A look at Heat, every team in East after wild offseason

Giannis Antetokounmpo poses with Pat Riley, President of the Miami Heat, left, and Head Coach Erik Spoelstra during a press conference introducing Portis to the Miami Heat on Thursday, July 16, 2026, at the Kaseya Center in downtown Miami, Fla.

Alie Skowronski

Where does the Heat now stack up in a suddenly ultra-competitive Eastern Conference after a flurry of offseason moves? Exploring where each team stands:

Atlantic Division

BOSTON

▪ How last season went: Finished second in the East at 56-26, but blew a 3-1 lead and lost to Philadelphia in the first round.

▪ Major offseason transactions: Traded Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks. Signed former Knicks center Mitchell Robinson to a three-year, $47.4 million contract, and added veteran point guard Mike Conley on a minimum deal.

▪ Comment: By trading Brown — who was sixth in MVP voting last season — for a lesser, older player with durability issues, Boston has very likely taken a step back, even with Jayson Tatum remaining the franchise anchor.

Robinson’s rebounding and shot-blocking — badly needed on this roster — should mitigate that step back to an extent. But the Celtics’ chances of an Eastern Conference finals appearance could hinge on the health and performance of George, who averaged 17.3 points last season (on 43.9 percent shooting) but appeared in just 41 and 37 games in his first two seasons with Philadelphia.

NEW YORK

▪ How last season went: Finished third in the East at 53-29, then rampaged through the playoffs, beating the Spurs in six games to win their first NBA title since 1973.

▪ Major offseason transactions: Signed veteran center Andre Drummond away from Philadelphia, and re-signed guards Jose Alvarado, Landy Shamet and Jordan Clarkson and forward Mohamed Diawara.

▪ Comment: Drummond (15.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per 36 minutes for the 76ers last season) obviously is no longer as good as Robinson (16.1, 2.1), but losing Robinson was inevitable because the Knicks don’t want to be a second apron team.

With their payroll constraints, re-signing Alvarado and Shamet was something of a victory. The Knicks still have arguably the most complete team in the East but face financial challenges ahead, particularly with Karl Anthony-Towns a year from free agency.

Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers and Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics embrace after the 76ers defeated the Celtics 109-100 in Game Seven of the First Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs at TD Garden on May 02, 2026 in Boston. Maddie Meyer Getty Images

PHILADELPHIA

▪ How last season went: Finished seventh in the East at 45-37, advanced out of the play-in, beat Boston in the first round and were swept by the Knicks in the second round.

▪ Major offseason transactions: The 76ers are the biggest offseason winners after landing LeBron James at the minimum for two years and acquiring Brown from the Celtics for George and four draft picks. They also signed guard Anfernee Simons (two-year, $12.3 million deal), forward Dean Wade (four-year, $39 million), center Ariel Hukporti (one-year contract) and guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (one year at the minimum) after a buyout from Memphis.

Additionally, they drafted Alabama guard Labaron Philon Jr. with the No. 22 overall pick, but lost guard Quentin Grimes to the Lakers and Drummond to the Knicks.

▪ Comment: There’s no team in the league with a more dynamic, explosive group of wing players than the 76ers, who have not only three All Stars in James and Brown and Tyrese Maxey, but promising 2025 high lottery pick VJ Edgecombe, Simons and now Philon.

But Joel Embiid has appeared in just 39, 19 and 38 games the past three seasons, and if he’s sidelined, the 76ers’ would need to make do with Adam Bona, Hukporti and Wade as their power rotation, with James logging time at power forward.

This has the look of a championship contender with a healthy and vintage version of Embiid, but a second-round loser without him.

TORONTO

▪ How last season went: Finished fifth in the East at 46-36 and lost to Cleveland in seven games in the first round of the playoffs.

▪ Major offseason transactions: Though the trade won’t be finalized until the league has completed its investigation into whether the Clippers circumvented the salary cap with Kawhi Leonard, the Raptors are fully expecting to complete a deal to acquire Leonard in exchange for Brandon Ingram, Grady Dick, an unprotected first-round pick in 2031, an unprotected first-round pick in 2033, a 2027 first-round pick swap and two second-round picks.

The Raptors also signed veteran forward Kyle Anderson and drafted Santa Clara forward Allen Graves, who was one of the biggest standouts in the Las Vegas Summer League, with the 19th overall pick.

▪ Comment: After appearing in just 37 games in 2024-25, Leonard managed to play 65 last season and was brilliant, averaging 27.9 points and 6.4 rebounds and shooting 50.5 percent from the field.

If the Raptors get that version — or the comparable version of Leonard that led them to the 2019 NBA title — this roster is good enough to challenge for a conference finals appearance. They’re long, athletic, rangy, can shoot and clog passing lanes.

BROOKLYN

▪ How last season went: Finished 13th in the East at 20-62.

▪ Major offseason transactions: Acquired Julius Randle and the 28th overall pick (Iowa State forward Joshua Jefferson) from Minnesota for Nic Claxton and the 33rd overall pick; used cap space to sign guard Keon Ellis (two year, $18 million) and Mo Wagner (two years, $19 million) and drafted Louisville guard Mikel Brown with the sixth overall pick.

▪ Comment: The Nets have improved after adding Randle (21.1 points per game, 6.7 rebounds per game) and Brown, who rose up draft boards largely because of his elite, explosive athleticism. But a rotation of Randle, Day’ron Sharpe, Michael Porter Jr., Brown, Egor Denim, Ellis, Noah Clowney and Wagner and perhaps Danny Wolf doesn’t seem good enough for a top 12 seed, let alone a top 10 seed.

Southeast Division

ATLANTA

▪ How last season went: Finished sixth in the East at 46-36 and lost 4-2 to the Knicks in the first round, handing New York half of its four postseason losses. But they were annihilated 140-89, in the playoff elimination loss.

▪ Major offseason transactions: Acquired 2025 NBA All-Defensive wing Luguentz Dort and Ryan Nembhard from Oklahoma City in a deal that sent former No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher to Dallas and three second-round picks to the Thunder.

Atlanta also drafted Houston guard Kingston Flemings eighth overall, acquired guard Aaron Wiggins from OKC for two second-round picks and acquired point guard Devin Carter and a 2033 second-rounder from Sacramento for the draft rights to center Alpha Kaba.

Also, the Hawks re-signed CJ McCollum to a one-year, $21 million deal and center Jock Landale to a one-year, $14 million contract.

▪ Comment: The Hawks have improved after drafting Flemings and adding Dort (who held the player he guarded to 43.5% shooting) and Wiggins (9.4 ppg, 35.6 on threes). But that doesn’t mean they’ll necessarily finish as high as sixth again, because the Heat, 76ers and Pacers are all better and could jump them. Orlando potentially could, too.

Dort and Dyson Daniels might be the best defensive backcourt in the NBA, but can those two stretch the floor enough to keep defenses honest? Dort shot 34.4% on threes and Daniels shot a league-worst 18.8% (22 for 117) – the worst three-point shooting percentage ever by a player with at least 115 attempts.

WASHINGTON

▪ How last season went: The Wizards tanked their way to the worst record in the league at 17-65, then got lucky by landing the No. 1 overall draft pick.

▪ Major offseason transactions: Selected BYU forward AJ Dybantsa first overall, gave a four-year, $212 million contract to guard Trae Young; traded Jaden Hardy and two second-round picks to the Lakers for center Deandre Ayton and acquired veteran Khris Middleton (three years, $17.6 million) in a sign-and-trade involving six teams.

▪ Comment: On paper, a troika of Dybantsa (who averaged 25.5 points and 6.8 rebounds at BYU, then scored 50 points in 51 minutes in las Vegas), four-time All NBA first team center Anthony Davis and four-time All Star guard Trae Young should be a play-in contender, at the very least.

But the East is loaded, and Davis’ durability issues — combined with Young’s mild regression — raise doubts. Here’s how many games Davis has played in every season this decade: 36, 40, 56, 76, 51 and 20.

Young, meanwhile, isn’t quite the same player who led the league in scoring in 2019-20 (at 29.6 points per game) and assists in 2024-25 (11.6). And his perimeter defense remains a liability.

ORLANDO

▪ How last season went: Finished eighth in the East at 45-37, advanced out of the play-in, but lost to Detroit in seven games in the first round after missing 23 consecutive shots and blowing a 24-point second half lead in Game 6 in Orlando.

▪ Major offseason transactions: Fired coach Jamahl Mosley and hired Spurs assistant Sean Sweeney. Gave a one-year, $3.9 million deal to center Nic Vucevic (who played nine years for the Magic through 2021) and re-signed forward Jonathan Isaac and guard Jevon Carter. Lost center Mo Wagner, who signed a two-year, $19 million deal with Brooklyn.

▪ Comment: Beyond adding Vucevic as a backup center, the Magic did nothing to improve a year after trading most of its future draft inventory (four first round picks) to Memphis for Desmond Bane, who averaged 20.1 points and shot 39.3 on three-pointers.

Orlando is hoping the hiring of Sweeney and better health from Franz Wagner (20.6 ppg in just 34 games last season) and Jalen Suggs (13.8 ppg in 57 games) can bridge what was a one-game difference between the eighth-seeded Magic and fifth-seeded Raptors.

MIAMI

▪ How last season went: Finished 10th in the East at 43-29 and lost in the first game of the play-in, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2019.

▪ Major offseason transactions: The Heat traded Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis and a load of draft capital to the Bucks to land two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and veteran forward Bobby Portis. The Heat also added three-point shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. on a one-year contract worth $6.5 million in free agency.

In addition, the Heat drafted guard Ryan Conwell in the second round of this year’s draft and re-signed three-point shooting forward Simone Fontecchio on a one-year minimum contract in free agency.

Finally, forward Andrew Wiggins opted in to the $30.2 million player option in his contract with the Heat for next season and also agreed to a two-year extension worth $34 million.

▪ Comment: The Heat transformed its roster this offseason by trading for Antetokounmpo, who immediately lifts the Heat in the East hierarchy. But Philadelphia, Atlanta and Toronto (pending resolution on Leonard) also improved, and Miami still needs more size, play-making and shooting to feel confident about a top-four seed.

CHARLOTTE

▪ How last season went: Finished ninth in the East at 44-38. The Hornets defeated the Heat in the first play-in game, but fell to the Magic in the second play-in game and failed to qualify for the playoffs.

▪ Major offseason transactions: Landed forward Naz Reid and draft considerations from the Timberwolves for guards LaMelo Ball and Josh Green. The Hornets also sent forward Miles Bridges and draft considerations to the Suns to acquire guard Grayson Allen, forward Royce O’Neale and draft assets.

In addition, the Hornets re-signed guard Coby White on a three-year deal worth $74 million in free agency. In this year’s draft, the Hornets selected Hannes Steinbach and guard Christian Anderson Jr.. The Hornets also acquired forward Dorian Finney-Smith and three second-round picks from the Rockets in exchange for cash.

▪ Comment: The Hornets were the hottest team in the league for a chunk of last season, but they still made changes to their young core by trading away Ball and Bridges this offseason. Now, the Hornets have clarity that they want to build around the talented young duo of forward Brandon Miller and guard Kon Knueppel.

But the Hornets may not be as good in the immediate future after dealing away Ball and Bridges. However, it seems like Charlotte has a long-term plan, with the hope that its youth movement continues to produce encouraging results after adding Steinbach and Anderson through the draft.

Central Division

DETROIT

▪ How last season went: Finished first in the East at 60-22. But after squeaking by the eighth-seeded Magic in seven-game first-round playoff series, the Pistons were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the fourth-seeded Cavaliers in another seven-game series.

▪ Major offseason transactions: Acquired forward John Collins from the Clippers, and forward Taurean Prince and guard Garry Harris from the Bucks as part of a six-team trade. Detroit also received three future second-round draft picks from the Grizzlies in the deal. As part of the six-team trade, Detroit sent center Isaiah Stewart to Memphis, guard Caris LeVert to Milwaukee and guard Marcus Sasser to Dallas. The Pistons also sent two future second-round picks to the Bucks and one future second-round pick to the Clippers.

Also, the Pistons drafted guard Ebuka Okorie in the first round of the draft and acquired three-point shooting guard Isaiah Joe from the Thunder for a pair of second-round picks. But Detroit lost forward Tobias Harris in free agency.

▪ Comment: The Pistons are coming off a terrific regular season, but a relatively disappointing playoff run. Detroit went just 7-7 in the playoffs before being eliminated in the second round after finishing the regular season with the East’s top record.

The Pistons still have one big matter to handle this offseason; All-Star center is Jalen Duren a restricted free agent. The Pistons also lost a few rotation players this offseason, trading away Stewart and LeVert and losing Harris in free agency.

Do the additions of Collins, Prince, Harris and Joe negate those losses? That’s questionable, and the Pistons still didn’t add a secondary playmaker and scorer to help star guard Cade Cunningham. It won’t be easy for them to repeat as the East’s top regular-season team.

Cade Cunningham #2 of the Detroit Pistons celebrates a basket against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the second quarter in Game Four of the Second Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs at Rocket Arena on May 11, 2026 in Cleveland. Jason Miller Getty Images

MILWAUKEE

▪ How last season went: Finished 11th in the East at 32-50, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

▪ Major offseason transactions: Traded away two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and veteran forward Bobby Portis, and acquired Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis and a load of draft capital in the deal.

As part of the trade, the Bucks picked up a second lottery draft pick this year. Milwaukee began its post-Giannis rebuild by selecting guard Brayden Burries and forward Nate Ament in the draft lottery. The Bucks also re-signed guard Gary Trent Jr. to a four-year, $64 million contract and added guard Caris LeVert in a trade.

▪ Comment: The Bucks’ trade of Antetokounmpo begins the start of their rebuilt, and there will be growing pains along the way after an impressive run as one of the East’s top teams for most of Antetokounmpo’s tenure. Milwaukee will spend the coming years developing its youth in hopes of becoming an East contender again in a few seasons.

CHICAGO

▪ How last season went: Finished 12th in the East at 31-51, missing the playoffs for the eighth time in the last nine seasons.

▪ Major offseason transactions: The Bulls’ major move this summer was drafting forward Caleb Wilson fourth overall. Wilson averaged 23.5 points in Las Vegas, making seven threes in the opener, but also shot 6 for 21 from the line and was a turnover-machine in summer league. The Bulls also drafted forward Dailyn Swain with the 15th overall pick.

In addition, the Bulls signed guard Norman Powell to a two-year, $45 million contract in free agency and traded for center Nic Claxton. The Bulls also hired Tiago Splitter as their new head coach, replacing Billy Donovan, who resigned and is now the lead assistant coach with the Spurs.

▪ Comment: The Bulls are clearly building for the future after landing a high upside prospect in Wilson with a top-five pick this summer. But Chicago also has some win-now talent on its roster like Josh Giddey, Matas Buzelis, Claxton and Powell to be a competitive fringe playoff team in the East.

INDIANA

▪ How last season went: Finished with the second-worst record in the East at 19-63.

▪ Major offseason transactions: It has been a relatively quiet offseason for the Pacers, which signed forwards Kelly Oubre Jr. and Larry Nance Jr. in free agency. The Pacers also added guard Braden Smith in the second round of this year’s draft.

▪ Comment: The Pacers’ big move came midway through last season when they traded for veteran center Ivica Zubac in February.

The addition of Zubac and the return of star guard Tyrese Haliburton, who missed the entirety of last season due to a ruptured Achilles, could make the Pacers the biggest risers in the East this upcoming season. The last time that Haliburton was healthy, the Pacers made it all the way to the NBA Finals in 2025.

CLEVELAND

▪ How last season went: Finished fourth in the East at 52-30. The Cavaliers advanced to the East finals before being swept by the Knicks in the conference finals.

▪ Major offseason transactions: The Cavaliers made their first outside addition in free agency this offseason over the weekend, agreeing to a one-year, $2.8 million deal with EuroLeague star Mario Hezonja. Cleveland also lost forward Dean Wade in free agency to Philadelphia.

However, the Cavaliers did get a long-term commitment from star guard Donovan Mitchell (who signed a four-year, $273 million max extension in July) and they’re expected to keep James Harden, who opted out of his contract to work with the organization on a multi-year deal.

The Cavaliers also added guard Meleek Thomas in the second round (34th overall), and he was a revelation in Las Vegas, scoring 109 points in 115 minutes.

▪ Comment: The Cavaliers lost Wade and failed to land LeBron James for a third stint with the franchise, leaving Cleveland no better than the team that was swept in the Eastern Conference finals. A core of Mitchell, Harden, Evan Mobley and Garrett Allen might have already reached its ceiling.

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