The Eastern Conference has been flipped on its head.
With Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard and Jaylen Brown all changing teams inside the conference, the offseason has already redrawn the map. What used to look like a softer path in the East now feels loaded with contenders, and the Knicks still sit at the center of it all as the team everyone is chasing.
Here’s a look at how the conference stacks up after those three massive trades.
- New York Knicks
The Knicks are still the standard in the East after bringing back most of their championship group from 2025-26. The one real concern is how they patch the center spot after losing Mitchell Robinson, but the rest of the rotation is built to win.
- Toronto Raptors
Toronto makes one of the biggest jumps in these rankings after landing Kawhi Leonard. The Raptors were already strong defensively last season, but their playoff offense stalled, and Leonard fits that need perfectly if they’re going to make another deep run.
- Philadelphia 76ers
Jaylen Brown gives Philadelphia a different kind of weapon than Paul George. Brown brings more versatility and flexibility, and if Joel Embiid is healthy - a huge if - the Embiid-Brown-Maxey-VJ Edgecombe-Dean Wade group would be tough for anyone to deal with.
- Detroit Pistons
The Pistons were the only East team to win 60 games last year, and Cade Cunningham’s leap changed everything. If Jalen Duren is back, Detroit should still be a force, though adding shooting around Cunningham and Duren would help them keep pace with the rest of the conference.
- Miami Heat
Giannis Antetokounmpo is the kind of swing that changes a franchise’s ceiling, but Miami is still going to be figuring things out for a while. There will be growing pains as Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo learn to play together, though that pairing could be dangerous once the playoffs arrive.
- Indiana Pacers
Indiana feels like one of the bigger wild cards in the East. Last season was a lost year because Tyrese Haliburton missed the whole thing, but this roster still resembles the group that won the conference two seasons ago. Everything depends on how Haliburton looks coming back from an Achilles injury.
- Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers may have taken the hardest hit from all the movement around the conference. Losing Dean Wade to Philadelphia hurts, and while James Harden helped get Cleveland to the Eastern Conference Finals, his impact is clearly starting to fade as he gets older.
- Boston Celtics
Boston took a step back on paper by moving from Jaylen Brown to Paul George, but the Celtics still have plenty going for them. They’re talented, they’re well coached, and it wouldn’t be a shock if they finished in the top four again, even if the ceiling is lower without Brown next to Tatum.
- Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks showed last season that they can be a well-run team and push the Knicks in the first round. Still, their roster is more solid than star-driven, and that lack of top-end talent could keep them from matching the East’s best.
- Orlando Magic
After a disappointing season, Orlando is hoping a new coach can spark something different. Sean Sweeney will have a chance to reset the tone, and the Magic could break through in 2026-27 if things click quickly.
- Washington Wizards
The Wizards suddenly have a trio worth watching in A.J. Dybantsa, Trae Young and Anthony Davis. That makes them interesting, and maybe even sneaky enough to fight for a playoff spot, but the crowded East probably leaves them a year away.
- Charlotte Hornets
Charlotte took a step back by trading LaMelo Ball to the Timberwolves. The Hornets still look like a competitive team headed in the right direction, but Ball’s absence will be felt as the conference gets stronger.
- Chicago Bulls
The Bulls seem to be trending upward, especially with Caleb Wilson looking like a franchise-changing piece. With Tiago Splitter taking over as head coach, the focus in 2026-27 is more about building something real than chasing a playoff berth right away.
- Brooklyn Nets
Brooklyn has spent the last few years stockpiling young talent in hopes of climbing into contention, but that road looks tougher than expected. Julius Randle brings experience, but the Nets’ youth is still likely to keep them from moving up much this season.
- Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks are now in full rebuild mode with Giannis Antetokounmpo headed to Miami. Milwaukee does have a few intriguing pieces and could be a little feisty, but there just isn’t enough here to compete this year.
In Other News...
Knicks May Have A New Way To Handle Mitchell Robinson
Robert Williams IIIs new extension in Portland may end up mattering far beyond the Northwest. The deal gives the Trail Blazers a way to pay a center with a strong but fragile injury history while tying part of the money to availability, and that kind of structure is the sort of template the Knicks can study as they think about Mitchell Robinsons next contract.
Robinson brings a similar defensive profile and, importantly for New York, a better track record of staying on the floor. Even so, the Knicks are working with a tight cap picture and do not have a lot of breathing room under the second apron, which makes any Robinson negotiation feel like more than a simple extension talk. A cleaner, shorter arrangement could appeal to both sides, but the exact shape of that deal will say plenty about how aggressively the Knicks want to keep their frontcourt intact. [Read more 🡒]
Former Knicks Big Man Is Gone And Fans Have One Complaint
Ariel Hukportis time in New York ended quietly enough, with the Knicks electing not to tender a qualifying offer and allowing the young big man to hit unrestricted free agency after two seasons in the organization. For a team that has spent plenty of time sorting through its frontcourt depth, the move left one more open question about how the rotation will look behind the established pieces.
The next stop brings a new opportunity and, at least on paper, a real path to playing time. Philadelphia is using part of its mid-level exception to bring Hukporti in on a one-year deal, and hell be part of the mix for backup center minutes behind Joel Embiid, a spot that can offer a clearer role than the one he leaves behind. For Knicks fans, the complaint is less about the money and more about another young big walking out the door before New York got a longer look. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Fans Can Already See How This Kawhi Gamble Burns Toronto
The Raptors are taking a big swing again, agreeing to bring Kawhi Leonard back in a deal with the Clippers and immediately making it clear they are not treating this as a short-term rental. Toronto is sending multiple future draft picks and a first-round swap to get him, then planning to lock him in with an extension, betting that the same kind of star power Leonard once brought them can still carry a contender's hopes in the East.
For Knicks fans, the intrigue is obvious because Toronto is trying to build this around a player whose talent is never in doubt, but whose body has too often changed the equation. Leonard just produced at a career-best level, yet the concerns that follow him are the same ones every rival has to keep in mind, and the risk only grows as the Raptors ask him to be the centerpiece of their push against New York. [Read more 🡒]