Atlanta will play with expectations after a busy offseason. Chicago just brought back Josh Giddey and is hoping for a playoff run.
Here is a preview of the East, with comments on each team and projected win totals and predicted order of finish:
Cavaliers (60 wins)
The Cavaliers led the East with 64 wins last season and were primed for a long playoff run until running into the Pacers, who knocked them flat and made them look like a disheveled team. Cleveland brought back the same crew, then added Lonzo Ball to relieve some of the pressure off Darius Garland at point guard. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are back along with Donovan Mitchell. There are no excuses this season. They folded in that series, which reflected poorly on first-year coach Kenny Atkinson. Max Strus will be out for the first few months of the season, but this team still has enough to win a lot of games.
Knicks (55 wins)
The Knicks made significant offseason changes, which included firing coach Tom Thibodeau and replacing him with well-traveled Mike Brown to jump-start the offense. They also upgraded the bench by adding former Celtic Guerschon Yabusele and scoring guard Jordan Clarkson. Their success will come down to how well Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Mikal Bridges play in the clutch. Like the Cavaliers, the Knicks have no excuses. They are talented and deeper than before. The question is whether Brown’s style will translate better than Thibodeau’s. If it doesn’t, the Knicks are back where they started.
Magic (49 wins)
May be the shakiest third seed in years because the Magic haven’t proven they can consistently win games, score, and stay healthy. Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner led the team and are both healthy after missing significant time last year with oblique injuries. Orlando added Desmond Bane from the Grizzlies for shooting. Defensively, the Magic could be the most physical and punishing team in the NBA; they don’t need a prolific offense, but they do need to be better. Bane can’t be the only premium shooter. Wagner has to be better from the 3-point line, as does Anthony Black, the new starting point guard. Too many questions in Orlando for it to compete with the Cavaliers and Knicks, but it will be better.
Pistons (49 wins)
The Pistons won’t be sneaking up on anyone this season. How will they deal with the raised expectations? The good news is Jaden Ivey is back from his leg injury, but the Pistons also lost sharpshooter Malik Beasley because of his personal issues and replaced him with Duncan Robinson. And if Isaiah Stewart was healthy during Detroit’s first-round series against the Knicks, they may have advanced. The rest of the core returns intact, including Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, and Ausar Thompson. A sneaky good move for Detroit is the addition of former Michigan standout Caris LeVert. The Pistons are talented but are they prepared for the pressure of being a contender?
Hawks (47 wins)
Talk about no excuses. The Hawks retooled their roster this summer, adding former Celtic Kristaps Porzingis and ex-Timberwolves standout Nickeil Alexander-Walker to join Trae Young and a healthy Jalen Johnson. In play-in land for years, it’s about time they take the next step. That depends on how well Young can mesh with Porzingis. Speaking of Porzingis, the good news for Atlanta is he made it through EuroBasket healthy and those energy issues he experienced in Boston are gone, but he’ll definitely be load-managed because of his history. Atlanta is deep after a series of strong drafts, but can the Hawks deal with actual expectations?
76ers (47 wins)
One of the more mysterious teams in the NBA. Joel Embiid was supposed to come back this season healthy, but there are questions as to whether he’ll be ready. Paul George has been more productive in the podcast game than on the floor. Tyrese Maxey was Philadelphia’s best player last season and he’s really the only sure thing, but it did nab the promising VJ Edgecombe and Johni Broome in the draft while Jared McCain, who was enjoying a sparkling rookie season before a knee injury, returns fully healthy. Nick Nurse’s job may be on the line this season and the impatience is growing with Embiid.
Celtics (45 wins)
Don’t sleep on them, even without Tatum. Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, and Anfernee Simons are a good enough quartet to win a share of games, and this team will be scrappy and play harder than their opponents. The question is whether Joe Mazzulla can devise an offensive strategy that will accentuate the roster’s strengths. Being so 3-point reliant won’t work with the departures of Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, and Al Horford. Boston still has questions at center where third-stringer Neemias Queta is likely going to be elevated to starter. If Luka Garza, Josh Minott, and Hugo Gonzalez can produce, the Celtics could be a sleeper.
Bucks (44 wins)
Any team with Giannis Antetokounmpo is going to compete, but the Bucks just don’t have enough talent to be amongst the elite. The organization is trying to do anything to keep Antetokounmpo from requesting a trade, even if it means re-signing his brother after a year’s absence. The addition of Myles Turner will help in the paint, but the rest of the roster is still the same one that was so inconsistent last season. Trading fan favorite Khris Middleton for Kyle Kuzma was an abject failure, but the hope is that Kuzma — along with Kevin Porter Jr., Gary Trent Jr., and Bobby Portis — will help enough to turn the Bucks into a surprise contender.
Raptors (42 wins)
It’s about time the Raptors made a breakthrough; they have enough talent to win their share of games. Relying on Ingram is a big risk, but when healthy, he’s a smooth-scoring forward who can also rebound. Barrett seems to have found a home in his native Canada and is a solid second option behind Barnes, who has learned to shoot the three as well as in the paint. The Raptors could be a sleeper team with the right luck, and they definitely have enough young talent to make it difficult on better teams.
Heat (39 wins)
Tyler Herro is expected to miss at least the first month of the season following ankle surgery, which dampens the team’s chances of getting off to a strong start. There is talent here with Bam Adebayo, Kel’el Ware, and Andrew Wiggins, and the club also brought back defensive ace Davion Mitchell. With no major free agent acquisitions, the Heat will have to rely on the savvy coaching of Erik Spoelstra and the defensive prowess of Ware, Adebayo, and Wiggins to win ugly. The addition of Norman Powell should boost the offense, but Miami is definitely in the same place as it was before, vying for a play-in spot.
Pacers (37 wins)
It’s going to be a transition season without Tyrese Haliburton and Turner, but coach Rick Carlisle will figure out a way to keep the club competitive. Like Brown in Boston, this could be a showcase for Pascal Siakam to be the unquestioned No. 1 offensive option, but the Pacers will need more from Aaron Nesmith, Andrew Nembhard, and Bennedict Mathurin. And they are going to be prone to suffer from an NBA Finals hangover.
Bulls (34 wins)
As usual, the Bulls did little to improve their squad in free agency, with their biggest acquisition Isaac Okoro from Cleveland. Chicago will rely on youth with Giddey, athletic maven Matas Buzelis, and Coby White while preparing for next summer, when it can sign potentially two max players.
Hornets (28 wins)
Hard to tell if the Hornets took a step forward under first-year coach Charles Lee, because they were often injured and inconsistent. A team with LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Miles Bridges should be competitive on most nights, but the Hornets still don’t know how to win and Ball hasn’t shown the ability to consistently lead a team. It will be another growth season in Charlotte, nothing more.
Wizards (24 wins)
The Wizards again field a crew of youngsters along with a couple of veterans — Middleton and CJ McCollum — playing out their contracts. The goal, like in Brooklyn, is to be a major free agent player in 2026. The good news is Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington, Cam Whitmore, and Bilal Coulibaly all look like long-term prospects. If the plan works out, the Wizards won’t be down for much longer.
Nets (20 wins)
The Nets had five first-round picks in this year’s draft and selected all five, making already a painfully young team even more youthful. (Brooklyn has eight players on its roster age 21 or younger.) This will be a showcase for Michael Porter Jr. as a No. 1 option. Nic Claxton is a defensive maven and Cameron Thomas will be playing for free agency after coming back on a qualifying offer. It’s going to be another long season at Barclays.
The Pacers will be without star point guard Tyrese Haliburton after he suffered an injury in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.Nate Billings/Associated Press
Furthering the league
Silver expands thoughts on domestic, European additions
There has been more discussion in recent months about the NBA’s delving into Europe and potentially beginning a league overseas than local expansion to candidates Las Vegas and Seattle. What’s more, while there was expectation that commissioner Adam Silver would announce expansion cities in July, he tabled the topic and focused more on Europe.
When asked again last week in New York, Silver reiterated that he’s exploring local expansion and fought back against the idea that he favors more European exploration.
“I don’t know why it seems that way to some people,” he said. “It’s not the case. I think there are independent people looking at potential domestic expansion and then others looking at opportunities in Europe, and I see them as completely independent opportunities.
“The fact is no new news to report on domestic expansion, but it’s something we continue to look at. We did discuss it at the board meeting. I think that we’ve spent a fair amount of time on the economic models around expansion. We’ve gotten into more of, I’d say, a deeper dive than when I last addressed the media on it. Certainly now that we know what our media contracts are. That helps in doing the math, at least over the next decade.”
While there was speculation that 2030 could be a target for 31st and 32nd teams, there is no timetable. And the selling of the Lakers ($10 billion) and Celtics ($6.1 billion) have perhaps complicated the price of a new club.
“Part of the difficulty in potentially assessing it is a sense of long-term value of the league, and a little bit, maybe it’s a high-class problem, but as with some of the recent jumps in franchise valuations, that sort of creates some confusion in the marketplace about how you might even price an expansion franchise,” Silver said. “So I’ll only say it’s something that we continue to actively look at.
Silver also stressed Europe’s status as a “clean slate . . . in terms of what the opportunity might be.” That despite there already being a professional league in Europe with historically strong and valuable teams. The NBA will have to negotiate with the EuroLeague, and possibly FIBA, in plans for sponsored clubs in cities such as Paris and Madrid.
“Discussions with the EuroLeague are ongoing, so yes, there is still room to further engage with them and find ways that we can integrate our operation in some way,” Silver said. “I wouldn’t say it’s our preference to link with those well-known soccer clubs in Europe. I think that is one model, where particularly some of those incredible soccer brands in Europe have some of the biggest followings in the world behind their clubs, but also, as you well know, have basketball traditions as well. They may not be as well known for their basketball clubs, but it’s not as if we’re taking a soccer brand and saying, now go start a basketball club.
“I think we’re looking market by market. In particular markets, some of those soccer clubs have come forward; they have basketball organizations. In some cases, they have basketball teams that are currently playing in other leagues, and have said, we would be very interested in partnering with you. And then there are some other markets where there’s not the same basketball tradition as you see in some of the European countries.
“I’m sure you’re sitting there thinking, too, that when I talk about Europe, Europe is a very — from country to country things can differ dramatically, levels of interest in basketball can differ dramatically. There are some European countries with capital cities incredibly well known to American audiences that seem like great opportunities but without great basketball traditions, where in some of those markets it probably makes the most sense to start from scratch and create new clubs.”
Dennis Schröder and Daniel Theis, both former Celtics, celebrated with the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 trophy.Alex Grimm/Getty
Layups
Former Celtics guard Dennis Schröder helped Germany to its first EuroBasket gold medal since 1993 and was named MVP of the tournament. Schröder just signed a three-year deal with the Kings, his 10th NBA team in a 13-year career. While Schröder has bounced around the NBA, he still remains a quality, sought-after point guard. And his helping Germany to the FIBA World Cup and the EuroBasket titles in two years has potentially catapulted him into Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame status when he retires. Schröder turned 32 this week and still has a handful of NBA and international years left. Remember, the Naismith Hall of Fame has international entries, meaning there are several inductees who were elected, such as former Celtic Dino Radja, based mainly on their international performance. Schröder has become a dominant player in FIBA and has joined Franz and Mo Wagner and ex-Celtic Daniel Theis to help resurrect German basketball after the retirement of Dirk Nowitzki … While teams are filling rosters with Exhibit 10 contracts and other training camp invites, the Celtics added former UC San Diego guard Hayden Gray and ex-Rutgers standout Ron Harper Jr. on deals, and have one more slot remaining. With the club needing frontcourt help, an intriguing invite could be former first-round pick Thomas Bryant, who was last with the Pacers and played significant minutes in the NBA Finals. The Celtics are short in the middle with Neemias Queta, Luka Garza, and Amari Williams (two-way contract) as their bigs. There are also a handful of veteran free agents who have yet to sign with clubs — Alec Burks, Markelle Fultz, Talen Horton-Tucker, and Garrison Mathews … The Nets continue to make roster moves that may only have significance inside the front office. They acquired former Atlanta first-round pick Kobe Bufkin, a former Michigan standout who played in 27 games over two seasons, for cash considerations. To make room for Bufkin, the Nets waived former first-round pick Keon Johnson, who started 56 games for the rebuilding team last season, averaging 10.4 points. Johnson, a 6-foot-5-inch guard, is only 23 so there should be a market for his services. The Nets enter this season as one of the league’s youngest teams, with no player older than 28-year-old Haywood Highsmith. Brooklyn is barely over the salary cap floor and $52 million under the first apron.
Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at gary.washburn@globe.com. Follow him @GwashburnGlobe.