This NBA offseason, as expected, was tumultuous.
A Top 5 player in Giannis Antetokounmpo was traded to the Miami Heat. Another All-NBA selection in Jaylen Brown also is on the move — and in his case to the Philadelphia 76ers, a division rival of the Boston Celtics, no less. And the game’s greatest icon of this generation, LeBron James, is joining his fourth different team in what will be his record 24th NBA season. He’ll join Brown in Philly.
And those were just some of the moves.
With most of the major free agency moves completed and with the NBA draft well in the rearview mirror, here are the USA TODY Sports NBA offseason power rankings:
NBA offseason power rankings: Top 10
1.New York Knicks, 53-29 (regular-season record in 2025-26)
2.San Antonio Spurs, 62-20
3.Oklahoma City Thunder, 64-18
4.Philadelphia 76ers, 45-37
5.Detroit Pistons, 60-22
6.Denver Nuggets, 54-28
7.Minnesota Timberwolves, 49-33
8.Houston Rockets, 52-30
9.Cleveland Cavaliers, 52-30
10.Los Angeles Lakers, 53-29
The defending-champion Knicks stayed mostly pat though they did lose Mitchell Robinson, but it nonetheless remains that everyone is looking to catch them. The biggest movers here, however, are undoubtedly the Sixers, who overhauled their roster after those Knicks swept them in the conference semifinals; Jaylen Brown and LeBron James suddenly give the Sixers one of the most stacked starting lineups in the league. Now, can they stay healthy?
One interesting team in this group is the Timberwolves, who clearly understood that Anthony Edwards would need more help with shot creation and ball handling. Out are Julius Randle and Naz Reid and in comes LaMello Ball in what could be the biggest feast or famine move of the offseason. And then there’s the Lakers, who lost James and went all-in on Walker Kessler. These moves are all about building around Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, but the new pieces may need time to jell. Even then, it’s not immediately clear if Los Angeles actually improved.
NBA offseason power rankings: Nos. 11-20
11.Boston Celtics, 56-26
12.Miami Heat, 43-39
13.Toronto Raptors, 46-36
14.Indiana Pacers, 19-63
15.Atlanta Hawks, 46-36
16.Portland Trail Blazers, 42-40
17. Orlando Magic, 45-37
18.Utah Jazz, 22-60
19.Chicago Bulls, 31-51
20.Phoenix Suns, 45-37
While the Heat did nab the best available player and a genuine Top 5 talent in the league in Giannis Antetokounmpo, this is still a roster that has some flaws; Miami should shine defensively but shooting and shot creation remain an issue. For the most part, people appear to be sleeping on the Pacers, who may have very well won the 2025 NBA Finals had star point guard Tyrese Haliburton not ruptured his Achilles tendon early in Game 7. Haliburton will be back and Ivica Zubac shores up Indiana’s presence down low.
The Jazz are another interesting team and now we can see the fruits of their tank job. Adding Darryn Peterson with the No. 2 pick and last year’s trade acquisition Jaren Jackson Jr. having an offseason to settle in makes Utah a top candidate to see the biggest win improvement next season. And the Bulls could also be quiet contenders, after adding No. 4 overall rookie Caleb Wilson and Norman Powell and hiring Tiago Splitter as head coach.
NBA offseason power rankings: Nos. 21-30
21.Golden State Warriors, 37-45
22.Charlotte Hornets, 44-38
23.Dallas Mavericks, 26-56
24.Washington Wizards, 17-65
25.Los Angeles Clippers, 42-40
26.Memphis Grizzlies, 25-57
27.New Orleans Pelicans, 26-56
28.Milwaukee Bucks, 32-50
29.Sacramento Kings, 22-60
30.Brooklyn Nets, 20-62
The big question here is about the Warriors and their decision to run it back. Jimmy Butler appears likely to start the season sidelined, and Golden State essentially doubled down on this build. Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg should be a nice player, but this aging, injury-prone team may once again struggle to get out of the play-in. The Wizards are another team that appears to be on the ascent, but questions remain about Trae Young and Anthony Davis and how their veteran presence will fit with this young team that just landed No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA power rankings after wild offseason moves: Where do LeBron’s 76ers land?
Read the full article here