The new East
Giannis, Jaylen, Kawhi ... oh my
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When the 2026-2027 NBA season tips off this fall, almost every East contender will be reconfigured.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is in Miami, Jaylen Brown plays for the 76ers, Mitchell Robinson and Paul George are in Celtics green, Kawhi Leonard’s back in Toronto, Naz Reid and Coby White are on the Hornets, Tyler Herro is a Buck, Norm Powell a Bull, and Julius Randle plays for the Nets. The Pacers plan to turn their winning machine back on with Ivica Zubac as Myles Turner’s replacement at center and Tyrese Haliburton back from a torn Achilles.
We’re going to examine the contending teams in four categories:
teams that improved,
teams that got worse,
teams that stayed the same,
and the Washington Wizards.
TEAMS THAT IMPROVED
SIXERS
One of my first thoughts after learning Jaylen Brown was joining the 76ers: this could stifle V.J. Edgecombe’s development.
V.J. has a chance to become a magical max player one day—an absolute star.
But not this year. Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown, and Joel Embiid will take all the oxygen. Instead of creating with the ball as much as he would like in year two, Edgecombe has got to be a demon in transition, on defense, and on the offensive glass. He’ll have to be the best energy guy in the league while draining the open shots he will get as the defense focuses elsewhere. And then he can pick his spots to get more creative when two 76ers stars are on the bench.
One thing that will help this team as they figure out how to play together: Tyrese Maxey is a delight. On the court, he’s blatantly joyful, to the extent that if you can’t play with Tyrese, something’s wrong with you. OK, he’s not always the most dedicated defender, but you can’t complain about the joy he brings to the game. (It would be an awful mess if suddenly we see a sullen Tyrese Maxey.)
Which brings us to the question of Jaylen Brown. Boston has been one of the best teams in the league, and … something broke there. I have to imagine that, on some level, the 76ers are asking themselves if they really can be a better-run team than the Celtics.
That’s a tall order. But there is plenty of room for innovation. Part of the problem in Boston was that they leaned into the 3-point game so profoundly that it may have robbed Brown of some of his effectiveness. Philly played faster than Boston last year, they will have to figure out what’s best for Brown without hurting Maxey’s and V.J.’s development.
They’re stuck with that albatross at center. The Sixers drafted Joel Embiid 12 years ago. When he plays he has often been among the very best in the game. But the poor man has been beset by so many injuries. Over his career he has played 490 games–an average of 41 a year. Now that he’s 32, and hasn’t managed to play 40 games even once in the last three seasons, I would sit him the entire year—or at least until April, so that he has a chance to contribute in the playoffs.
RAPTORS
The Raptors played excellent defense last season, thanks to Scottie Barnes and a big collection of high-potential studs like Collin Murray-Boyles, Jamal Shead, and Ja-Kobe Walter who made huge leap forward in his second season. Alijah Martin is dogged and was upgraded to a full roster position last week.
On offense, they’ve been in the middle of the pack, hoping RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley return better than ever and that Scottie Barnes can improve on his career 30 percent 3-point shooting percentage.
And now they add Kawhi Leonard.
My guess is that Kawhi’s presence will keep Scottie from taking a big step forward on offense, but there is a world where they function like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown did in Boston, in a good way. Scottie’s magical as a playmaker, which doesn’t have to take a hit with Kawhi on the court—and maybe this is the summer Scottie figures out 3-point shooting.
RJ Barrett could be a candidate for sixth man of the year if he embraces coming off the bench—I think that would be great for him. He could also feature in jumbo lineups as more of a shooting guard.
To me, the Raptors have a huge gaping hole at center, and the pressure’s on the front office to pull off a trade. (Don’t be surprised if the Myles Turner rumors crop up). He’s expensive, but dragging centers out of the paint might be worth it.
Adding Kawhi is a low risk shakeup for the season he’s under contract. He’s taking minutes that used to be played by Gradey Dick, no big whoop. The mistake, though, would be to extend a 35-year-old at more than $60 million a season, and at that price you’re almost asking to be disappointed.
PACERS
Don’t let last year’s off-year fool you. We know this team, at full strength, is excellent; They had the full-strength Thunder on the ropes in the Finals before Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles, then a rash of injuries early in the season doomed them from the start.
A lot has happened since then: Myles Turner left for the Bucks. Bennedict Mathurin was traded to the Clippers for new starting center Ivica Zubac. Kelly Oubre arrived as Johnny Furphy and Jarace Walker matured.
It will almost certainly take some time for Haliburton to be himself again, which will put pressure on Andrew Nembhard and Pascal Siakam to produce at high levels at both ends. That’s part of the reason I still worry about their depth at both guard positions and, most critically, at center. Jay Huff and Micah Potter are bad on defense and only good-to-OK on offense.
Rick Carlisle knows what he is doing, and arguably can mitigate the backup center issue by playing long stretches without any center at all. He really likes to go small with Obi Toppin and Pascal Siakam playing together. It’s so killer offensively that the Pacers tend to outscore opponents no matter what happens on defense.
In Oubre, Furphy, Walker, and Aaron Nesmith the Pacers seem to have a surplus of small forwards. I love Nesmith, such a key starter in their Finals run. Oubre was an important player at both forward positions for Philly last season. Walker showed real signs of life after January. Furphy is injured a ton, but I love him too. But that collection of players might present an opportunity: if you can get a real backup center and point guard by trading two of them, it’s worth it, because with the East in turmoil, the Pacers’ opportunity is now.
HEAT
Adding Giannis Antetokounmpo makes them better than if they hadn’t added him. Of course I like Davion Mitchell and Bam Adebayo, but this is not a contending roster. The Heat gave up four important players in Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Kasparas Jakučionis,and Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bobby Portis don’t replace them. The roster is not fully formed; there must be more to come. For now, it’s hard to imagine this team being favored in any playoff series; the league is too demanding for such a shallow roster.
