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After an eventful July full of big trades, intriguing signings and the game’s biggest star shocking everyone by heading East, the NBA offseason is nearly complete. And with the regular-season schedule now out, it’s time to start thinking about the 2026-27 season.
ESPN’s staff of experts is looking back at the offseason and taking an early look at the season for all 30 teams, with 30 pieces — one for every team — rolling out each weekday through Sept. 18. We’re answering the biggest looming questions, evaluating X factors and much more for every team.
Check out the rollout schedule below, with stories added daily:
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Central Division
Key additions: Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, Caris LeVert
Key retentions: Gary Trent Jr.
Key subtractions: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis
After 13 seasons, the Giannis era ended in Milwaukee with a mega trade to the Heat — and the 2026-27 season will mark a major shift for the rebuilding franchise.
The Bucks hired coach Taylor Jenkins to establish a culture. They added four new players from Miami, including former All-Star and Wisconsin native Tyler Herro, and selected Brayden Burries with the No. 10 pick in June.
The Bucks will enter the season with an ill-fitting mix of players and low expectations, but they have the luxury to see what sticks long term. — Jamal Collier
Read the full Bucks offseason recap/season preview
Southeast Division
Key additions: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Klay Thompson, Bobby Portis, Tim Hardaway Jr., Nick Richards
Key retentions: Andrew Wiggins, Simone Fontecchio
Key subtractions: Tyler Herro, Norman Powell, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis
Heat president Pat Riley landed the superstar he’d been searching for since LeBron James left Miami in 2016. Antetokounmpo is in the fold, and Miami is ready to contend for another title with the two-time MVP. Antetokounmpo is just as motivated to win his second title and remind everyone that he can be the best player in the league.
In the trade, the Heat gave up key players such as Herro, Ware and Jaquez and did not bring back Powell in free agency. They landed Thompson to a two-year, $13 million deal after the four-time champion sharpshooter worked out a buyout with the Dallas Mavericks. Miami also added Portis and Hardaway, but the team is still looking to bolster the roster around Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo. — Ohm Youngmisuk
Read the full Heat offseason recap/season preview
Key additions: AJ Dybantsa, Khris Middleton, Deandre Ayton, Tre Mann
Key subtractions: Cam Whitmore, D’Angelo Russell, Jaden Hardy
Key retentions: Trae Young
The Wizards got their jump on this pivotal offseason by acquiring Trae Young and Anthony Davis last season in trades.
Those were their two big moves and then came the big prize for losing 65 games last season – winning the lottery and drafting AJ Dybantsa with the first overall pick.
Ready to start winning games this season after losing 60 or more games in each of the past three years, Washington gave Young a four-year, $212 million contract. The Wizards added veterans like Khris Middleton and Deandre Ayton to bolster the depth behind their young core featuring the likes of Dybantsa, Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson and Will Riley. — Ohm Youngmisuk
Read the full Wizards offseason recap/season preview
Key additions: F Naz Reid, G Grayson Allen, G Dennis Schroder, F Royce O’Neale, F Dorian Finney-Smith
Key retentions: G Coby White
Key subtractions: G LaMelo Ball, F Miles Bridges, G Josh Green, G Tre Mann
After enjoying their best season in a decade, the Hornets sharply changed course with the surprising decision to trade Ball, their franchise guard, to the Timberwolves.
Given that Ball was a borderline All-Star on a max contract, Charlotte opted for a “Moneyball” approach in hopes of avoiding the perpetual mediocrity that tripped up Trae Young’s Atlanta Hawks in the recent past.
With Ball and starting forward Miles Bridges moved in separate deals aimed at collecting future draft assets and improving its cap flexibility, Charlotte is now the only team that doesn’t have a single player on the books for at least $25 million next season. — Ben Golliver
Read the full Hornets offseason recap/season preview
Key additions: Luguentz Dort, Aaron Wiggins, Kingston Flemings, Devin Carter, Ryan Nembhard, Zuby Ejiofor, Henri Veesaar
Key retentions: CJ McCollum, Jock Landale
Key subtractions: Zaccharie Risacher, Jonathan Kuminga, Gabe Vincent, Keaton Wallace
Atlanta continued to move forward from the Trae Young trade last season by being opportunistic this offseason.
The Hawks acquired Dort and Wiggins in separate trades from the Oklahoma City Thunder to add more help around emerging star Jalen Johnson. The Hawks also kept McCollum on a one-year, $21 million deal and drafted Flemings eighth overall.
Atlanta is loaded with young wings looking to take a step forward under Quin Snyder like Nickeil Alexander-Walker did last season in winning Most Improved Player. — Ohm Youngmisuk
Read the full Hawks offseason recap/season preview
Key additions: C Nikola Vucevic, G Izaiyah Nelson
Key subtractions: F Moritz Wagner, G Jett Howard
Key retentions: F Jonathan Isaac, G Jevon Carter
The Magic’s biggest move this offseason was hiring Sean Sweeney to replace Jamahl Mosley.
Orlando also brought Nikola Vucevic back on a one-year, $3.9 million deal since trading him in 2021 and will use his ability to score and shoot to space the floor for Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Desmond Bane.
The Magic blew a 3-1 lead over top-seeded Detroit in the first round of the playoffs after Wagner went down due to injury and were in desperate need of someone who can get easier baskets and make outside shots. Vucevic should help. Moe Wagner departed for Brooklyn via free agency, separating Franz from his brother for the first time in his pro career. — Ohm Youngmisuk
Read the full Magic offseason recap/season preview
Pacific Division
Key additions: C Walker Kessler, F Sandro Mamukelashvili, G Quentin Grimes, G Collin Sexton, F Kevon Looney, F Matisse Thybulle, G Cameron Carr
Key retentions: G Austin Reaves
Key subtractions: F LeBron James, C Deandre Ayton, G Marcus Smart, F Rui Hachimura, G Luke Kennard, C Jaxson Hayes
James informed the Lakers he would not be returning for next season on June 30. Two days later, the team transformed the roster, with Doncic squarely as the focal point.
The biggest addition — literally and figuratively — is 7-foot-2 center Kessler, acquired in a sign-and-trade deal with the Utah Jazz. L.A. sent two unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033 and pick swaps in 2028 and 2030, not to mention a four-year, $130 million contract, to acquire him.
Mamukelashvili, Grimes, Sexton, Looney and Thybulle also signed with the Lakers, and free agent Ziaire Williams and first-round pick Carr bolster the team’s young prospect pool of Adou Thiero, Bronny James and Dalton Knecht.
The most important move, though, came when Reaves, coming off a career season in which he averaged 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game, signed a four-year, $180 million extension.
When the dust settled, it was a dramatic roster overhaul in what could prove to be one of the most consequential summers in franchise history, with the team also being sold for the second time in 14 months, this time to venture capitalist Josh Kushner and former Disney CEO Bob Iger, who bought the Lakers from Mark Walter at a $12.5 billion valuation. — Dave McMenamin
Read the full Lakers offseason recap/season preview
Key additions: Rui Hachimura, Keaton Wagler, Brandon Ingram (TBD), Gradey Dick (TBD)
Key retentions: Kobe Sanders, Bradley Beal
Key subtractions: Kawhi Leonard (TBD), Nicolas Batum, Bogdan Bogdanovic, John Collins
What started as a reconfiguration at the trade deadline — acquiring Darius Garland from Cleveland for James Harden and Bennedict Mathurin from Indiana for Ivica Zubac — turned into a complete overhaul this summer after the Clippers let Bogdan Bogdanovic, Nicolas Batum and John Collins walk.
Their biggest move, however, was trading Leonard to the Toronto Raptors for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and draft picks, but that deal is in limbo pending the investigation into alleged salary cap circumvention by the team relating to Leonard’s Aspiration endorsement deal.
In the meantime, LA added Illinois guard Wagler with the No. 5 pick in the draft and signed Hachimura away from the crosstown Lakers with a two-year, $28 million deal. And in a surprise move, Bradley Beal — after declining his $5.6 million contract option for next season in June to test free agency — ended up re-signing on a two-year, $13.2 million deal in mid-August to stay with the Clippers. — Dave McMenamin
Read the full Clippers offseason recap/season preview
Key additions: Yaxel Lendeborg, Brandon Williams, Georges Niang
Key subtractions: Quinten Post, Pat Spencer
Key retentions: Draymond Green, Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, Gary Payton II, De’Anthony Melton
The Warriors opted for flexibility and stability over a larger shake-up around Curry. Their much-publicized recruitment of James never gained much traction.
They brought back their veteran frontcourt trio (Green, Horford, Porzingis), but kept them all on short-term maneuverable contracts. They opted for the fit of Melton over a pursuit of scoring guard Anfernee Simons. Their big addition is Lendeborg, the 23-year-old rookie wing who they will rely upon to be a high-minute, high-impact rotation player immediately.
In the bigger picture, they protected their draft pick cupboard and lined up their books to have an ocean of cap space as they peer a bit deeper into the future while their core ages. — Anthony Slater
Read the full Warriors offseason recap/season preview
Key additions: F Miles Bridges, F Koa Peat, G Luke Kennard
Key subtractions: G Grayson Allen, F Royce O’Neale
Key retentions: F Dillon Brooks, G Collin Gillespie, C Mark Williams, G Jordan Goodwin
Phoenix followed up its surprising season with a series of moves to mostly keep its team intact, with some adjustments around the margins.
The Suns re-signed Gillespie (four years, $48 million), Williams (three years, $38 million), Goodwin (three years, $19 million) and Brooks (three years, $73 million) to new deals and made a major splash by trading Allen and O’Neale to the Charlotte Hornets for Bridges. And despite not having a pick until No. 47 in the second round of the 2026 draft, Phoenix was able to acquire Arizona player Peat — who averaged 14.1 points on 52.8% shooting as a freshman for the Wildcats and was key to their Final Four run. — Dave McMenamin
Read the full Suns offseason recap/season preview
Key additions: G Darius Acuff Jr., F Alex Karaban, G Emanuel Sharp
Key subtractions: G DeMar DeRozan, G Russell Westbrook
Key retentions: F Precious Achiuwa
Perry, currently in the organization’s power seat, is continuing a steady transition toward the younger core he has drafted. Arkansas guard and No. 7 pick Acuff is the spotlight name on a roster populated with six players in their first two NBA seasons.
But they still have notable high-minute holdovers from the past regime, including Murray, Malik Monk, LaVine and Sabonis. Of those four, Murray appears the most locked-in as a stable member of the team’s long-term vision. Perry explored trades for Monk, LaVine and Sabonis over the past year, but didn’t value the proposed returns, and the three are expected to open the season in Sacramento. — Anthony Slater
Read the full Kings offseason recap/season preview
Northwest Division
Key additions: G Ja Morant, F Jeremy Sochan
Key retentions: C Robert Williams III
Key subtractions: F Jerami Grant, F Kris Murray, G Matisse Thybulle
Sadly, the Blazers made far more noise this offseason with their off-court business dealings than anything they did with their roster. New owner Tom Dundon’s aggressive cost-cutting measures and ongoing fight for arena financing have distracted from the progress that Portland made on the court last season, when it reached the playoffs for the first time since 2021.
Although the Blazers were the only team that sat out June’s draft by not making a pick, they will add two high-profile guards to a rotation that otherwise looks very similar to last season. Lillard, a franchise icon, is back from an Achilles tendon injury that sidelined him for the entire 2025-26 campaign, and Morant, a two-time All-Star, arrived in a trade that sent Grant and Murray to the Memphis Grizzlies. — Ben Golliver
Read the full Blazers offseason recap/season preview
Key additions: G Darryn Peterson, C Jaxson Hayes, G Josh Okogie
Key retentions: C Jusuf Nurkic
Key subtractions: C Walker Kessler
The Jazz finally got some lottery luck, landing at No. 2 and taking Peterson, a gifted guard who has the potential to emerge as the face of the franchise. The hope was that Peterson would be the final major piece in Utah’s rebuild, but that plan featured Kessler as the team’s long-term starting center. Instead, the Jazz agreed to a sign-and-trade deal that sent Kessler to the Lakers in exchange for a pair of future first-round picks and two swaps.
The return was widely considered to be great value for Utah, particularly after Kessler’s deal (four years, $130 million) pushed beyond the Jazz’s comfort zone, but there is now a glaring need in the starting lineup alongside Jackson and Lauri Markkanen in the frontcourt. — Tim MacMahon
Read the full Jazz offseason recap/season preview
Key additions: G LaMelo Ball, G Josh Green, G Isaiah Evans
Key subtractions: F Julius Randle, C Naz Reid
Key retentions: G Ayo Dosunmu, G Bones Hyland, G Jaylen Clark
Wolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly continued to show his aggression, orchestrating a four-team trade with the Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls and Charlotte Hornets that sent out three-time All-Star Randle and the 2023-24 Sixth Man of the Year, Reid, and a future first-round pick to bring in the talented — but polarizing — Ball.
That move followed Connelly inking 6-foot-4 guard Dosunmu to a five-year, $112 million extension in June, following his acquisition at the deadline.
Minnesota also re-signed wing Clark and guard Hyland and acquired the 6-foot-6 Evans out of Duke with the No. 33 pick in the draft.
Coach Chris Finch also lost his top lieutenant on the bench, Micah Nori, who left to coach the Portland Trail Blazers. — Dave McMenamin
Read the full Timberwolves offseason recap/season preview
Key additions: C Aday Mara, G Bennett Stirtz
Key retentions: G Kenrich Williams, C Isaiah Hartenstein
Key subtractions: G Isaiah Joe, G Aaron Wiggins, G Luguentz Dort
The extensions for both Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren triggered in July, leading to a trio of financially motivated trades to slash the tax bill and cost-control the current roster.
They sent Isaiah Joe to Detroit and traded Aaron Wiggins and Lu Dort to Atlanta in separate moves, eroding their depth.
General manager Sam Presti made clear in an interview with The Oklahoman that the impression he’s been given from ownership is “the savings generated this summer, and from being out of the tax the last several years, will be re-allocated to future teams.”
That would mean extra breathing room to eventually extend core young players such as Cason Wallace and Ajay Mitchell. Wallace, the likely replacement starter for Dort, is extension eligible off his rookie contract into October. — Anthony Slater
Read the full Thunder offseason recap/season preview
Key additions: Marvin Bagley III, Lonnie Walker IV
Key retentions: Spencer Jones, Tyus Jones
Key subtractions: Watson, Tim Hardaway Jr., Jonas Valanciunas
Finding a resolution to Watson’s restricted free agency was Denver’s most important piece of summer business.
Watson is a draft success story, rising from the 30th overall pick into one of the league’s more intriguing young two-way wings. But retaining the 23-year-old would have been expensive — via either a sky-high luxury tax bill or a salary-slashing move to get off an important veteran and generate more breathing room for a new deal.
After Wednesday’s deal to send Watson to Cleveland, Denver’s front office can shift its attention to escaping the salary cap’s second apron. The Nuggets are currently the league’s only team above it. — Anthony Slater
Read the full Nuggets offseason recap/season preview
Southwest Division
Key additions: F Cameron Boozer, G D’Angelo Russell, F Isaiah Stewart, F Jerami Grant, F Kris Murray, C Quinten Post
Key retentions: None
Key subtractions: G Ja Morant, F Santi Aldama
Memphis finally traded Ja Morant, turning the last page from an ultimately disappointing chapter in franchise history, and already has his replacement as the face of the franchise in place: No. 3 pick Cameron Boozer. GM Zach Kleiman has overhauled the roster in the past few transaction cycles, acquiring four first-round picks when he traded Desmond Bane, a few more when he dealt Jaren Jackson Jr. and none for Morant, whose departure signaled a fresh start for the Grizzlies and him.
Memphis is in a full-blown youth movement, as 21-year-old forward GG Jackson is now the longest-tenured player on the roster. The Grizzlies say they believe they have a long-term foundation in place with their last few lottery picks: center Zach Edey, small forward Cedric Coward and power forward Boozer. — Tim MacMahon
Read the full Grizzlies offseason recap/season preview
Key additions: None
Key retentions: C DeAndre Jordan
Key subtractions: F Kevon Looney
Despite capturing a combined 47 wins over the last two seasons under executive vice president Joe Dumars and general manager Troy Weaver, the Pelicans clearly believe that internal growth is the best path forward. Perhaps that justifies a near-silent summer in which the hiring of new coach Jamahl Mosley turned out to be the team’s most notable move. Mosley becomes New Orleans’ third coach since Dumars took the helm in April 2025. In addition to drafting Jaron Pierre Jr. in the second round, New Orleans signed just two new players over the summer in Kobe Bufkin and Hunter Dickinson, while bringing back 14 of the 15 players from last season’s squad. — Michael C. Wright
Read the full Pelicans offseason recap/season preview
Key additions: F Morez Johnson Jr., F Zaccharie Risacher
Key retentions: Moussa Cisse
Key subtractions: Khris Middleton, Ryan Nembhard
The major changes made by the Mavericks this offseason were in the managerial and coaching ranks. After a seasonlong search, team governor Patrick Dumont hired Masai Ujiri to run the franchise’s basketball operations, bringing the architect of the Toronto Raptors’ 2019 title team to Dallas. Ujiri decided to part ways with coach Jason Kidd and recruited Dusty May, fresh off an NCAA title with Michigan, to replace him.
Johnson, who played for May at Michigan before the Mavs selected him with the No. 9 pick in the draft, is the headliner of the additions to the roster. Dallas added three potential immediate contributors in a six-team deal, acquiring former Grizzlies forward Santi Aldama, ex-Pistons guard Marcus Sasser and EuroLeague veteran Tarik Biberovic. The franchise also landed former No. 1 pick as part of the trade that sent Luguentz Dort from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Atlanta Hawks. — MacMahon
Read the full Mavericks offseason recap/season preview
Key additions: G Marcus Smart, G Bogdan Bogdanovic
Key retentions: F Tari Eason
Key subtractions: F Dorian Finney-Smith, G Josh Okogie
After suffering a first-round postseason exit for the second consecutive season, the Rockets resisted the temptation to jump into the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes after adding former MVP Durant last summer. General manager Rafael Stone and coach Ime Udoka will instead lean on growth from the team’s collection of young talent acquired in recent years, not to mention the continuity that comes with those players developing together over multiple seasons.
Houston signed Tari Eason to a five-year, $81.5 million extension over the summer. But outside of that, the Rockets focused on bolstering depth by bringing aboard veterans Marcus Smart and Bogdan Bogdanovic. The club also brought in renowned shooting coach Chip Engelland from Oklahoma City. Engelland spent more than a decade with the San Antonio Spurs, winning two titles. — Wright
Read the full Rockets offseason recap/season preview
Key additions: F Tobias Harris
Key retentions: F Harrison Barnes
Key subtractions: None
San Antonio’s surprising run to the NBA Finals never obscured its long-term vision for building a sustainable competitor around Victor Wembanyama. Clearly, the Frenchman views the future similarly, considering he signed a 25% max extension worth $252 million instead of the available 30% supermax escalators that would’ve rocketed the contract to $303 million.
Wembanyama did it to keep San Antonio’s talented young core together for as long as possible, with added flexibility to acquire needed supporting players. The Spurs grabbed one of those in free agency in Harris, an experienced, reliable scorer who adds size (6-foot-8, 226 pounds) and physicality on defense while bolstering frontcourt depth in the draft. — Wright
Read the full Spurs offseason recap/season preview
Atlantic Division
