The 2025 offseason is finally over, as teams are finally commencing for training camp as the calendar turns to October. Less than three weeks remain before opening night, as the Oklahoma City Thunder will receive their championship rings and Kevin Durant will make his much-anticipated debut with the Houston Rockets.
With the dust settling and preparations gearing up for the regular season, let’s break down our latest power rankings.
30) Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards’ front office has crafted a curious roster, to say the least. They return all three of their 2024 first-round picks (Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington, and Kyshawn George) and selected Tre Johnson and Will Riley in the 2025 first round. They also traded for Cam Whitmore this offseason (2023 first-rounder) and acquired A.J. Johnson (2024 first-rounder) last season.
There’s talent across the roster — mixed with wily veterans in Khris Middleton and C.J. McCollum, whom they acquired after dealing Jordan Poole away to the New Orleans Pelicans over the summer.
Washington’s taking the long-term view, compiling young talent and hoping that one or two will grow into stars. That’s an acceptable strategy and one worth taking after three consecutive mid-30-win campaigns from 2020-2023, but it won’t lead to many wins this season.
29) Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz are in full rebuild mode and in an intriguing position. Like Washington, they have young talent across the roster, yet the Jazz have an All-Star caliber player. Forward Lauri Markkanen has been far and away the best player on the team despite three straight losing seasons.
The Jazz haven’t been terrible when Markkanen is on the floor, but the issue is that he’s dealt with injuries, playing in just 102 of a possible 164 games over the past two years. But with him off the floor, there’s little organization with several young guards running the show.
Add in former Rutgers wing Ace Bailey, whom they selected fifth overall, and head coach Will Hardy will have to corral another unpolished scorer. The only reason the Jazz edge the Wizards is Markkanen, but if he’s dealt away before the trade deadline, they could find themselves in the basement of the power rankings.
28) Brooklyn Nets
It’s hard to think of a more peculiar draft strategy than the one the Brooklyn Nets utilized in 2025. Holding five first-round picks, they were widely expected to trade one, two or three of them; instead, they used all five — drafting five players who, for the most part, need the ball in their hands when they’re at their best.
They also acquired Michael Porter Jr. from the Denver Nuggets, another curious move that sent away Cameron Johnson, a player who presumably could’ve brought back a trade package for young pieces and picks.
Head coach Jordi Fernandez was impressive last season, leading a ragtag group to more wins than expected. That could be the case again this season, but don’t expect a ton of noise out of Brooklyn this season.
27) Charlotte Hornets
While it may be hard to believe, LaMelo Ball will enter his sixth season in the league this fall. In that time, the Charlotte Hornets failed to make the playoffs in all five seasons, averaging 22.3 victories per year over the past three seasons as Ball was plagued with injuries.
That rough patch is unlikely to end anytime soon, as the Hornets are still tied to Ball’s inconsistent availability and an unproven core that curiously lacks a starting center. They dealt away Mark Williams on draft night.
Charlotte may be a fun NBA League Pass team — when Ball is on the court — but it hasn’t won many games in recent years. There’s no indication that that’ll change this season.
26) New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans’ roster is full of obvious talent, with Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III, and Dejounte Murray (though still recovering from a torn Achilles suffered in February) headlining a roster that would fit among the West’s playoff contenders.
Yet the injury bug has been a significant factor in New Orleans this decade, consistently derailing promising seasons. Therefore, it’s hard to put the Pelicans any higher on the list, especially given that they’ll be developing a soon-to-be 19-year-old rookie point guard in Jeremiah Fears and a rookie forward, Derik Queen.
25) Phoenix Suns
Expectations are tempered for the Phoenix Suns, as they waived and stretched Bradley Beal’s contract and dealt away Kevin Durant, essentially receiving Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and the No. 10 pick, which turned out to be Duke’s Khaman Maluach, in return.
The Suns have high hopes for the backcourt of Devin Booker and Green, though Booker burned out two seasons ago when playing an entire campaign as the point guard, with Durant on the wing. Now, Durant’s gone, and Booker must shoulder even more of the load.
In a loaded Western Conference, it’s challenging to see Phoenix as anything more than a pesky, mid-30-win team.
24) Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls have been stuck in mediocrity for the past three years, winning 40, 39, and 39 games in 2023, 2024, and 2025, respectively. They’ve been play-in participants in each and have failed to make the playoffs.
And while Bulls vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas has dealt away key contributors DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Alex Caruso, and Lonzo Ball over the last year-plus, this roster is still good enough to make the play-in and not good enough to score a high lottery pick.
It’s a spot known as “NBA purgatory” around the league — clearly not a well-regarded term and one that the 2025-26 Bulls look to be in once again.
23) Portland Trail Blazers
Another team that had an interesting offseason was the Portland Trail Blazers, who acquired Jrue Holiday in exchange for Anfernee Simons, bought out Deandre Ayton, and traded back in the draft to select Chinese sensation Yang Hansen with the 16th overall pick.
Those moves are fine, as Holiday is still one of the best guard defenders in the league, Ayton didn’t want to be in Portland, and Hansen showed promise during the NBA Summer League. But the direction of the Trail Blazers is what’s really in question.
Are they trying to develop their young talent of Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, and Donovan Clingan? Or are they going all-in to give fans the satisfaction of… a play-in spot? Oh, and they brought in Damian Lillard, who is expected to miss the entire season as he recovers from a torn Achilles.
There are good vibes around the franchise; maybe that’s all that matters. But it’s unclear what direction Portland is taking.
22) Sacramento Kings
Speaking of an unclear direction, the Sacramento Kings rival the Trail Blazers for lack of direction. Last season, they essentially put the finishing touches on establishing themselves as the “Bulls West” after acquiring LaVine and pairing him with DeRozan again. That duo didn’t win a single playoff series in Chicago.
The Kings would be delusional to expect them to make it now, especially considering they’re a couple of years older and in the much more rugged Western Conference. Their biggest offseason signing was Dennis Schröder, who has a chance to start at point guard. While they’ll beat up on some Eastern Conference teams, the outlook is far from promising in Sacramento.
21) Philadelphia 76ers
The season has yet to start, and the Philadelphia 76ers are already dealing with injuries to several key players. Joel Embiid and Paul George’s statuses are up in the air for the start of the year, while second-year man Jared McCain will miss roughly four weeks with a UCL tear in his thumb.
When fully healthy, the 76ers could challenge for the best roster in the East; yet that’s rarely the case. The focus for Philadelphia this season should be on the continued stardom of Tyrese Maxey and the development of 2025 No. 3 pick V.J. Edgecombe and McCain, who had a promising rookie campaign that was cut short — you guessed it — due to injury.
Where that leaves the 76ers in terms of win-loss record is unclear, but it’s hard to put them any higher on this list as there’s a real possibility that they bottom out once again if injuries pile up.
20) Toronto Raptors
On paper, the Toronto Raptors have a solid starting five comprised of Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, Brandon Ingram, R.J. Barrett, and Jakob Poeltl. The issue? None came close to clearing 40% from 3-point range, a necessity in today’s NBA.
There are several solutions, as shooting guards Gradey Dick, Ochai Agbaji, and Ja’Kobe Walter can all shoot from deep, but that’d mean benching one of Barrett or Ingram — both making upwards of $25 million a year and likely a tough sell to move them to the bench.
With those aforementioned five, there’s slashing ability, midrange game, and solid defense, but the complete lack of able 3-point shooters is bound to hold the Raptors back.
19) Miami Heat
Aside from trading for Norman Powell in exchange for next to nothing, it was a relatively quiet offseason for the Miami Heat, seemingly building around Tyler Herro (a first-time All-Star in 2025) and Bam Adebayo.
That duo was defeated in the first round of the playoffs a season ago, falling to 4-0 to the Cleveland Cavaliers — including being blown out by 55 points at home in Game 4. The Heat are a fine team with a head coach in Erik Spoelstra who will garner a few extra wins their way, but the ceiling for the Heat is another first-round exit, barring a surprise midseason trade.
18) Memphis Grizzlies
The offseason trade of Desmond Bane may have suggested a step back, but the Memphis Grizzlies don’t seem to think so. The expectation is that second-year wing Jaylen Wells, who finished third in Rookie of the Year voting, will be able to grow his offensive game while continuing to lock down the opposing team’s top perimeter threat.
Ja Morant will conduct the offense, while Jaren Jackson Jr. will score and defend at a high level, but that’s really it. Down low, Zach Edey may take a step forward, yet he’s a niche player and unlikely to play significant minutes.
The Grizzlies traded up to draft two-way wing Cedric Coward with the 11th pick and still have youngsters GG Jackson and Vince Williams Jr. on the roster. Each of those three should receive plenty of minutes, but Memphis could very well be nearsighted despite a highly unlikely chance of making it out of the first round — if they even get there.
17) Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks begin a string of three teams that’s extremely hard to place. In Dallas’ case, they have a solid core of Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II and No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, who is expected to be a star from the moment he steps on the court in the NBA.
Kyrie Irving tore his ACL and is expected back at some point this season, but it’s unlikely to be anytime before the All-Star break in February. In his place, the Mavericks signed D’Angelo Russell, who is a solid spot-starter considering the lack of options on the free agency market.
Projecting Dallas’ record isn’t easy, as there are a ton of ifs: if Davis and Lively can stay healthy, if Irving returns to full health, and if Flagg can assume a starring role among them. If it all comes together, the Mavericks could be a top-six seed in the West. If not, they could miss the play-in altogether.
16) Boston Celtics
A complete roster makeover is what the Boston Celtics did this offseason, as they traded away Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis and watched Luke Kornet walk in free agency — all due to cap restrictions. With Jayson Tatum sidelined with a torn Achilles that may keep him out the entire season, the offseason created a clean slate moving forward.
That left Jaylen Brown and Derrick White as the top players, along with Payton Pritchard and the newly acquired Simons. It’s a far cry from their 2024 championship team, as several unproven players are expected to play significant roles, especially at the center position.
Brown and White, barring injury, could keep the Celtics afloat in the weaker Eastern Conference, but there’s little upside if they reach the playoffs.
15) Indiana Pacers
It was a devastating two weeks for the Indiana Pacers in June. They lost Game 7 of the NBA Finals after Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles in the first quarter and longtime franchise staple Myles Turner signed with the rival Milwaukee Bucks. That left a major void at the point guard and center positions.
The Pacers plan to move Andrew Nembhard, a college point guard, to the one and use a combination of Isaiah Jackson, James Wiseman, and newly-acquired Jay Huff at center — none of whom have started for a long time in their careers.
Pascal Siakam is still here, bringing his all-around ability to the table while Bennedict Mathurin and Obi Toppin will provide a scoring punch. Nembhard very well could average 20 points and 10 assists per game, but unless Haliburton somehow comes back late in the season, Indiana is another East squad that could make the playoffs but not make a ton of noise once they get there.
14) San Antonio Spurs
Though there are a ton of questions with the San Antonio Spurs, it’s impossible to rank them any lower when they have Victor Wembanyama on the roster. Assuming he regains his playing level in early last season, as he missed the second half of the year due to blood clots, the Spurs should challenge for, at the very least, a play-in spot.
The personnel around Wembanyama were far from outstanding last season, but with the addition of De’Aaron Fox at the trade deadline, the emergence of Stephon Castle, the newly drafted Dylan Harper, and the signing of Kornet, Wembanyama will have an increased supporting cast.
The West is extremely rugged, but San Antonio, in its first full season under head coach Mitch Johnson, should expect to still be competing post-All-Star break, something it hasn’t done in recent years.
13) Milwaukee Bucks
Similar to the Spurs, the Milwaukee Bucks can’t be rated any lower than this, thanks to Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is undoubtedly one of the top 3 best players in the world. The Bucks had an interesting offseason, as they waived and stretched Lillard’s contract after he tore his Achilles and used the cap flexibility to sign Turner in replacement of Brook Lopez.
Whether that makes them a better team is hard to believe, as Lillard was still playing like an All-Star guard despite missing part of the season with blood clots. But his injury forced Milwaukee to make a tough decision. Around Antetokounmpo and Turner, the cupboard isn’t bare — but it’s not far from it.
A slew of role players, such as Cole Anthony, Amir Coffey, AJ Green, Bobby Portis, and Gary Trent Jr., Kyle Kuzma, are still on the roster, but their production was essentially zero in the playoffs. For the Bucks to be anything more than a first-round exit, Antetokounmpo will have to play at an all-world level — something he is, in fact, capable of.
12) Detroit Pistons
After a resurgent 2024-25 campaign, the Detroit Pistons made several key roster switches as they headed into this season. Out are shooters Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley, who each had a major hand in spacing the floor, while Cade Cunningham had a breakout fourth year. In are Duncan Robinson and Caris LaVert, who provide more efficiency and playmaking ability.
Backup Schröder also departed, but Jaden Ivey, who suffered a season-ending leg injury, will presumably fill the starting shooting guard role and handle the ball in the second unit. The wing trio of Ausar Thompson, Ron Holland II, and Tobias Harris will all have an impact, with Thompson and Holland looking to take steps forward in polishing their offensive games.
At this point, it seems like Cunningham could produce 40 wins simply with solid spacing around him, something he will have. If others can emerge, Detroit could find itself fighting for home-court advantage in the playoffs.
11) Golden State Warriors
Five years ago, the Golden State Warriors would have been among the favorites to win the title with this current roster. But their top three players are all over 35 years old: Stephen Curry (37), Jimmy Butler III (36), and Draymond Green (35).
And while there’s a solid supporting cast around them and a head coach in Steve Kerr who’s seen it all, the West is simply too good and the injury factor too strong for the Warriors to be considered a legitimate threat to make a ton of noise.
Add in the entire Jonathan Kuminga saga, which, while resolved with a contract, is still far from fully resolved, and there’s the potential for a roller coaster season in Golden State. They could make the conference finals if everything comes together perfectly, but it’s hard to see them do much more.
10) Atlanta Hawks
Arguably the offseason winners, the Atlanta Hawks enter this season with high expectations. They traded for Porziņģis and facilitated a sign-and-trade for Nickeil Alexander-Walker, two players who have been key contributors in postseason runs in recent years.
Adding them to a core of Trae Young, Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, and Onyeka Okongwu inspires belief that the Hawks could challenge home-court advantage in the East. The regular season would be considered a slight disappointment if it’s anything less than that.
9) Orlando Magic
During the offseason, the Orlando Magic decided it was finally time to go all-in and make a move that could vault them to the top of the East. They acquired Bane from the Grizzlies. That pairs him with All-Star caliber forwards Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, along with guard Jalen Suggs, who’s a lockdown defender and an improved 3-point shooter.
Bane brings shooting and ball-handling to a roster bereft of those skills while fitting the tough mindset that head coach Jamahl Mosley loves. The star quartet has the potential to push the Magic over 50 regular-season wins, but the real test will come in the postseason.
In recent years, teams have packed the paint and exposed Orlando’s lack of shooting; with Bane, that may not be an avenue for teams to exploit, raising the Magic’s ceiling considerably.
8) Los Angeles Clippers
The entire Kawhi Leonard potential cap circumvention saga has distracted many from the fact that the Los Angeles Clippers had a terrific summer. They kept the core of Leonard (for now), James Harden, and Ivica Zubac while signing Lopez, Beal, Chris Paul, and trading for John Collins.
The bench unit is arguably better than some starting units, as Derrick Jones Jr. or Nicolas Batum will round out the starting and reserve groups. A hard-fought first-round series loss in seven games knocked the Clippers out last year; now appearing to be much better, the ceiling is much higher, especially with Leonard healthy when it matters.
7) Minnesota Timberwolves
Despite a rather mundane offseason, it’s hard to count out the Minnesota Timberwolves, who have made the Western Conference Finals in the last two seasons. While they haven’t broken through just yet, young star Anthony Edwards is on the trajectory of doing so.
Re-signed is the big man duo of Julius Randle and Naz Reid, as they’ll once again be grouped next to Rudy Gobert. The point guard position is a concern, as Mike Conley will be 38 by the start of the season, and second-year man Rob Dillingham wasn’t consistent enough of a creator last season.
But with Edwards leading the charge, it’d be an unexpected outcome to see the Timberwolves not making noise in the playoffs despite the highly competitive nature of the West.
6) Houston Rockets
Just days before training camp, the Houston Rockets suffered a significant blow. Starting point guard and steadying presence Fred VanVleet was potentially sidelined for the entire season. While they still acquired Kevin Durant during the offseason, the Rockets’ championship hopes were dashed when the VanVleet injury was announced.
Burgeoning star Amen Thompson could take over the reins of the offense, as could second-year guard Reed Shepherd, who spent most of his rookie season on the bench. Alperen Şengün will also be asked to make more plays with the ball in his hands than he has before, something the 2025 All-Star is undoubtedly capable of.
With their young talent and the addition of Durant, Houston could contend for home-court advantage in the West, but unless there are injuries across the conference, it’s hard to craft a path for them to make the NBA Finals without VanVleet.
5) Los Angeles Lakers
The Luka Dončić-LeBron James-Austin Reaves trio led to the Los Angeles Lakers losing in five games to the Timberwolves last season. But that was with less than half a season with Dončić, and while he dealt with injuries, causing his conditioning to slip. After an offseason in which he appears to be in terrific shape, we could be in store for Dončić’s best season yet.
With him, James, who’s still one of the top 15 players in the world, and Reaves, who’s one of the top No. 3 options in the league, all playing, the Lakers should be hard to beat. Ayton will be the starting center, something that has the potential to be a beautiful pairing with Dončić or a dumpster fire. And there’s not a whole lot of in between there.
Because of the top-level talent, Los Angeles’s ceiling is high despite the possibility of a collapse in team chemistry for several reasons, James being in the last year of his contract among them. Despite that, the Lakers pose a threat to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the West, earning them a top-five spot.
4) New York Knicks
Out is Tom Thibodeau and in is new head coach Mike Brown, who is expected to stretch the rotation further and give the star quartet of Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, O.G. Anunoby, and Mikal Bridges much more rest.
The New York Knicks’ front office also added to the roster, signing Guerschon Yabusele, Jordan Clarkson, and Malcolm Brogdon, who should see nightly minutes off the bench.
After falling to the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, that should be considered the floor for the Knicks, especially considering how weak the conference is. It’s NBA Finals or bust, with a championship seeming to be within reach for this talented New York squad.
3) Cleveland Cavaliers
Slightly above the Knicks and their expected foe in the ECF are the Cleveland Cavaliers, who were also defeated by Indiana but in Round 2. A lot of that had to do with injuries, especially to All-Star guard Darius Garland, but the Cavaliers have repeatedly underperformed in the playoffs, and 2025 was no different.
If they do the same in 2026, changes may be on the horizon. This roster is geared to win plenty of regular-season games, as they won 64 a season ago and started 15-0. Health has to be at the forefront of importance for them, as that has derailed them in recent years.
But if all goes well, the Cavaliers should have a prime chance to represent the East in the Finals.
2) Denver Nuggets
Unquestionably, the best player in the world, Nikola Jokić, is the main reason the Denver Nuggets are landing here. Aside from the Pacers, the Nuggets gave the Thunder their biggest test in last year’s playoffs, pushing them to seven games in the second round.
This offseason, the Nuggets’ management did well in giving Jokić more weapons, as they traded for Cameron Johnson, a more versatile version of the departed Michael Porter Jr., and signed Hardaway, Bruce Brown, and Jonas Valančiūnas. They, along with Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon, who always play their best in the biggest moments, could vault the Nuggets past the Thunder.
And that’s all that matters at this point: just giving themselves a chance. Jokić-led teams always have a chance, but the 2025-26 Nuggets roster is arguably better than Denver’s 2023 championship roster.
1) Oklahoma City Thunder
As the defending champions and coming off an offseason in which they re-signed their star trio and brought back nearly every contributor, the Thunder take the cake as the No. 1 team in the NBA heading into this season.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had perhaps the best season we’ve seen by a shooting guard since Kobe Bryant in the mid-2000s, while Jalen Williams came into his own, scoring 40 points in Game 5 of the Finals. Chet Holmgren missed most of the regular season and didn’t seem to find his touch during the Finals — a scary thought for the rest of the league, as he’s entering just his third season on the court.
The Thunder appear to be a juggernaut. If they can remain healthy, they’ll compete for their second consecutive Larry O’Brien trophy next June.