A summer of superstar swaps may have sparked plenty of hot takes and bold predictions, but that time is over.
Opening week of the 2026-27 NBA season is here — actions will do the talking from here on out.
Zooming in on the Eastern Conference, there's been a drastic makeover: One former MVP moved from Milwaukee to Miami, while a pair of L.A. luminaries made surprise returns to the opposite side of the bracket. Those are just some of the moves that have reshaped what was a top-heavy conference a season ago, to the point where 7-to-8 teams have a legitimate case to be included when asking who'll make it out of the East — one of many questions that have lingered over the conference for months.
And while teams will get their opportunity to fill in those blanks once action tips off on Tuesday, let's use this time to get a couple more in.
Here are the burning questions for every Eastern Conference team.
Atlanta Hawks: Will lack of size continue to be an issue?
After trading for not one, but two of Oklahoma City's top eight rotation players from last season in Luguentz Dort and Aaron Wiggins, it's no secret the Hawks are hoping the Thunder's loss can be their gain.
And in doing so, Atlanta now has such a full stable of guards — between last season's starting trio of CJ McCollum, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels, the additions from OKC and this year's No. 8 pick Kingston Flemings — that it becomes difficult to see how there are enough minutes to go around unless Quin Snyder further commits to small-ball. And while that approach led to some success in 2025-26, like establishing a pesky top-10 defence (that should only get better) and taking two games off the eventual-champion New York Knicks in the playoffs, it also hurt the Hawks at times as a bottom-half rebounding team in the NBA and bottom-third paint defence.
Boston Celtics: Can Jaylen Brown's impact be replicated in the aggregate?
A new era in Beantown is underway as "The Jays" tandem is no more. With Brown now on the division-rival Philadelphia 76ers, he'll still be making plenty of appearances at TD Garden, just not in Celtics green.
When the surprise trade was made in July, Boston's front office signalled a desire to spread the wealth both literally and figuratively. With the former Finals MVP gone, 70 per cent of the salary cap was no longer tied to the Brown-Jayson Tatum duo, allowing Brad Stevens more roster flexibility and Joe Mazzulla an opportunity to flex his reigning Coach of the Year muscles with a more egalitarian approach.
But can a 36-year-old Paul George coupled with more reps for a recently-extended Payton Pritchard, Year 2 Hugo Gonzalez and Derrick White on the heels of a career-worst shooting season really make up for the loss of an All-NBA second-teamer who just finished sixth in MVP voting?
Brooklyn Nets: Who's going to be a long-term piece?
It's now Year 3 for Jordi Fernandez leading the Nets, and his team is still very much entrenched in a rebuild with 13 players aged 25 or younger on the roster. Even the key veterans aren't all that old in Keon Ellis (26), Michael Porter Jr. (29) and Julius Randle (31).
And with the NBA's new anti-tanking rules coming into effect, Brooklyn has to start moving in the opposite direction after four straight seasons of decreasing win totals. The best way to make that happen is by identifying talent worth building around and talent with enough value to dangle on the trade market. Time will tell if those kinds of players exist on the current roster, but expect sophomore Egor Demin and rookie Mikel Brown Jr., a pair of top-10 picks, to be given plenty of runway to establish themselves as building blocks.
Charlotte Hornets: Can Brandon Miller carry the offence early?
The post-LaMelo Ball era is officially underway in Buzz City, and it begins with Charles Lee having to figure out how to keep last year's No. 5 offence humming without its engine.
Charlotte's plan coming into the season was to do so by focusing its on-ball efforts around the trio of Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel and Coby White. The sample was very small last year, but in 45 minutes sharing the floor, they maintained a 131.1 offensive rating and were plus-27.6.
It was already a big bet to take, but now doubly so considering the latter two are sidelined without clear timetables for return as Knueppel (hamstring) and White (calf) battle lingering injuries. Instead, Miller will look to keep the Hornets afloat alongside off-season additions Naz Reid and Dennis Schroder until his primary running mates return.
Chicago Bulls: Can Tiago Splitter establish an identity?
It was one game into last season when the retired player turned assistant coach was thrust into an interim bench boss role with the Portland Trail Blazers. An unenviable task for anyone, but Splitter embraced the opportunity and led the Blazers to their most wins (42) and first playoff appearance since 2021.
Now he's with the Bulls, who've only made one post-season appearance since 2017 and are in the midst of a four-year drought — hoping Splitter can turn them around with equal haste, even if that's asking a lot. The Blazers may have only been a marginally better offence than the Bulls, but they had a clear style to hang their hats on as a top-half defence that was as high as seventh in forcing turnovers and eighth in scoring off those extra opportunities. And while Chicago was one of just eight teams to play an even faster and more frenetic pace than Portland did, it accomplished much less doing so, ranking bottom 10 on both ends of the floor.
Needless to say, Splitter will have his work cut out for him, but at least the now-permanent head coach has quality veterans in Norman Powell and Nic Claxton to pair with youngsters like Josh Giddey, Matas Buzelis and rookie fourth-overall pick Caleb Wilson. The winds of change may be heading to the Windy City.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Does Evan Mobley have another level to his game?
After advancing past the second round for the first time since 2018, even if only to get swept by the eventual champions, it was a meaningful step forward. Enough to convince Donovan Mitchell to extend with the Cavs for four more years and for James Harden to re-sign through 2028-29.
But that feeling of progress couldn't be extended to Mobley, who, for a fourth consecutive playoff run, saw his numbers and impact dip below his regular-season production. Cleveland has preached continuity and patience with its frontcourt pairing of Jarrett Allen and Mobley over the last five seasons, but with the latter now accounting for over 30 per cent of the salary cap and making north of $50 million, role-player production won't cut it when it matters most.
The talent is undeniable — just ask the 33 per cent of NBA GMs who, five years ago, predicted Mobley would be the top player from his draft class by this point. And when he took home the Defensive Player of the Year award and an All-NBA selection just two seasons ago, that prediction was starting to look like prophecy. But was that the peak of Mobley's powers, or is there more?
Detroit Pistons: Are there any lingering effects from off-season drama?
After earning top spot in the East for the first time in nearly two decades, vibes were supposed to be high this off-season in the Motor City, even after a second-round exit. Natural progression paired with a couple of notable additions should've had the Pistons looking like one of the favourites to come out of the East. Instead, the Pistons' moves were more of the lateral variety at best, swapping Tobias Harris, Isaiah Stewart and Caris LeVert for John Collins, Isaiah Joe and Taurean Prince.
And then there was the Jalen Duren of it all, who, after a breakout All-NBA season, majorly disappointed in the playoffs before spending months in a contract stalemate with the franchise while rumours of him pursuing other teams kept getting louder. In the end, the two sides settled on a five-year, $200 million contract — higher than the $170-190 million range the Pistons were reportedly offering at first but lower than the $287 million max deal Duren was eligible for. Will bygones be bygones or will new cracks inevitably form?
Indiana Pacers: Back to business with Tyrese Haliburton's return?
It appears to be all systems go for Indy now that its floor general is back in action. Haliburton and Co. will try to prove that last year's 19-63 record was merely a speed bump for a Pacers team that made back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals appearances and was in Game 7 of the Finals before the star guard went down with injury and missed all of 2025-26.
While the core around Haliburton remains largely unchanged, aside from the departures of Myles Turner and Bennedict Mathurin, he's now got a new big man to pair with in Ivica Zubac, who was acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers at last year's trade deadline — a move that wound up costing Indiana the fifth-overall pick. And if pre-season is any indication, the guard-centre duo should link up plenty this upcoming campaign, as a third of Haliburton's assists during the exhibition schedule were to Zubac for easy finishes up close.
Miami Heat: Can Erik Spoelstra scheme around spacing concerns?
The biggest star to move this summer landed in South Beach and gave the team its most talented player since LeBron James. But in order to land Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Heat had to gut most of the roster in the process. While the two-time MVP and Bam Adebayo form a formidable duo and should spearhead a vaunted defence, the new-look squad is far from infallible.
Aside from fitting Antetokounmpo into the free-flowing, seldom-scripted style that coach Spoelstra implemented last year, the bench boss will have to navigate what could be a clunky fit with two bigs who don't space the floor all that much — even though Adebayo did make strides from beyond the arc last year, hitting a career-best 1.7 triples per game — and a roster that's not littered with perimeter production. The additions of veteran snipers Klay Thompson and Tim Hardaway Jr. could help so long as they aren't giving away those points the other way, as would Davion Mitchell and Andrew Wiggins continuing their hot distance shooting from last year.
Milwaukee Bucks: Is anyone on this roster worth building around?
The Band-Aid has finally been ripped off and it's officially time to start over in Milwaukee. Luckily for the Bucks, trading away Antetokounmpo recovered some of the draft capital lost in the many efforts to keep him around, and also brought in a haul of players who could either be foundational to the rebuild or flipped along the way.
Tyler Herro is back in his hometown, only two seasons removed from being an all-star and is still just 26 years old. He holds real value, whether that's in Milwaukee or the open market. Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel'el Ware and Kasparas Jakucionis are all top-20 picks within the last three years and have plenty of runway as prospects, while 24-year-old Ryan Rollins finished fifth in Most Improved Player voting for 2025-26.
It's far from a bright future for the Bucks, but there may just be a light at the end of the tunnel if new head coach Taylor Jenkins can develop the abundance of youth on the roster, including 10th-overall pick Brayden Burries, who 30 per cent of GMs around the league voted as the steal of the draft.
New York Knicks: Will 'tabled' contract talks stymie championship chemistry?
If there are two things that might derail the Knicks' title defence, it's the fact that no team has won back-to-back championships since 2018, closely followed by the existence of the second apron.
Well, three, if counting owner James Dolan, who's the one insisting — even after the franchise's first title in 53 years — that he would not be willing to stomach top-end luxury tax payments to keep the championship roster intact. A situation that's led to the departure of Mitchell Robinson (now with the Celtics) and left a pair of extension-eligible starters in Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart without new deals heading into the season.
Both have kept their thoughts mostly close to the chest, but Towns did admit he was "very disappointed" after the Knicks publicly announced they would not discuss a possible extension until after the season. Now if there's a team that can block out most noise, it's the Knicks who demonstrated plenty of composure in the biggest moments during their historic run. But it's also true that lesser distractions have caused rifts before.
Orlando Magic: Can Sean Sweeney unlock Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner?
It's Year 5 for the partnership between former top-10 picks, with little more to show for it than three straight first-round exits and an offence that has ranked in the bottom half of the league every season during that span.
Although some of that disappointment has been due to injuries, as Banchero and Wagner have played just 205 games together out of a possible 328. Yet there's certainly potential there, as they've generally been positive when sharing the floor, including a plus-3.01 net rating in just over 400 minutes last year.
Sometimes all it takes is a new voice and a fresh perspective to make it all click. It's an apples-to-oranges comparison, but swapping Tom Thibodeau for Mike Brown was enough to get the Knicks, namely Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, over the hump. Can the newly hired Sweeney — after helping the San Antonio Spurs to a Western Conference title — follow suit and work some magic in Orlando?
Philadelphia 76ers: Can Joel Embiid stay healthy and does it even matter?
To describe the off-season as transformative for the City of Brotherly Love would be an understatement. After the sneaky-good additions of Anfernee Simons, Dean Wade and Ariel Hukporti, Philly went big-game hunting by trading for Brown and then signing LeBron James. So now it's officially title-or-bust time for the 76ers as the NBA's all-time leading scorer chases one more championship before calling it quits.
But despite all the change in Philadelphia, one thing remains the same: plenty of uncertainty surrounding the health status of Embiid. The seven-footer is coming off three consecutive seasons of less than 40 games played and is now 32 years old. And while Embiid was relatively available for the 2025-26 post-season, playing in seven of eight games after missing the 76ers' first three playoff contests, it was a tale of two series for the former MVP. He looked spry and energetic in the first round, averaging 36.6 minutes and 28.0 points, but was equally as slow and enemic by the conference semis, dropping those averages to 29.0 minutes and 18.7 points.
To his credit, Embiid has slimmed down tremendously heading into camp — back to his rookie weight — to try and address his conditioning concerns, but there's still no guarantee he makes it through an 82-game season unscathed. Especially now that his projected backup in Hukporti has been lost for the season to injury. And yet, even with Embiid's status looming large, the 76ers may just figure it all out anyway. They now have not one, but two of the game's most durable and versatile stars in Brown and James and have coupled them with a pair of uber-athletic ascending guards in Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe.
Toronto Raptors: Is another trade a matter of when, not if?
With Kawhi Leonard's unprecedented return north of the border, it signalled a sense of urgency from the front office that sent plenty of fans on a trip down memory lane. Although this iteration of the Raptors is far different than the team Leonard led to a title in 2019, it's not difficult to draw parallels. And if that's the case, it begs the question: is a Marc Gasol-esque trade still needed for Toronto to truly contend?
Leonard's addition will undoubtedly address problems the Raptors have struggled with since his departure — i.e., pull-up scoring, three-point volume and fourth-quarter production — but expecting a 35-year-old with a checkered injury history to paper over every deficiency on the roster might be asking a lot. Even if he is coming off one of his healthiest and most productive seasons.
Which is where eyes shift to the rest of the starters not named Scottie Barnes. The trio of Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett and Jakob Poeltl each certainly provide value in their own ways, but also have clear limitations and are marred by less-than-ideal cap circumstances.
On one hand, Quickley's lack of point-guard instincts, Barrett's lapses on defence and Poeltl's waning mobility could be addressed with a bit of internal development — whether that's any of the three making strides of their own, or reserves like Jamal Shead, Ja'Kobe Walter and Collin Murray-Boyles forcing their way up the pecking order. It's all possible, but how likely is any of it within the limited Leonard-Barnes window?
The older trio have had plenty of runway in the NBA, and while growth is hardly linear, it becomes harder to believe in as the years pass. As for the youngsters, each has made plenty of strides but still enter the season well behind the older three as far as general productivity/versatility go, so it would also be a surprising turn of events. That leaves Bobby Webster and Darko Rajakovic to determine if their answers lie on the roster or elsewhere.
Washington Wizards: Can both timelines co-exist?
It's glaringly obvious that the Wizards are trying to push toward even the slightest bit of respectability after three straight seasons of less than 20 wins and a five-year playoff drought.
So much so that Washington hit fast-forward on the rebuild by trading for Trae Young — and re-signing him — and Anthony Davis before acquiring another former top pick in Deandre Ayton to pair with budding players like Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington, Tre Johnson, Kyshawn George and rookie No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa.
If head coach Brian Keefe can thread the needle between the vets and youngsters, basketball in the DMV area could be exciting for the first time in a long time. But if not everyone sees eye-to-eye, and say personal interests, like Davis eyeing a new deal, get in the way, the Wizards may have to pick a side.
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