Depth has become one of the NBA’s sharpest weapons, and the teams that stockpile quality minutes across the roster usually give themselves a real edge once the postseason starts. This summer, a handful of franchises leaned all the way into that idea. Here are the five deepest teams heading into next season, with the Spurs sitting at the top.
The San Antonio Spurs already had a bench unit that made noise last season, finishing ninth in points per game. Then they went out and added Tobias Harris, Tarris Reed Jr., Jayden Quaintance, and Ja'Kobi Gillespie, pushing that second group even further.
That wasn’t even the full story. Dylan Harper and Carter Bryant are both expected to take another step in their second seasons.
Harper was already amazing in the NBA Finals, averaging 18 points per game behind De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle. Bryant, meanwhile, flashed on defense during the playoffs and even disrupted SGA on several possessions.
Put it all together, and San Antonio looks like one of the league’s most difficult teams to wear down.
Oklahoma City lands right behind them, and it’s easy to see why. The Thunder won more than 60 games last season while dealing with a battered roster, and Jalen Williams’ full return is on the horizon.
They do have a starting spot to replace after trading Lu Dort to the Hawks, and Cason Wallace could slide into that role. Even so, the bench still looks loaded with Ajay Mitchell, Alex Caruso, Jaylin Williams, Jared McCain, and newcomers Aday Mara and Bennett Stirtz.
Even after losing key rotation pieces from their 2025 title run, the Thunder still have enough depth to keep things steady whenever SGA or Jalen Williams are off the floor.
Houston checks in at No. 3 after turning an underwhelming 2025-26 season into a summer of serious roster building. Reed Sheppard, Marcus Smart, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Tari Eason give the Rockets a lot of perimeter firepower. Sheppard and Bogdanovic can stretch the floor, while Smart and Eason bring the kind of defensive chaos that can change a game fast.
The frontcourt depth is just as strong. Steven Adams and Clint Capela give Houston two strong backup choices behind Alperen Sengun, with both able to rebound and protect the paint. If the team stays healthy, it has the tools to be a real problem in the West.
New York comes in at No. 4, and it’s tough to leave out the defending champions. The Knicks brought back Jose Alvarado and Landry Shamet, two players who came up huge in the NBA Finals, despite plenty of doubt about whether both could be retained.
They did lose Mitchell Robinson, who signed with the Celtics, but added Andre Drummond on a one-year deal. He remains a reliable backup center and still rebounds at a strong clip, averaging 8.4 boards in 19.5 minutes per game last season for the 76ers.
Deuce McBride, Jordan Clarkson, and Mohamed Diawara round out a group that gives New York plenty of usable depth. Diawara is also positioned for a sophomore leap after showing promising flashes as a rookie.
Philadelphia rounds out the list at No. 5 after one of the busiest summers in the league. The 76ers opened by trading for Jaylen Brown, then later added LeBron James on a two-year, $8M veteran's minimum deal. That gives them a starting group that should draw plenty of attention on its own.
The bench pieces are solid too. Anfernee Simons brings shot creation and floor spacing, while Dean Wade and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope can both knock down shots from deep and compete on defense.
Philadelphia also has interior options in Adem Bona and Dominick Barlow, though both still need to improve next season if they’re going to be dependable when Embiid sits. Overall, the Sixers have built real depth behind a star-heavy first unit.
In Other News...
Mavericks Lock In Undrafted Standout With Intriguing Extension
Naji Marshall is now set to stick with Dallas a little longer after agreeing to a three-year contract extension, a move that gives the Mavericks more clarity with one of their more useful rotation pieces. The structure of the deal is noteworthy, too, with the salary declining from $18.2 million in the 2027/28 season to $16.7 million in 2029/30, a setup that keeps him trade-eligible and gives the team some flexibility down the road.
For a Mavericks team trying to build around dependable, adaptable players, Marshalls appeal is easy to understand. President Masai Ujiri pointed to his competitiveness and versatility as reasons he fits into the franchises future, and that kind of profile tends to matter even more when roster decisions start getting tight. The extension locks in an important piece, but it also leaves open the larger question of how Dallas will continue shaping the rest of its core. [Read more 🡒]
Wembanyama Has Spurs Fans Dreaming Bigger Than Just Stardom
Victor Wembanyama keeps turning the spotlight into something bigger for San Antonio. Fresh off a season that saw him lead the Spurs to the NBA Finals, win Defensive Player of the Year and finish as an MVP finalist, he has now been named the cover athlete for the standard edition of NBA 2K27. Add in CBS Sports placing him No. 2 on its list of the leagues faces, behind only LeBron James, and the message is hard to miss: the Spurs star is no longer just a building block, he is becoming one of the leagues defining names.
For Spurs fans, the appeal goes beyond the accolades and the marketing. Wembanyama already has the rsum of a franchise centerpiece, but the conversation around him is starting to sound like something larger, the kind of status reserved for players who shape the leagues image as much as its standings. San Antonio has spent years waiting for a player who could restore that kind of gravitational pull, and Wembanyamas latest honors only sharpen the question of how far this rise can go. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Face Early Jayden Quaintance Decision That Could Shape His Rookie Year
Jayden Quaintances rookie year has already turned into a roster-management puzzle for the Spurs. The first-round pick is coming off knee surgery, and the expectation is that he will be sidelined for about six months, which puts his availability for next season in serious doubt before it even begins. For a team trying to map out its frontcourt rotation, that creates an early choice about how to handle a young big man whose development may matter just as much as his health.
San Antonio can afford to be patient, especially with other center options in the mix in Tarris Reed Jr. and Luke Kornet. The bigger question is whether the Spurs see more value in keeping Quaintance completely out for the season or finding a way to ease him back once he is cleared so he can get real game reps somewhere in the system. However they answer it, the decision will say a lot about how the Spurs want to balance long-term development against the realities of a season that starts without him. [Read more 🡒]