The NBA season is less than a month away, with 25 teams hosting their media days on Monday while the rest held theirs last week.
This offseason was full of ups and downs: Trades, contract stalemates and injuries were just some of the hurdles facing the league’s teams. And despite 22 days separating the preseason from opening night, not every team’s offseason storylines have been resolved.
Nikola Jokic is in his prime, and the Nuggets cannot afford to waste it. The new additions of Jonas Valanciunas, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bruce Brown will boost the Nuggets’ once-shallow depth off the bench. But for all of Jokic’ brilliance, Denver’s defense gave up 115.1 points per 100 possessions last season, ranking 21st. If the Nuggets don’t improve on that end, then any hopes of a deep postseason push will be dashed. — Baxter Holmes
Are the Rockets still contenders in the West after Fred VanVleet’s potentially season-ending torn ACL?
With teams such as Boston, Indiana and Milwaukee all expected to take a step back because of injuries, Atlanta decided this is the time to strike in the East. The Hawks acquired reinforcements in Kristaps Porzingis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard. Those three will help stretch the floor and provide Young, the reigning assists leader, with more weapons. With Jalen Johnson returning from shoulder surgery and expected to resume his breakout, and Dyson Daniels, Onyeka Okongwu and Zaccharie Risacher continuing to develop and progress, Young might have his most talented roster yet. He will also be looking to prove that he is worthy of a four-year, $229 million extension that he is eligible for. — Ohm Youngmisuk
The Celtics — for most of the past decade — have had a singular focus: try to hang more championship banners in the TD Garden rafters. But this season Boston is charting a different course with Jayson Tatum’s torn Achilles and both Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis having been traded in cost-saving moves this summer. But what, exactly, is that course? Will the Celtics still try to compete for a playoff spot behind Jaylen Brown and Derrick White — or will this be an attempted “gap year”? — Tim Bontemps
Thomas comes in after a season full of nagging hamstring injuries. It limited him to 25 games and a subsequent disappointing run through restricted free agency, resulting in him taking a $6 million qualifying offer. Porter was acquired from Denver for Cameron Johnson in early July, after being a third wheel in that offense. Both are aggressive offensive players who relish freedom, and Porter has never taken more than 13.6 shots per game. Watching the balance between those two will be interesting as the Nets search for an identity. — Vincent Goodwill
It has been a rough three seasons for Ball, who has played in only 105 career games because of injuries. There is no denying Ball’s talent when healthy, as he averaged 25.2 points, 7.4 assists and 4.9 rebounds in 47 games last season. But Ball not only has to show he can stay on the court, but can he be the leader Charlotte needs him to be? Can he improve his shooting efficiency and defense? Brandon Miller’s second season was limited to 27 games because of injury. While Charlotte is in store for another rebuilding season, second-year coach Charles Lee will want to see what his two young stars can do together over a full season alongside Miles Bridges and No. 4 pick Kon Knueppel. — Youngmisuk
Irving provided a glimmer of hope for Mavericks fans in September when he told TMZ his rehabilitation from a torn ACL is going “incredibly well.” So, there’s optimism for a potential Irving return as soon as January. In the meantime, Dallas needs to find a way to position itself for ideal conditions upon Irving’s return. To do that, Anthony Davis, who is back from offseason eye surgery, needs to carry the Mavericks on both ends of the court. The development of No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg will be key, too, as coach Jason Kidd plans to put the ball in the rookie’s hands often. — Michael C. Wright
Ivey was having a career season, shooting 45% on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers before fracturing his left fibula on New Year’s Day. The Pistons, 14-18 at the time, took flight after Ausar Thompson emerged in the starting lineup in Ivey’s absence. Thompson’s defense unlocks things in that first unit while Ivey’s scoring and speed complement Cade Cunningham’s style, posing the question of whether Ivey will begin the season back in the starting lineup or as a sixth-man type. Also of note: Ivey and Jalen Duren are up for rookie-scale extensions. — Goodwill
The resolution on the Kuminga front will very likely determine both Kuminga’s early-season buy-in and his deadline tradeability. There’s a reason it has held the Warriors’ summer hostage and generated so many headlines. If the two sides come to a reasonable compromise, there’s a world where the awkwardness subsides swiftly. Kuminga is a helpful rotation wing and is either used or moved as a player to bulk up an older rotation in need of reinforcement. But, if it’s the qualifying offer or he is unhappy and on a path to 2026 unrestricted free agency, that could be a huge hit to the team’s rotation, flexibility and vibe. — Anthony Slater
Yes. They’ve got Kevin Durant, loads of young, hungry talent and strong coaching. ESPN’s Bobby Marks explained that, barring a trade, Houston can’t fill its lone roster spot with a free agent since it is $1.25 million below the first apron. So, the attention goes to potential replacements on the current roster such as Reed Sheppard, a sharpshooter and improved defender, undersized veteran Aaron Holiday and two-way phenom Amen Thompson, who probably will get first crack at replacing VanVleet. Thompson is poised to make a leap this season after devoting most of the offseason to improving as a playmaker and ball handler. — Wright
Indiana’s Game 7 loss in the NBA Finals was not just crushing because of the missed opportunity for a championship, but because Tyrese Haliburton’s torn Achilles was a huge setback for the 2025-26 Pacers. The team also lost center Myles Turner in free agency. It sets up the defending conference champions to enter a season without expectations. The Pacers have four centers on the roster to try out for Turner’s replacement. They’ll allow Andrew Nembhard to handle the ball more as point guard in Haliburton’s absence. To the outside world, it’s a gap year for a team missing its best player, but for a still-talented team that relished in defying expectations last postseason, the Pacers might have different ideas on how good they can be this season. — Collier
The NBA’s latest and most high-profile investigation into the team and whether it circumvented the salary cap — one of the league’s cardinal sins — will cast a shadow over its season. And if new revelations emerge before the investigation is complete, it could become even more uncomfortable. Overall, the NBA’s inquiry could serve as a distraction, or the team could compartmentalize it and wait for the results, whatever might come. But, this is also a team built around players in the winter of their careers, including 40-year-old Chris Paul, 37-year-old Brook Lopez and 36-year-old James Harden, and given his injury history and overall mileage, even the 34-year-old Leonard. A potential rebuild looms in the near future, which means the team cannot afford to waste what might well be their last chance to squeeze some meaningful success out of the Leonard era. — Holmes
The Lakers went 15-8 with both James and Luka Doncic on the court together to close out the regular season. While their timely team-up secured L.A. the No. 3 seed down the stretch, James and Doncic were bounced by Minnesota in five games during the first round. With the West projecting even stronger conference competition than last season, will the Lakers’ all-world tandem and supporting cast be able to keep L.A. near the top of the standings in what could be one of James’ last go rounds? And if they aren’t winning, will James be content to finish out the season in L.A.? — Dave McMenamin
General manager Zach Kleiman deserves some credit for taking a hard look at the roster and determining it simply wasn’t strong enough to compete consistently in the West. That led to the firing of coach Taylor Jenkins and elevating assistant Tuomas Iisalo. They also traded Desmond Bane to Orlando for a nice package of picks that helped the Grizzlies move up to land Cedric Coward. At the same time, Kleiman and the Grizzlies didn’t drastically impact the club’s ability to compete now, as they continued to build on the edges around Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. with the additions of Ty Jerome and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. — Wright
Jimmy Butler III moved on to the Warriors at the trade deadline last February. But, the Heat never truly recovered from a tumultuous divorce, culminating in Miami being blown out in the first round by Cleveland. Miami went out and acquired Norman Powell and Simone Fontecchio, and drafted Kasparas Jakucionis to add more offense. But already, the Heat are off to a tough start before camp with Tyler Herro out for eight weeks after undergoing surgery on his left foot. Powell displayed what he can do with more opportunity when he played at an All-Star level to start last season when Kawhi Leonard was sidelined because of injury for the Clippers. The Heat will need Powell to help Bam Adebayo and Andrew Wiggins shoulder the offensive load. But if there is anyone who can keep it together and help the Heat rebound from last season, it’s coach Erik Spoelstra. — Youngmisuk
The Bucks enjoyed a full, healthy season from Antetokounmpo in 2024-25, playing like an MVP contender in 67 regular-season games and then raising his game to another level in the playoffs. Yet, Milwaukee still lost in the first round for the third consecutive season. It has been seven years since Antetokounmpo won his first MVP award, and the Bucks have aggressively retooled their roster year after year in an attempt to remain in contention. But even in a weakened Eastern Conference, the Bucks are trying to find a way to reopen their window and give Antetokounmpo another chance to compete for championships in Milwaukee. — Collier