Without question and rightfully so, the Oklahoma City Thunder are heavy favorites to repeat as NBA champions in 2025-26. They return all their key players, including regular-season and Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
However, there hasn’t been a repeat NBA champion since Golden State in 2017 and 2018, and a team hasn’t even played in back-to-back Finals since the Warriors in 2018 and 2019.
The NBA has never been more wide open.
Several teams in the West will push the Thunder. On paper, the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets all improved in the offseason.
And the East is for the taking. Consider that 2025 finalist Indiana is without Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles); 2024 champion Boston is without Jayson Tatum (Achilles), Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis (both traded); and 2023 finalist Miami is far from contention.
Which teams made offseason moves that elevated themselves to contender status for the 2025-26 NBA season?
Houston Rockets
This is as obvious a team as you’ll find on this list. The Rockets added Kevin Durant, 3-and-D wing Dorian Finney-Smith, guard Josh Okogie and center Clint Capela, while re-signing center Steven Adams — who thrived in Houston’s double-big lineup — and key contributors Fred VanVleet and Jabari Smith Jr. (rookie extension). All the while, Houston didn’t lose much. With their size, length and athleticism at the wing, and with their ferocious defensive identity, the Rockets are built to stop a team like the Thunder. Now, with Durant’s scoring, they have the offense to match, too.
Denver Nuggets
Since winning the title in 2023, the Nuggets failed to advance past the second round in 2024 and 2025, and the team is intent on trying to win another title while center Nikola Jokic is playing at an MVP level. With a new coach (David Adelman) and new front-office leadership (Ben Tenzer and Jonathan Wallace), the Nuggets made the moves that can put them back in the Finals (they lost in seven games to Oklahoma City in 2025). Denver traded for Cam Johnson in a deal that sent Michael Porter Jr. to Brooklyn, brought back Bruce Brown, signed Tim Hardaway Jr., and acquired Jonas Valanciunas, giving the Nuggets depth and versatility to better compete with the Thunder and other top teams in the West.
New York Knicks
They were already a conference finals team, and — while they didn’t necessarily add that much — their roster continuity should go a long way, particularly in a wide-open Eastern Conference. Getting veteran bench scorer Jordan Clarkson on the cheap should ease the scoring burden and help the team put up points during the non-Jalen Brunson minutes. But, more than anything, new coach Mike Brown should have no reservations about relying on Clarkson and New York’s bench, something Tom Thibodeau was hesitant to do.
Los Angeles Clippers
‘Thirtysomething’ was a popular TV drama in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It’s also how Clippers front-office executives Lawrence Frank and Trent Redden believe the team can contend for a title – with thirtysomethings James Harden, 35; Kawhi Leonard, 34; Nic Batum, 36; Bradley Beal, 32; Kris Dunn 31; and Brook Lopez, 37, plus one fortysomething in Chris Paul. They also have John Collins, Ivica Zubac, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Derrick Jones Jr. The Clippers are fast approaching a rebuild with the contracts of Leonard and Harden expiring after the 2026-27 season and trying to maximize these two seasons.
Detroit Pistons
The Pistons minimized the losses of Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dennis Schroder in the offseason by acquiring Duncan Robinson, signing Caris LeVert, re-signing Paul Reed and getting Jaden Ivey back in the rotation after an injury sidelined him for 52 games last season. The growth of Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Ron Holland II, Ausar Thompson and veterans such as Tobias Harris could make the Pistons the breakout team in a wide-open East. The Pistons made a giant leap from 14 victories in 2023-24 to 44 victories in 2024-25 and should be moving into the 50-win territory in 2025-26.
Orlando Magic
Again, in a wide-open East, the Magic might have done just enough to elevate into a contender. The big move was to find another shooter and scorer in Desmond Bane, who averaged 19.2 points per game for Memphis last season. Orlando’s identity has been on defense, and Bane instantly takes the pressure off of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Getting Tyus Jones was another solid move, one that shores up the backup point guard slot. And No. 25 overall selection Jase Richardson could also provide a little scoring bump off the bench.
