The OKC Thunder will look to defend its title during the 2025-26 NBA season, and it’ll face some tough competition.
With free agency dying down, numerous contenders have emerged throughout the league. But which one is the biggest threat to the throne?
Here are updated power rankings for all 30 NBA teams:
NBA power rankings for 2025-26 season30. Brooklyn Nets
Brooklyn surpassed expectations last season by going 26-56, but key contributors such as Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith and D’Angelo Russell are now on other teams. Scoring won’t be a problem for Michael Porter Jr. and Cam Thomas. But the Nets simply don’t have as much talent as other teams around the league. Even in the East, it’s hard to picture Brooklyn making any noise.
29. Utah Jazz
After finishing with the worst record in the league last season (17-65), Utah shipped off John Collins, Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson this summer. The Jazz is still searching for a young player to build around. And with players such as Cameron Boozer and AJ Dybantsa headlining the 2026 NBA Draft, Utah will surely be looking to secure the best lottery odds possible this season.
Washington finished at the bottom of the East last season with an 18-64 record, but it had a solid offseason. CJ McCollum is another veteran leader alongside Khris Middleton. Rookie Tre Johnson is another promising prospect alongside Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington and Bilal Coulibaly. Washington is still a ways away from being competitive, but it should at least be competent.
Charlotte went 19-63 last season, but LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller only played a combined 19 games together. Both players are now healthy, and the Hornets bolstered their guard depth with the additions of Collin Sexton and Spencer Dinwiddie. Center play will be questionable without Mark Williams and Jusuf Nurkic, but Charlotte should still see a slight uptick in wins this season.
26. Chicago Bulls
Chicago was reluctant to commit to a reset throughout the past few seasons, but it has seemingly leaned into a youth movement. The Bulls have a young core of Coby White, Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey, a restricted free agent who should return. They also drafted a promising prospect in Noa Essengue. Could they have gotten more for Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso? Absolutely. But at least Chicago can now focus on its future.
New Orleans brought in some new pieces this summer. Jordan Poole provides a scoring punch, Kevon Looney provides center depth and Saddiq Bey provides 3-and-D production. I’m also high on rookie Jeremiah Fears. There’s talent on the roster, but that was also the case last season. If the Pelicans can stay healthy, they could compete for a play-in spot. If they can’t, it’ll be another long season.
24. Phoenix Suns
Fresh off a failed experiment with Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, Phoenix retooled this summer. Jalen Green will take scoring pressure off of Devin Booker, Dillon Brooks will bring toughness and Mark Williams will protect the paint. But depth is a glaring issue for the Suns, and their new backcourt duo will struggle defensively. With the rest of the West improving, I’m expecting Phoenix to drop in the standings.
23. Toronto Raptors
I’m not in love with how the Raptors are constructed. They have a big payroll and a surplus of wings, including rookie forward Collin Murray-Boyles. But a starting lineup of Immanuel Quickley, Brandon Ingram, RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes and Jakob Poeltl isn’t bad in the East. This team should be able to reach the play-in tournament and possibly sneak into the playoffs.
Portland went 23-18 in the second half of last season, and it only finished three games outside of the play-in tournament. It then replaced Anfernee Simons with a veteran leader in Jrue Holiday, and it freed up minutes for Donovan Clingan and Yang Hansen with the departure of Deandre Ayton. I like the direction Portland is taking. It should be in the hunt for a play-in spot once again.
21. Sacramento Kings
Rather than hitting the reset button, Sacramento is seemingly fine with being a fringe playoff team. Its trio of Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan is solid. It also added Dennis Schroder and Drew Eubanks, and there are reports that it could sign Russell Westbrook as well. The Kings should have enough to compete for a playoff spot once again, but it’s hard to imagine them making it out of the first round in the West.
20. Boston Celtics
Boston has been a consistent title contender, but that won’t be the case this season. Jayson Tatum is out with an Achilles injury, and the Celtics traded away numerous key contributors to shed some salary. They saved over $300 million by parting ways with Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Luke Kornet. Boston still has Jaylen Brown and Derrick White, and it acquired a bucket getter in Anfernee Simons. But it’ll likely be a play-in team.
19. Miami Heat
Miami hasn’t ranked in the top 20 in offensive rating since the 2021-22 season. But it recently traded for Norman Powell, who averaged a career-high 21.8 points last season. He can take some scoring pressure off of Tyler Herro, and so can Andrew Wiggins. Maybe Terry Rozier will bounce back from a terrible showing last season, too. If that happens and the defense continues to be among the best in the NBA, the Heat could make some noise in the East.
18. Indiana Pacers
Indiana was one game away from winning its first NBA championship last season, but it’ll surely take a step backwards this time around with Tyrese Haliburton out for the season and Myles Turner now playing for Milwaukee. Pascal Siakam should play at an All-Star level, and Andrew Nembhard should be in Most Improved Player conversations. That’ll keep the Pacers competitive, although another deep playoff run is highly unlikely.
17. Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee made a shocking move this summer when it waived and stretched Damian Lillard. That gave it enough money to sign Myles Turner, who forms an elite frontcourt duo with Giannis Antetokounmpo. But who else will step up? The backcourt duo of Kevin Porter and Gary Trent Jr. is underwhelming, and Kyle Kuzma just had one of his worst seasons. Even with Antetokounmpo and Turner, this team will be fighting to avoid the play-in tournament.
A starting lineup of Tyrese Maxey, Quentin Grimes, Kelly Oubre Jr., Paul George and Joel Embiid looks great on paper. In a best-case scenario, Philadelphia can be a top-four seed in the East. But in a worst-case scenario, injuries can derail the 76ers once again and send them to the bottom of the conference standings. Which version of Philadelphia will we see? I have no idea, so the 16th spot seems like a safe place to put it.
Victor Wembanyama looks like a top-10 player in the league when healthy. De’Aaron Fox is a strong second option. Luke Kornet and Kelly Olynyk have added frontcourt depth. And San Antonio arguably won the 2025 draft with the selections of Dylan Harper and Carter Bryant. The Spurs should compete for a playoff spot this season, and that’s just the beginning. Watch out for San Antonio in the near future.
Memphis isn’t ready to compete with the top teams in the West. Its decision to trade Desmond Bane to Orlando for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and future picks should tell you that. But the Grizzlies won’t take a big a step backwards. They’ll have an elite transition offense with Ja Morant as their engine. They’ll have a borderline-top-10 defense with Jaren Jackson Jr. as their anchor. And they’ll have depth with Ty Jerome and Santi Aldama leading the bench.
13. Dallas Mavericks
Even with Luka Doncic now in Los Angeles and Kyrie Irving sidelined due to a torn ACL, Dallas should be a competitive team. It’s a defensive-minded group with enough size to cause matchup problems, and it’s also a group with a ton of depth. Anthony Davis will have to stay healthy, and Cooper Flagg will have to adjust quickly. But the potential is there for the Mavericks to reach the playoffs and pull off a first-round upset once Irving returns.
12. Detroit Pistons
Detroit improved by 30 wins last season. Cade Cunningham made the All-NBA third team, and the Pistons made the playoffs for the first time since 2018-19. Detroit’s future is bright, but I’m concerned about the pieces it lost this summer. It’ll be without Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr., two key 3-point shooters. Duncan Robinson and Caris LeVert will try to fill that void, and Detroit will try to take another step toward becoming a contender in the East.
11. Atlanta Hawks
Expectations are high for Atlanta. Trae Young is still leading the way. Dyson Daniels just won the Most Improved Player award. Jalen Johnson is back after only playing in 36 games last season. And the Hawks dominated the offseason by adding Kristaps Porzingis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard. Even with the departures of players such as Clint Capela and Caris LeVert, Atlanta has enough firepower to be one of the top teams in the East.
10. Orlando Magic
Defense wasn’t an issue for Orlando last season. It was poor health and poor shooting. But the trio of Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs should be good to go once the season starts. And the additions of Desmond Bane and Tyus Jones should give the Magic a boost in the floor spacing department. If everything comes together for Orlando, it can be just as dangerous of an East team as New York and Cleveland.
Los Angeles lost Dorian Finney-Smith this summer but bounced back with the additions of Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia. Those are three promising pieces, but they all have something to prove. Will Ayton deliver consistent effort? Will Smart stay on the floor long enough to help the Lakers’ defense? Will LaRavia replace Finney-Smith’s 3-and-D production? Los Angeles will be good, but its supporting cast will determine just how good it’ll be.
Golden State went 23-8 last regular season after it acquired Jimmy Butler. Its playoff run was then spoiled in the second round when Steph Curry suffered a hamstring strain, but he’s ready to go this this season. There are also reports that the Warriors are set to sign Al Horford once the fate of restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga is decided. Depth will be an issue, but Golden State has the star power and experience to be a threat in the West.
Minnesota reached the Western Conference finals last season before it lost to OKC. The Timberwolves then lost Nickeil Alexander-Walker this summer and didn’t bring in a replacement. They’ll instead count on Terrence Shannon Jr. to fill that void, and Rob Dillingham will also have to provide some guard depth for 37-year-old starter Mike Conley. Those are the only real question marks for Minnesota, which is one of the NBA’s most complete teams.
Los Angeles has an elite roster. It has a go-to scorer in James Harden. It has a pair of two-way wings in Kawhi Leonard and Bradley Beal. It has a lob threat in John Collins. It has an All-Defensive center in Ivica Zubac and a strong backup in Brook Lopez. It has other capable bench players such as Chris Paul, Kris Dunn, Nicolas Batum and Derrick Jones Jr. Health is always a concern for the Clippers, but they have the pieces to contend for a title.
New York made two huge trades last offseason to acquire Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges. And even though it wasn’t in the position to make a big move this summer, it signed two solid role players in Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele. They’ll provide depth along with Deuce McBride and Mitchell Robinson to a Knicks team with a stacked starting five. New York hasn’t won an NBA title since 1973, but it’ll be in the running this season.
Cleveland ranked top 10 in the NBA in both offensive rating (first) and defensive rating (eighth) last season. And even though it lost Sixth Man of the Year finalist Ty Jerome this summer, it brought in Lonzo Ball to run the second unit. Cleveland has been a top-four seed in the East in each of the last three seasons, and yet it only has two playoff series wins to show for it. Is this the year the Cavaliers finally make a deep run? The pieces are certainly there.
Houston made the playoffs last season for the first time since 2019-20. The Rockets’ biggest strength was their defense, which ranked sixth in the NBA. But their biggest weakness in the postseason was their lack of a closer, so they traded for Kevin Durant this summer. Houston also re-signed fellow veterans Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams, and it landed Dorian Finney-Smith. Scoring might still be an issue at times, but this team is a real title contender.
Houston is the popular pick for OKC’s biggest threat, but I’m going with Denver. The Nuggets just took the reigning champs to seven games, and they improved this summer. Denver traded Michael Porter Jr. for Cam Johnson, who’ll defend better while still spacing the floor. It also fixed its lack of depth with the additions of Jonas Valanciunas, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bruce Brown. Nikola Jokic should have a ton of help this season, and that’s a scary sight.
OKC just won its first championship, and it brought back all of its rotation players. That includes its star trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, who all signed contract extensions this summer. OKC was the only team in the NBA that ranked top three in offensive rating (third) and defensive rating (first) last season. It’s the most complete squad in basketball. And until someone beats the Thunder, it’s the favorite to win it all again.
Justin Martinez covers sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at jmartinez@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.