathan Kuminga situation is still far from settled, although it feels like a return to the bay wouldn't be good for anyone. The Warriors desperately need to get players, picks or both in return for their best young trade asset.
Golden State isn't going to win 60 games, but this will be an incredibly difficult playoff matchup for any team to go up against in the West.
Houston Rockets: A
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The No. 2 seed in the West last year, the Houston Rockets will be even better with the addition of Kevin Durant and a step forward from all the young talent on this roster.
It will have been eight years since Durant last led a team to a title, but at age 36 (37 on September 29), the four-time scoring champion is showing little decline.
Alperen Şengün is coming off an All-Star season. Amen Thompson was fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting and Jabari Smith Jr. still has a ton of untapped potential.
A fifth-place finish in defense may be tough to replicate without Dillon Brooks, although this Rockets team should be among the top-10 squads on both sides of the ball this season as they chase a title.
Indiana Pacers: C
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No Tyrese Haliburton is going to doom any chances of the Indiana Pacers returning to the NBA Finals this season.
Just one win away from a championship in 2024-25, the Pacers will need to be patient now while Haliburton recovers from a torn Achilles. Indiana went 46-27 with their star point guard last year, yet were just 4-5 in games that he missed.
There's no good answer at the center position either now that Myles Turner walked out the door in free agency. Isaiah Jackson is coming off a torn Achilles and Jay Huff, 28, has started just two games in his career.
The Pacers should be back in title contention a year from now. There's just too many holes on the roster to expect any real playoff run in 2026.
Los Angeles Clippers: B
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The Los Angeles Clippers are coming off a 50-win season and should be better with the additions of Bradley Beal, John Collins, Brook Lopez and Chris Paul. Losing Norman Powell in the trade for Collins hurts, however.
Head coach Tyronn Lue could easily use an 11-man rotation if he needed to, as these Clippers are incredibly deep overall. Given the collective ages and injury histories of some of these players, Lue should be happy to have eight healthy and rested bodies on any given night.
For a franchise that's been in existence for 56 years and has reached exactly zero NBA Finals, it's tough to predict the Clippers having a realistic title chance.
Still, if Kawhi Leonard, James Harden and the other main characters here are all healthy come playoff time, Los Angeles has a shot.
Los Angeles Lakers: B
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Adding a real NBA center was the No. 1 need for the Los Angeles Lakers this summer, an area they satisfied with the signing of Deandre Ayton.
Ayton isn't the perfect fit alongside Luka Dončić and LeBron James, although he's a major upgrade over Jaxson Hayes in the starting lineup.
Dončić should be in the MVP conversation if the Lakers finish with a top-3 seed once again, although there's bound to be drama surrounding James and his expiring contract.
This is a good team, even after losing Dorian Finney-Smith in free agency. It just isn't an elite team in the West with this current roster.
Memphis Grizzlies: C
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This is easily the most important season of Ja Morant's career.
With no Desmond Bane to lean on as a secondary scorer/playmaker out of the backcourt, the Memphis Grizzlies need a healthy, All-Star season out of Morant to have a chance at making any kind of playoff run.
Unfortunately, injuries are already taking their toll.
Jaren Jackson Jr. and Zach Edey are both recovering from offseason surgeries and could miss the beginning of the regular season. The bones of a really good team are here and Memphis has some added draft capital to use from the Bane trade.
For now, this looks like a play-in team in the West, with a season that could be lost early on if Morant suffers more durability issues.
Miami Heat: C
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The Miami Heat have a good roster, there's just nothing exciting enough about this team heading into the 2025-26 season that should make us believe they can make it out of the first round.
Tyler Herro made his first All-Star game, yet faded away when the Heat needed him the most (four points on 1-of-10 shooting in their Game 4 elimination loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers). Bam Adebyao had the lowest field-goal percentage of his career (48.5 percent,) and Miami ranked just 20th overall in offense after the Jimmy Butler trade.
Norman Powell will help. Kel'el Ware looks like a foundation piece. Davion Mitchell is back on a two-year deal.
This is a team that desperately needs a new alpha to follow, one they currently do not possess.
Milwaukee Bucks: D
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At some point this season, Giannis Antetokounmpo is going to look around a locker room full of new faces following another disappointing loss and wonder if his time with the Milwaukee Bucks has run out.
His championship crew of Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez are all gone. Damian Lillard is back with the Portland Trail Blazers. The collection of Myles Turner, Kyle Kuzma, Cole Anthony and others aren't getting this franchise anywhere close to a title and there's little draft equity left to trade.
Antetokounmpo is good enough to keep this team around .500 by himself, although the Bucks are going to sink fast if the two-time MVP misses any real time. Milwaukee had a net rating of plus-6.9 with Antetokounmpo on the floor last season and minus-4.9 when he sat.
The Bucks need to begin an inevitable rebuild or will be stuck in mediocrity for the next decade.
Minnesota Timberwolves: B
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I really wanted to give the Minnesota Timberwolves' title chances an A, especially since this team finished in the NBA's final four the past two seasons.
Losing Nickeil Alexander-Walker hurts this team's depth, defense and outside shooting. Mike Conley Jr. and Rudy Gobert are only getting worse. Rob Dillingham wasn't even rotation worthy for much of last year despite being selected No. 8 overall. This franchise doesn't have any tradeable first-round picks to upgrade the roster with, either.
Anthony Edwards is amazing and Julius Randle looked more comfortable as his first year in Minnesota transpired. This should still be one of the best defenses in the NBA as well.
With the Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets and both Los Angeles teams getting better in the offseason, however, a stagnant summer by the Wolves leaves them just short of being considered at the top of the title contender list.
New Orleans Pelicans: D
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The New Orleans Pelicans' plan isn't clear right now, as the franchise continues to build around a consistently injured star while choosing to trade away helpful veterans.
Swapping CJ McCollum for Jordan Poole was a dreadful move for on-court production, in the locker room and for the salary cap. The Pelicans went just 4-22 in games without McCollum last year.
Zion Williamson played just 30 games in a 21-win season yet New Orleans willingly gave up an unprotected first-round pick in order to select Derik Queen. Neither Queen, Williamson or Yves Missi (last year's lottery pick) is a three-point shooter, so there's going to be a lot of spacing issues.
There's a fair amount of talent on this roster, especially with Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones and No. 7 overall pick Jeremiah Fears, yet the overall fit is extremely questionable. This is a play-in team at best in the West.
New York Knicks: A
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The New York Knicks should improve on their 51-win season from a year ago, especially with a deeper roster overall.
Keeping the same core while adding veterans in Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele will help ease the burden on this heavily-utilized starting five. New head coach Mike Brown should be more willing to actually play his bench as well.
This was a top-five offense last season that made the Eastern Conference Finals. The Cleveland Cavaliers look like the only real competition in the East, a team that hasn't been able to stay healthy come playoff time the past two years.
If the defense can crack the top-10, this is a true title contender.
Oklahoma City Thunder: A
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The defending champions are the overwhelming favorites to repeat, and for good reason.
Nearly everyone in this rotation should be better as they age closer to their primes. Chet Holmgren should play more than the 32 games he reached last season. Nikola Topić joins the rotation and should be a really good backup point guard behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
This was the No. 1 defense and No. 3 offense in the NBA last season en route to a league-best 68 wins. OKC is extremely deep overall and has virtually no weaknesses.
Opponents have to hope some boredom sets in for this group after already winning a championship, although the Thunder have all the makings of a budding dynasty.
Orlando Magic: B
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If there's a team that can challenge the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks for the top spot in the East, it's the Orlando Magic.
The No. 2 defense in the NBA last season even with Jalen Suggs playing just 35 games, the Magic's offensive woes should be better after adding Desmond Bane and Tyus Jones through a trade and free agency.
Paolo Banchero looks like a future Finals MVP and Franz Wagner is a consistent three-point shot away from becoming an All-Star. This is an extremely deep roster overall with some young talent that can be consolidated in a future trade.
Orlando should comfortably finish with a top-3 seed in the East and will only need to improve offensively to become a legit title contender.
Philadelphia 76ers: C
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Besides the obvious injury concerns, this just isn't a well-put-together roster in Philadelphia.
There's no true power forward to place between Joel Embiid and Paul George when (if) both are on the floor together. Guerschon Yabusele, one of the lone bright spots of last season, left in free agency to sign with the New York Knicks.
There's a lot of guards on this roster (Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain, VJ Edgecombe, Eric Gordon, Kyle Lowry, etc) and not a lot of frontcourt talent to balance things out.
The 76ers went 16-47 overall without Embiid last season (although some of that was by design) and are still entirely dependent on his health for success.
We can't rule out the possibility of a title if everyone is healthy come April, although those odds are extremely slim.
Phoenix Suns: D
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The Phoenix Suns have talent and certainly upgraded their center position this offseason. They may even be better defensively with the addition of Dillon Brooks and a bigger role for Ryan Dunn.
There's just too many roster holes to ignore here, especially the lack of a true point guard.
Devin Booker and Jalen Green will have to find the right balance between scoring and playmaking. Mark Williams needs to prove he can become a rim protector. There's not a lot of reliable depth on this roster, especially at guard.
The Suns went 3-17 without Kevin Durant last season, which seems like a premonition of how this year could go.
Portland Trail Blazers: C
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The Portland Trail Blazers quietly played above .500 basketball (24-23) over the second half of the season with a net rating (plus-1.6) that nearly equaled the New York Knicks (plus-1.7).
Swapping Anfernee Simons for Jrue Holiday should help improve the young talent on this roster, guys like Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe who are still learning how to be pros. Damian Lillard can serve as a mentor while he recovers from a torn Achilles this season as well.
Led by the No. 5 overall defense over the second half, the Blazers could be a sneaky playoff team if they get enough internal development from their young core.
In terms of competing for a championship, however, this group is still a few years away.
Sacramento Kings: C
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The Sacramento Kings' roster has talent, and this team can trade up to six future first-round picks thanks to the De'Aaron Fox deal. We're skeptical that this is actually a playoff team in 2026, but the opportunity to mold and shape the roster is there.
Domantas Sabonis is one of the best offensive big men in the NBA. Zach LaVine shot the lights out with the Chicago Bulls and Kings last season (51.1 percent overall, 44.6 percent from three with both teams, coincidentally). DeMar DeRozan averaged over 20 points per game for the 12th consecutive season.
If young guards like Devin Carter and Keon Ellis pop, the Kings should at least make the play-in tournament.
This team is a star trade away from being considered a true playoff contender, however, and would need a Giannis Antetokounmpo-like talent to make a Finals run.
San Antonio Spurs: B
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The San Antonio Spurs are currently being given the same odds to win the 2026 NBA Finals as the injury-riddled Boston Celtics and depleted Milwaukee Bucks. This is extremely disrespectful to the Spurs, who were playing nearly .500 basketball with Victor Wembanyama in the lineup last season.
De'Aaron Fox gets a full training camp in San Antonio. No. 2 overall pick Dylan Harper has future All-Star written all over him. Stephon Castle is coming off a Rookie of the Year season. Luke Kornet and Kelly Olynyk were both brought in as veteran frontcourt insurance.
Wembanyama is probably the best defensive player in all of basketball already and arguably a top-10 talent overall.
The Spurs should make the playoffs this season and have the draft picks to improve this roster even more.
Toronto Raptors: D
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The Toronto Raptors' terrible start last season (8-31) actually ended rather nicely (22-21).
Toronto had the NBA's third-ranked defense over the final 43 games of the season, a substantial sample size. Brandon Ingram is now on board to help jumpstart a lethargic offense, making the Raptors a team to actually pay attention to in the East this season.
Of course, being a contender to make the playoffs in the East and a contender to win a title are two completely separate things.
The Raptors have to prove their offense can climb out of the bottom of the standings and this three-point shooting attack won't rank 29th once again.
Utah Jazz: F
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Take away all the minutes played by John Collins, Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson and the Utah Jazz had a net rating of minus-12.2 last season (10th percentile via Cleaning the Glass).
All have since been traded or bought out, leaving an even younger cast behind.
The Jazz won just 17 games last season, a number they may not even reach this time around, especially if Lauri Markkanen is eventually traded.
This may be the only team in the Western Conference not trying to make the playoffs next season. Consider the mission accomplished.
Washington Wizards: F
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The Washington Wizards will be in a furious battle with the Brooklyn Nets and Utah Jazz for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft. Veterans like CJ McCollum and Khris Middleton will start the season in our nation's capital but almost certainly won't end up there, either via trade or buyout.
The Wizards finished last year with the worst net rating in all of basketball (minus-12.2) and didn't do much to actually improve this offseason. Jordan Poole was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans.
No. 6 overall pick Tre Johnson will spend the majority of the season as a teenager. Center Alex Sarr shot just 39.4 percent overall as a rookie. Bub Carrington showed flashes but had a minus-5.5 swing rating last year.
The Wizards aren't even going to sniff a play-in spot this season, yet are doing the right thing for their long-term growth.
