After the New York Knicks ended their 53-year championship drought last season, the 2026-27 title race already looks like a three-team conversation.
The Knicks still have a chance to go back-to-back and defend their crown. Their rivals, the San Antonio Spurs, came up short in their Finals showdown, and the Oklahoma City Thunder remains a powerhouse in the West with a young, two-way core.
Despite the massive changes and transactions this offseason, which saw many stars switch teams, three franchises maintained their cores, while the other bolstered theirs via free agency, giving them a realistic path to the coveted Larry O’Brien Trophy.
New York has kept its core of Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart. Although it lost backup center Mitchell Robinson to the Boston Celtics because it didn’t want to go over the second apron, the team replaced him with Andre Drummond. The two-time All-Star can be a reliable center who can provide quality minutes while Towns rests on the bench.
The Knicks also re-signed their supporting cast of Landry Shamet, Jose Alvarado and Jordan Clark to team-friendly deals. They have a championship-tested core, playoff toughness and complementary shooting and defense.
New York will rely heavily on Brunson’s clutch DNA, Towns’ star power and its overall chemistry to potentially become the first team to win back-to-back titles since the Golden State Warriors.
Next is the Spurs, who will run it back after a 62-20 season and reaching the NBA Finals. They also kept their core intact, but added a veteran forward to strengthen their depth. The team signed Tobias Harris to beef up its wing position and drafted Jayden Quiantece and Tarris Reed Jr. to help Victor Wembanyama with frontcourt duties.
San Antonio also kept veteran forward Harrison Barnes for his presence and leadership inside the locker room.
The Spurs’ guard rotation of Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, De’Aaron Fox and Devin Vassell is arguably one of the deepest and most talented in the entire league.
They have all the ingredients to lift the title, size, length, athleticism and chemistry, which could be enough to punish opposing teams on both ends of the floor.
Third is the Thunder, which almost reached the NBA Finals without their second-best option on offense. Although they traded key rotation players Lu Dort, Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins to avoid apron penalties, they replaced them with rookies Aday Mara and Bennett Stirtz.
The team also re-signed center Isaiah Hartenstein to a three-year, $75 million deal to keep his reliable skill set. Its roster is composed of two-way anchors Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace and Ajay Mitchell. However, two-time NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remains the Thunder’s main star, who will be their primary closer, especially in the postseason.
Lastly, the 76ers arguably were the winners in the offseason. They traded Paul George for Jaylen Brown, and signed LeBron James, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Anfernee Simon, and Dean Wade to significantly improve their roster around Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe.
Their depth alone is enough for them to spread out minutes across their rotation while remaining effective on both ends of the floor. They have the potential to take the No. 1 seed in the East.
The star-studded roster will rely on Embiid’s dominance inside the paint, James’ basketball IQ and ability to create shots for him and his new teammates and Brown’s two-way play. However, the biggest factor that could make or break their title chances is the health of their players, especially Embiid, who has suffered multiple injuries throughout his career.
These four teams are the frontrunners to win it all, but health and depth will be the ultimate deciding factors in determining who the rightful champions would be in the upcoming season.
There are also other teams who could emerge as serious threats like the Denver Nuggets, Miami Heat and Minnesota Timberwolves, among others. They could surprise the basketball world with their strengthened lineups.
