New NBA Power Rankings After Wild Start to Trade and Free Agency Season
It's been a wild month or so for the NBA.
The New York Knicks ended a 53-year title drought, and the rest of the league responded with trades of Giannis Antetokounmpo, LaMelo Ball, Jaylen Brown, Kawhi Leonard and more.
A handful of big contracts were handed out to free agents too, including Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler for the Los Angeles Lakers, Trae Young for the Washington Wizards and Mitchell Robinson for the Boston Celtics.
In the wake of all the chaos (and while we await LeBron James' Decision 4.0), we're here to once again sort through the entire league in the form of power rankings.
We'll use the same criteria that's guided us for years (team and player stats, recent performance, championship chances and plenty of subjectivity), but an offseason edition naturally requires more projection than usual.
Below, you'll find how the entire league stacks up nearly a week into free agency.
30. Sacramento Kings (22-60)
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Previous Rank: 30
The list of losses for this team could soon grow, if Russell Westbrook and Doug McDermott sign elsewhere and DeMar DeRozan gets a buyout.
But for now, the most meaningful difference, is the addition of first-round picks Darius Acuff and Alex Karaban.
The former, especially, should get tons of developmental minutes this coming season, since the Kings should really have nothing to prioritize over him and the possibility that this could soon be his team.
29. Milwaukee Bucks (32-50)
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Previous Rank: 28
After finally trading Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks seem like a near-shoo-in for the 2027 lottery.
Yes, Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kel'el Ware could make them a bit more competitive than expected in the short term, but with fewer teams openly tanking, it's hard to see this roster outperforming many others in the East.
So this season (and maybe the next couple after it), will be as much about the development of incoming rookies Brayden Burries and Nate Ament and new coach Taylor Jenkins as it is about anything else.
28. Brooklyn Nets (20-62)
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Previous Rank: 29
The Brooklyn Nets drafted Mikel Brown with the No. 6 pick in this summer's draft. And there will certainly be plenty of time and attention paid to his development.
But the rest of the offseason suggests Brooklyn wants to be more competitive than the 20-62 team it was in 2025-26.
Adding Julius Randle (who was essentially salary-dumped to them), Keon Ellis and Mo Wagner are all win-now moves. Re-signing Day'Ron Sharpe, who looks ready to start in place of the recently traded Nicolas Claxton, is too.
If Michael Porter Jr. can stay healthy and some of the young incumbents (like Egor Dëmin) show some real improvement, the Nets could easily win 10 more games than they did last season.
27. Chicago Bulls (31-51)
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Previous Rank: 27
The Chicago Bulls lost some firepower with Collin Sexton going to the Los Angeles Lakers and Anfernee Simons signing with the Philadelphia 76ers, but they still have a real shot to be better in 2026-27.
Hopefully, Josh Giddey can give them more than 54 games this season, because he has a pair of dynamic finishers joining him in Nicolas Claxton and rookie Caleb Wilson.
And the losses of Sexton and Simons certainly hurt a lot less when news of Norman Powell joining the team broke.
Chicago is still likely to lose more games than it wins, but there's now a solid mix of veteran (Giddey, Claxton and Powell) and young (Wilson and Matas Buzelis) talent.
26. Memphis Grizzlies (25-57)
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Previous Rank: 25
The Memphis Grizzlies finally found a trade partner for Ja Morant (who's now on the Portland Trail Blazers), and they've officially entered a new era.
It'll be led by Cameron Boozer, but there's plenty of other young (or at least young-ish) talent in place with Cedric Coward, Zach Edey and Cam Spencer.
The Grizzlies will lose a lot of games based on little more than the experience gap, but they're talented, competitive and will be a tougher out than opponents realize.
25. New Orleans Pelicans (26-56)
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Previous Rank: 26
Since the New Orleans Pelicans traded their 2026 first-round pick last summer for Derik Queen, they don't really have any incoming rookies to be excited about.
And to this point, their only move in free agency was re-signing soon-to-be-38-year-old DeAndre Jordan.
Pelicans fans might have some hope improvement from Queen and a bit more availability from Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy and Dejounte Murray, but the likelier outcome is another season without a playoff appearance.
Unless they look comfortably better than expected over the first couple months of the season, expect this to be among the most talked-about trade partners in the league prior to February's deadline.
24. Los Angeles Clippers (42-40)
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Previous Rank: 17
There are still some veterans in place (like Darius Garland and Brandon Ingram) who'll occasionally make the Los Angeles Clippers competitive, but the Kawhi Leonard trade was obviously a pretty big pivot toward the future.
This roster is now about young prospects like Keaton Wagler and Yanic Konan Niederhäuser.
Garland and Ingram might even become trade candidates between now and February, as L.A. likely wants to end up in the lottery to add even more talent to the new foundation.
23. Utah Jazz (22-60)
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Previous Rank: 23
The Utah Jazz lost restricted free agent Walker Kessler to the Los Angeles Lakers, but they got two future first-round picks and two first-round pick swaps out of the sign-and-trade.
There was no way they could pass up that kind of value, especially since there's likely enough talent in place to start being competitive without him.
If everyone's healthy, a rotation with Keyonte George, rookie Darryn Peterson, Ace Bailey, Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. is going to be dynamic offensively and awfully long on the other end.
If one or two of Cody Williams, Kyle Filipowski or Isaiah Collier takes a big developmental step, this team might even contend for a play-in spot.
22. Phoenix Suns (45-37)
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Previous Rank: 24
By replacing Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale with Miles Bridges and Luke Kennard, the Phoenix Suns probably have a little more raw talent, but those departing wings were a big part of the gritty mentality that made Phoenix one of last season's biggest surprises.
And it remains to be seen whether Kennard and Bridges can buy into the defense- and team-first mentality that made the Suns what they were last season.
If they do, Devin Booker will have a bit better offensive talent to play off of. And even if other teams in the West improve, Phoenix could finish in the mid-40s again.
21. Golden State Warriors (37-45)
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Previous Rank: 22
The Golden State Warriors were on the short list of teams LeBron James is still thinking about joining. And if that is indeed where he winds up, the story will be plenty of fun.
Stephen Curry and LeBron James met in the Finals four times. They were the NBA's biggest rivalry of the 2010s. They had a magical run as teammates in the 2024 Olympics. Ending their careers together would make for a nice bow on this era.
But at their ages, and despite how well the best versions of their games mesh, it's hard to see that possibility as much more than a great story.
The top-tier Western Conference contenders (like the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder and maybe even Minnesota Timberwolves) will simply be too fast, too athletic and too hungry for the Warriors (with or without LeBron) to seriously contend for a title.
20. Washington Wizards (17-65)
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Previous Rank: 19
The Washington Wizards will undoubtedly be better than they were last season.
The rotation now includes Anthony Davis, the recently re-signed Trae Young and incoming first overall pick AJ Dybantsa. Just adding that trio to the existing rotation could double Washington's 2025-26 win total.
But they also got deeper in the frontcourt by trading Jaden Hardy and two second-round picks for Deandre Ayton. And if one or two of the incumbents (like Alex Sarr, Tre Johnson, Bilal Coulibaly or Kyshawn George) show serious development, the playoffs aren't out of the question.
19. Dallas Mavericks (26-56)
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Previous Rank: 21
Even if they don't do much else this offseason, adding Santi Aldama to a Dallas Mavericks squad with Kyrie Irving returning from injury, Cooper Flagg coming off a Rookie of the Year campaign and Dusty May making the jump from college coaching to the NBA makes them pretty interesting.
They still feel like a long shot to make the playoffs, but the play-in wouldn't be a shocking place to end up.
And if one of their incoming first-round picks (Morez Johnson and Sergio de Larrea) is ready to help right away, that might even be the floor.
18. Portland Trail Blazers (42-40)
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Previous Rank: 20
With the price only being Jerami Grant and Kris Murray, the Portland Trail Blazers really couldn't afford not to trade for Ja Morant.
Sure, he comes with some baggage, particularly the injury history, but he's also an immense talent with a little over three years till his 30th birthday.
And Portland, with the defense of Toumani Camara, Deni Avdija and Donovan Clingan, has a great roster to cover Ja's weaknesses.
There will be a bit of a learning curve as he and Damian Lillard figure out how to play together. It may take both guards some time to accept that Avdija is now the face of the team.
But after the Blazers sort through all of that, they should be in the hunt for another playoff appearance.
17. Indiana Pacers (19-63)
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Previous Rank: 13
The Indiana Pacers losing their 2026 first-round pick was a massive blow. Getting Ivica Zubac out of the gap year was good, but him and a top-four pick obviously would've been better.
They weren't really able to erase the sting of that loss with free-agency acquisitions either, though Kelly Oubre Jr. could certainly help the rotation.
Ultimately, Indiana fans have to hope that the return of Tyrese Haliburton and better health from the rest of the rotation will get the team back to the level it hit in its run to the 2025 Finals.
16. Orlando Magic (45-37)
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Previous Rank: 15
The Orlando Magic had a pretty quiet offseason that included re-signing Jevon Carter and Jonathan Isaac (after they released him from his prior contract) and replacing the outgoing Mo Wagner with old friend Nikola Vučević.
That last move could probably be viewed as a raw talent upgrade, but Vuč is now well past his prime, and his value is heavily dependent on whether he’s hitting threes on a given night.
What this summer is more likely about is the front office’s faith in the Paolo Banchero-Franz Wagner pairing and its hope that new coach Sean Sweeney can draw more out of the team than Jamahl Mosley did.
It’s not a crazy bet. There’s a lot of talent on the roster. It’s been derailed by injuries in back-to-back seasons now. And when it got relatively healthy ahead of the first round, Orlando nearly eliminated the Detroit Pistons in the 1-8 matchup.
15. Atlanta Hawks (46-36)
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Previous Rank: 14
By the end of the postseason, the Atlanta Hawks had as many playoff wins (two) against the New York Knicks as the rest of the NBA (one).
And they followed that up with what appears to be a purely additive offseason.
CJ McCollum and Jock Landale were both re-signed. Rookie Kingston Flemings brings some upside to the backcourt. And though Jonathan Kuminga is out, Atlanta added Aaron Wiggins and Devin Carter in a pair of salary dumps from other teams. Wiggins, specifically, is absolutely capable of replacing Kuminga's production.
That and continued development from Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels and Onyeka Okongwu could have Atlanta pushing for 50 wins next season.
14. Los Angeles Lakers (53-29)
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Previous Rank: 11
The Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James era is over, and their first moves in the wake of it were re-signing Luka Dončić's secondary playmaker and adding a rim-running, rim-protecting center.
Those were two key ingredients in the Dallas Mavericks' run to the 2024 NBA Finals. And while Austin Reaves may not quite reach Kyrie Irving's level and Walker Kessler has struggled with durability, you can at least understand L.A.'s philosophy.
Collin Sexton, Quentin Grimes and Sandro Mamukelashvili don't really check the three-and-D boxes quite as cleanly as some of Luka's other teammates in Dallas, but all three can at least shoot.
Offensively, L.A. should be about as explosive as anyone in the league. The other end depends an awful lot on whether Kessler lives up to his new four-year, $130 million deal.
13. Charlotte Hornets (44-38)
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Previous Rank: 10
After closing the 2025-26 campaign as perhaps the NBA's hottest team, the Charlotte Hornets unloaded two of their top four scorers in LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges and didn't replace them with any real starpower in the short term.
But they did add draft capital in those moves and re-signed Coby White. And Grayson Allen, Dorian Finney-Smith, Royce O'Neale and Naz Reid all have plenty of experience supporting star wings.
That's exactly what Charlotte is betting Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel will become. And last season gave the Hornets plenty of evidence for it.
12. Houston Rockets (52-30)
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Previous Rank: 12
The Houston Rockets quietly got better and more experienced this offseason, adding Bogdan Bogdanović and Marcus Smart before re-signing Tari Eason.
Reed Sheppard and Amen Thompson should still have inside tracks on minutes in the backcourt, but Bogdanović can provide some tutelage for both on the offensive end, while Smart provides it on defense.
With that rotation shored up, Fred VanVleet rejoining it and Kevin Durant and Alperen Şengün coming back to the frontcourt, Houston could be closer to contention next season.
11. Philadelphia 76ers (45-37)
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Previous Rank: 18
The Philadelphia 76ers were on the right side (according to most fans and analysts) of the most shocking trade of the summer when they swapped Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks for Jaylen Brown.
Some numbers and the size and length of Brown's contract (he's set to make $65 million in 2028-29) suggest Boston could ultimately win the deal, but it's hard to argue that Philadelphia didn't get better in the short term.
Joel Embiid has to be healthy in the playoffs for the Sixers to have any shot at a title, and acquiring a durable innings-eater like Brown will make it easier to rest Embiid during the regular season.
When everyone's healthy, Embiid will command a ton of attention inside, which will make it difficult for defenses to account for Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe and Brown outside.
10. Cleveland Cavaliers (52-30)
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Previous Rank: 9
The Cleveland Cavaliers are among the teams chasing LeBron James, and it's not hard to see why.
Especially after the departure of Dean Wade, there's a spot in the rotation for a small forward. There's plenty of playmaking to take some pressure off his shoulders from Donovan Mitchell and James Harden (assuming he's re-signed). And there's plenty of defense from Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley behind him.
Cleveland has been on the verge of contention for years now, and LeBron could very well be the piece to put it over the top.
9. Toronto Raptors (46-36)
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Previous Rank: 16
The Toronto Raptors may have made the biggest offseason leap of anyone when they traded Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two future first-round picks, two second-round picks and a first-round pick swap for Kawhi Leonard.
Even with seven years between now and the last time Toronto traded for him, the move feels eerily similar to when the Raptors acquired Leonard for a package built around DeMar DeRozan.
He's once again a massive upgrade over the key player going out, and the young core still in place might be even better than it was in 2019. Leonard, Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles could be the foundation of a terrifying defense.
And Kawhi now gives this team one of the game's best individual closers.
8. Miami Heat (43-39)
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Previous Rank: 8
There are very real questions about the offensive fit between Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo. The lack of three-point shooting from both could make the court feel pretty cramped on that end.
But they'll do the same thing to opponents on the other end of the floor, too. With those two, Davion Mitchell and Andrew Wiggins in the rotation, Miami has a chance to have a top-five defense.
And if Wiggins, Mitchell and Tim Hardaway Jr. can consistently hit threes, there should be enough room for Giannis to dominate slashing lanes.
If all of the above clicks, the best version of this team can absolutely win the title.
7. Denver Nuggets (54-28)
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Previous Rank: 7
Prior to the offseason, there was some worry that the Denver Nuggets' priority would be cost-cutting. And by extension, that priority could cost them Peyton Watson in restricted free agency or some other key rotation player due to a trade.
But with most of the spending power around the league already spent, the kind of offer sheet that would scare Denver away from matching simply might not exist for Watson.
Considering how the last few postseasons ended, "running it back" feels like a risky approach, but better health could absolutely make them a contender again. And the addition of Marvin Bagley could be a bigger deal than it's being made out to be.
He's a far bouncier and more versatile rim protector than last season's backup center, Jonas Valančiūnas.
6. Detroit Pistons (60-22)
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Previous Rank: 6
There was some rumbling earlier in the offseason about restricted free agent Jalen Duren wanting to move on from the Detroit Pistons.
And while he remains unsigned, "spending power" around the NBA has dried up to the point that no one can really sign him to the kind of offer sheet that would make Detroit balk at matching it.
The likeliest outcome is that the Pistons will run it back with Duren, Cade Cunningham and most of the rest of the scrappy supporting cast that helped Detroit finish first in the East.
In that case, the only thing that could really cause another team leap would be a star turn from Ausar Thompson, which certainly isn't out of the question.
5. Minnesota Timberwolves (49-33)
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Previous Rank: 5
There will certainly be an adjustment period for Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball. Both are used to having the ball in their hands and engineering possessions from scratch. Both will have to get a little more comfortable allowing the other to do that.
But if you sort of combine Minnesota's two big trades (the other being a Julius Randle salary dump), it's hard to see the LaMelo-Randle swap as anything but a big upgrade for the Wolves.
Ball is a defense-bending playmaker who'll create more looks (and more efficient looks) for Edwards than Randle did. And though the team is certainly smaller, a starting five of Ball, Ayo Dosunmu, Edwards, Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert is versatile, switchy at all but the center position and potentially explosive on offense.
4. Boston Celtics (56-26)
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Previous Rank: 4
The Boston Celtics authored the most controversial move of the summer when they traded Jaylen Brown for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks.
But if you look at the deal pragmatically (as the Celtics did), it's not all that difficult to understand their thinking.
Boston just won 56 games without Tatum for most of the season. He'll be back for 2026-27. The one-to-one swap of Tatum for Brown is an upgrade. Then, George will slide into a role that simply didn't exist for the 2025-26 team (because Tatum was recovering).
George isn't the player he was a few years ago, but he's still a reliable three-point shooter, a much better playmaker than Brown and a more willing complementary piece (Brown plays like a high-volume star).
Add to that the fact that Boston landed Mitchell Robinson and will bring back Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and coach Joe Mazzulla, and it's not all that difficult to still see Boston as a contender.
In today's NBA (which includes the dreaded second apron), sustainable contention is almost impossible with a top 25-35 player like Brown being paid like a top-10 player. Boston realized that and pivoted.
3. Oklahoma City Thunder (64-18)
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Previous Rank: 3
The Oklahoma City Thunder made some predictable cost-cutting moves by trading Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins, and Luguentz Dort might be next.
And while it might fly in the face of conventional wisdom to shed good players from a title contender, it's almost a requirement to survive under the current collective bargaining agreement. OKC has a good track record for developing talent, and there are multiple potential difference-makers on rookie contracts still on the roster.
But ultimately, the Thunder getting back to the mountaintop probably depends on little more than health. It's reasonable to believe that if OKC had Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell at 100 percent, it would've beaten the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals.
2. San Antonio Spurs (62-20)
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Previous Rank: 2
The San Antonio Spurs entered the offseason with few (if any needs). On nothing more than internal development, the team that represented the West in the Finals would've had a shot to win it all in 2026-27.
But they haven't just stood still. San Antonio added veteran forward Tobias Harris to Victor Wembanyama, Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle. He'll provide a boost in experience, shooting and size to the second unit.
And again, the starting five could be better simply by getting a year older (and maybe plugging Harper into one of those spots).
The Spurs' 2025-26 campaign ended in heartbreak, but they have the talent to win it all in 2026-27.
1. New York Knicks (53-29)
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Previous Rank: 1
The reigning champions are bringing back their entire starting five. That's the most important takeaway from their offseason. And that alone makes them contenders to repeat.
But bringing back Landry Shamet and Jose Alvarado were big moves too. And though the loss of Mitchell Robinson could sting, replacing him with Andre Drummond makes sense.
New York will probably need one or two unexpected breakouts like the one Shamet had in 2025-26, but they have a very real shot to break the no-repeat-champion curse that has lived with the NBA for nearly a decade.
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