My preview for the 2026 NBA season continues with the Southwest Division, home to several very intriguing teams as well as the Pelicans.

Houston Rockets

Additions: Kevin Durant, Dorian Finney-Smith, Clint Capela, Josh Okogie

Subtractions: Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Jock Landale, Cam Whitmore, Nate Williams Jr.

Other: Re-signed Jae’Sean Tate, Re-signed Aaron Holiday, Re-signed Jeff Green

Outlook: No team in the NBA made a clearer upgrade at a rotation spot than the Rockets, who dumped an inefficient, inconsistent, ball-stopping scorer in Jalen Green for Kevin Durant. The Rockets were an excellent defensive team last year that struggled on offense, and while KD won’t fix that issue himself, his electric scoring and shooting will make a huge difference. The Rockets not only added KD and other veterans, but can count on likely improvements from young players like Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun, Reed Sheppard, Jabari Smith Jr., and Tari Eason as well. The Rockets might still be a tad short on ball-handling and playmaking, but they are going to be a nightmare to play against on a nightly basis and should be a monster regular season team.

Prediction: 56-26 (Last year predicted 43-39, actually 52-30)

Dallas Mavericks

Additions: Cooper Flagg (1^st pick in 2025 Draft), D’Angelo Russell

Subtractions: Olivier Maxence-Prosper, Kessler Edwards

Other: Extended Kyrie Irving, Extended PJ Washington, Re-signed Daniel Gafford, Re-signed Dante Exum

Outlook: In my opinion, the Mavericks are one of the hardest teams to predict in the entire NBA. This is not just because there’s a looming question of when Kyrie Irving (their best scorer, ballhandler, and playmaker) might return. It’s also because the Mavericks got Cooper Flagg 1^st in the draft, and while Flagg is awesome, rookies are very, very rarely actually “good” in terms of helping teams win games. Flagg has the skillset to be one of those exceptions, as he’s extremely well-rounded and has an NBA body already. If Flagg pops right away, Anthony Davis stays healthy, and Kyrie returns towards the end of the season, the Mavs could be a 50+ win team. There is maybe an equally likely scenario where Davis is injured for long stretches, Flagg goes through typical rookie struggles, and Kyrie either doesn’t return or is only a shell of himself for the last handful of games. Splitting the difference, the Mavs will probably be competent, and I’d guess their record within a few games of .500.

Prediction: 44-38 (Last year predicted 51-31, actually 39-43)

Memphis Grizzlies

Additions: Ty Jerome, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cedric Coward (11^th pick in 2025 Draft), Jock Landale

Subtractions: Desmond Bane, Luke Kennard, Jay Huff, Lamar Stevens, Marvin Bagley

Other: Signed Jaren Jackson Jr. to a max extension, Re-signed Santi Aldama, Re-signed Cam Spencer

Outlook: After looking like an up-and-coming contender in 2022 and 2023, the Grizzlies backslid in 2024 and then plateaued last year. Accepting that the team was not where it needed to be, the Grizzlies made some massive changes, with their most significant move sending Desmond Bane to Orlando for a large haul of picks. The Grizzlies should still be decent this year – they have Ja Morant (when healthy), Jaren Jackson Jr., and a core of competent veterans with good depth – but the Bane trade was an admission that it was time to reload and plan for the longer term. If all breaks right for the Grizzlies, they’ll probably be a lower-end play-in team.

Prediction: 42-40 (Last year predicted 49-33, actually 48-34)

San Antonio Spurs

Additions: Dylan Harper (2^nd pick in 2025 Draft), Carter Bryant (14^th pick in 2025 Draft), Luke Kornet, Kelly Olynyk, Jordan McLaughlin, Lindy Waters III

Subtractions: Chris Paul, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Blake Wesley, Malaki Branham, Charles Bassey

Other: Signed De’Aaron Fox to a max extension, Re-signed Bismack Biyombo

Outlook: The Spurs are in an interesting spot. Victor Wembanyama is the highest-upside young player in the NBA, a virtual lock for Defensive Player of the Year if healthy and a likely All-NBA nominee. Going into his third season, the Spurs should be in no rush. However, they did trade for Fox last season and signed him to a massively overpriced extension this summer. That speeds up the Spurs timetable a little, though Fox is young enough that it doesn’t put them in too much of a rush. Conversely, the Spurs got draft lottery luck, moving up the 2^nd pick and selecting explosive guard Dylan Harper. There are some fit issues with Fox, Harper, and Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle, but also a lot of talent. If Harper is really good right away, or if other young players besides Wemby take big steps forward, the Spurs could be an actual playoff team, but I think there’s not enough shooting or perimeter defense for them to get there this year.

Prediction: 39-43 (Last year predicted 31-51, actually 34-48)

New Orleans Pelicans

Additions: Jeremiah Fears (7^th pick in 2025 Draft), Derik Queen (13^th pick in 2025 Draft), Jordan Poole, Saddiq Bey, Kevon Looney, Jaden Springer, Jalen McDaniels

Subtractions: CJ McCollum, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Javonte Green, Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk, Antonio Reeves, Lester Quinones

Other: Extended Herb Jones

Outlook: The Pelicans were one of the most disappointing teams in the NBA last year, with Dejounte Murray, Zion Williamson, and Brandon Ingram all missing extended time before Ingram was traded at the deadline. The Pelicans further “blew up” their roster of the past few years by moving on from another mainstay, CJ McCollum, and bringing in the younger Poole. However, the Pelicans’ biggest offseason move was trading their first round pick in 2026 to move up 10 picks in the 2025 draft to select Derik Queen. While I like Queen and Fears just fine as prospects, the value of getting Queen was outrageously high even before accounting for Queen’s awful fit with Zion. The Poole, Bey, and Looney pick-ups are all fine enough, but between Zion’s health woes, poor roster fits, and general franchise misery, it’s tough to see the Pelicans being good this year.

Prediction: 27-55 (Last year predicted 46-36, actually 21-61)

2026 NBA Season Preview: Southwest Division
Robert Flom

Next up in my 2026 NBA season preview is the Northwest Division, which is probably the strongest division in the entire NBA.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Additions: Thomas Sorber (15^th pick in 2025 Draft)

Subtractions: Dillon Jones

Other: Signed Jalen Williams to a max extension, Signed Chet Holmgren to a max extension, Re-signed Jaylin Williams, Signed Ajay Mitchell to an extension

Outlook: The Thunder are the defending NBA champions. After an insanely dominant regular season, the Thunder had some difficulties in the playoffs, getting taken to the bring by both the Nuggets and Pacers. However, they won nevertheless, and now bring an almost identical roster back for 2026 with almost no downside (Alex Caruso is their only main rotation player over the age of 30) and plenty of upside (Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace, Nikola Topic, Ajay Mitchell, and more are all candidates for improvement). I don’t think the Thunder will go quite as hard in the regular season now that they’ve proven themselves, but they remain title favorites until we see otherwise.

Prediction: 63-19 (Last year predicted 61-21, actually 68-14)

Denver Nuggets

Additions: Cam Johnson, Bruce Brown, Jonas Valanciunas, Tim Hardaway Jr.

Subtractions: Michael Porter Jr., Russell Westbrook, Dario Saric, Vlatko Cancar

Other:

Outlook: The Nuggets undoubtedly had one of the better offseasons in the NBA. After a season where young players failed to take steps forward and older players showed their limitations in the playoffs, the Nuggets completely remade their bench. Cam Johnson will be an offensive upgrade over Michael Porter Jr. with more ballhandling and playmaking juice while being less prone to defensive slip-ups. Jonas Valanciunas is on the downside of his career, but he’s still much better than DeAndre Jordan, Zeke Nnaji, or Dario Saric as a backup center. Bruce Brown is a proven with Jokic and Hardaway was a key piece to a good Pistons team in 2025. The Nuggets are definitely better than last year. How much that will translate to regular season wins is a bit more questionable, especially considering how impactful Russell Westbrook was (not joking) last season. So, I think the Nuggets will be a better regular season team, but will be much more dangerous in the playoffs. I have the Thunder over them, but the Nuggets are probably the second-best team in the NBA.

Prediction: 54-28 (Last year predicted 52-30, actually 50-32)

Minnesota Timberwolves

Additions: Joan Beringer (17^th pick in 2025 Draft)

Subtractions: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Josh Minott, Luka Garza

Other: Re-signed Julius Randle, Re-signed Naz Reid, Re-signed Joe Ingles

Outlook: The Timberwolves are mostly running back their 2025 roster, which is not a bad play considering that team won nearly 50 games and made the Western Conference Finals for the second year in a row. The foundation of the Wolves – Anthony Edwards driving the offense with mostly defensive-minded players around him – has a fairly proven track record of success. The reasons for concern are simple: Mike Conley is 38 and Rudy Gobert is 33, and the Wolves don’t really have replacements for either of their skillsets. At the same time, Ant is still on the upswing, and players like Jaden McDaniels, Terrance Shannon Jr., and Rob Dillingham could all take steps forward. I think the Wolves will be very good, but I’d be a bit surprised if they made the WCF for a third consecutive year.

Prediction: 47-35 (Last year predicted 51-31, actually 49-33)

Portland Trailblazers

Additions: Jrue Holiday, Yang Hansen (16^th pick in 2025 Draft), Damian Lillard, Blake Wesley

Subtractions: Anfernee Simons, DeAndre Ayton, Jabari Walker

Other:

Outlook: The Blazers are in an interesting spot. They haven’t been good in years, and most of their key players (Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara, Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, Donovan Clingan, Yang Hansen) are young. However, there is still clear pressure on the front office to be more competitive, especially after a strong second half of the 2025 season. To that point, the Blazers added Jrue Holiday as a defensive ace and backcourt complement to Henderson and Sharpe as well as brought in franchise legend Lillard as a mentor (he’s out for the season with a torn Achilles). Other veterans like Jerami Grant, Robert Williams, and Matisse Thybulle are all still lingering on the roster as well. Thus, it seems likely that the Blazers will be fairly competent but also somewhat likely that they won’t be a true playoff competitor. If a couple of their young guys take further steps (especially one of Scoot or Sharpe) the Blazers could make a leap into the mid-40s in wins, but I think that might need another year.

Prediction: 38-44 (Last year predicted 26-56, actually 36-46)

Utah Jazz

Additions: Ace Bailey (5^th pick in 2025 Draft), Walter Clayton Jr. (18^th pick in 2025 Draft), Kyle Anderson, Georges Niang, Kevin Love, Jusuf Nurkic

Subtractions: John Collins, Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson, Johnny Juzang, Jaden Springer

Other:

Outlook: The Jazz were one of the worst teams in the NBA last year and project as a similar caliber squad this season. In fact, the Jazz actually got rid of a couple of productive veterans (Collins, Sexton) and replaced them with rookies or washed up older guys, so their roster is actually possibly worse this year. The reason I’m betting that the Jazz stay around the same win total is that at least one or two of their young guys will probably improve enough to help the team, and the tanking might not be as shameless as last year. Still, the Jazz are going to be very, very bad in their quest to get a top 3 pick in the loaded 2026 draft.

Prediction: 18-64 (Last year predicted 27-55, actually 17-65)

2026 NBA Season Preview: Northwest Division
Robert Flom

My preview of the 2026 NBA season continues with the confusing Atlantic Division, home of some of the NBA’s most stories franchises.

New York Knicks

Additions: Guerschon Yabusele, Jordan Clarkson

Subtractions: Cam Payne, Precious Achiuwa, Landry Shamet, Delon Wright

Other: Replaced Tom Thibodeau as head coach with Mike Brown Extended Mikal Bridges for four years

Outlook: The Knicks maybe slightly disappointed in the regular season last year, but more than made up for it in the playoffs by making their first Eastern Conference Finals since the 1990s. The Knicks are returning their top-seven rotation players and adding a competent forward in Yabusele along with what will probably be an overused depth piece in Clarkson. The Knicks are thin – one injury trims a very good 8.5 man rotation to a somewhat shakier 7.5 in a hurry – but the top of their rotation is talented, fits well, and in their collective primes. It’s tough to see the Knicks not finishing as a top-three team in the East next year, and they’re right there with the Cavs in terms of winning the Conference outright. Could this be the year the Knicks finally break through? I wouldn’t bet against it.

Prediction: 52-30 (Last year 51-31, predicted 53-29)

Philadelphia 76ers

Additions: VJ Edgecombe (3^rd pick in 2025 Draft), Trendon Watford, Johni Broome (35^th pick in 2025 Draft)

Subtractions: Guerschon Yabusele, Ricky Council IV, Jeff Dowtin Jr., Jared Butler

Other: Quentin Grimes is still hanging in restricted free agency limbo, Re-signed Kyle Lowry, Re-signed Justin Edwards, Re-signed Eric Gordon

Outlook: I have no idea what to do with the Sixers – but neither does anyone else. They won just 24 games last year in a campaign that went about as badly as possible. Even with the Sixers’ bad luck, there is bound to be some regression: Maxey, PG, and Joel Embiid will all probably play more games (52, 41, and 19 respectively last year), Jared McCain likely won’t get a season-ending injury after 1.5 months, and the team’s spirit will be less broken. Still, it’s also impossible to predict them as being a true contender like everyone thought they would be last year, not after Embiid’s injuries and Paul George’s steady decline. I thus forecast them to be somewhere in the middle, a team that might look quite good on certain nights when Embiid is in the lineup and PG is healthy, but will also have stretches without key guys where young players and washed vets will have to play far too many minutes. At the very least, Maxey, McCain, and Edgecombe are three youngsters to be excited about.

Prediction: 42-40 (Last year 24-58, predicted 51-31)

Boston Celtics

Additions: Anfernee Simons, Chris Boucher, Josh Minott, Luka Garza, Hugo Gonzalez (28^th pick in 2025 Draft)

Subtractions: Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet, Torrey Craig

Other:

Outlook: This might seem like a very low wins projection for the heavyweight Boston Celtics, but have you taken a look at their depth chart? Neemias Queta and Chris Boucher might well be starting for them in the frontcourt on opening night, and if not them, it’s going to include someone from the Josh Minott, Luka Garza, and Xavier Tillman pupu platter. Yes, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Payton Pritchard, and Sam Hauser are still around from their championship team. And yes, Joe Mazzulla is a good coach. That’s why I think the Celtics are going to be mediocre instead of outright awful – a real feat considering their macabre frontcourt.

Prediction: 38-44 (Last year 61-21, predicted 58-24)

Toronto Raptors

Additions: Collin Murray-Boyles (10^th pick in 2025 Draft), Sandro Mamukelashvili

Subtractions: Chris Boucher, Colin Castleton, Jared Rhoden

Other: Extended Jakob Poltl for three years, Re-signed Garrett Temple

Outlook: I’m not sure what the Raptors have been doing over the past three years, but I don’t like any of it. Their projected starting lineup of Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Brandon Ingram (acquired last season but did not play), Scottie Barnes, and Poltl has a lot of talent, but is an awful fit with poor spacing and too many guys who need the ball in their hands. Add in the unfortunate fact that every single one of those players is overpaid (extending Poltl for an additional three years to carry him through his age 35 season might have been the most inexplicable move of the summer) and you have a mess. The Raptors have too much veteran competence to be truly bad, but not enough high-end talent to be very good, and none of their younger players seem like high-upside swing pieces (I did love the Collin Murray-Boyles pick, however). The Raptors might be better than this, but I’m betting against their fit and in favor of either younger, hungrier squads or more put-together teams that have better chemistry.

Prediction: 35-47 (Last year 30-52, predicted 32-50)

Brooklyn Nets

Additions: Michael Porter Jr., Terance Mann, Haywood Highsmith, Egor Demin (8^th pick in 2025 Draft), Nolan Traore (19^th pick in 2025 Draft), Drake Powell (22^nd pick in 2025 Draft), Ben Saraf (26^th pick in 2025 Draft), Danny Wolf (27^th pick in 2025 Draft)

Subtractions: Cam Johnson, D’Angelo Russell, Trendon Watford, Maxwell Lewis, Tosan Evbuomwan, Cui Yongxi, Jaylen Martin

Other: Re-signed Cam Thomas, Re-signed Day’Ron Sharpe, Re-signed Ziaire Williams

Outlook: The Nets are one of the easiest teams to predict heading into this season – they are going to be very, very bad. Jordi Fernandez is a good coach, and the Nets have just enough veteran competence – Porter Jr., Mann, Highsmith, and Nic Claxton – to not be historically bad. Add in a record-breaking five first round draft picks and you have a team that might actually be fun to watch, but will probably be bottom-five on both ends of the court. Of their youngsters, I’m most intrigued by Traore and Wolf, but we will see how the prospects shake out over the course of their rookie seasons. If any of them look like future stars, the Nets’ future would get a whole lot brighter.

Prediction: 21-61 (Last year 24-58, predicted 20-62)

2026 NBA Season Preview: Atlantic Division
Robert Flom

I know a lot of people have been curious as to my (and Lucas’) thoughts on the Kawhi Leonard Aspiration story. Well, we did a 40 minute podcast last night that focused almost entirely on the scenario, giving our thoughts on the reporting, our opinions on the matter, and what we think the outcome for the Clippers will be.

Check out the latest episode of TLTJTP on Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. For those with no interest in this off-the-court story, we did a podcast a few weeks ago about Bradley Beal’s fit on the team with Suns reporter Gerald Bourguet, a podcast with Michael Pina of the Ringer on the Clippers’ offseason, and a podcast last week on answering mailbag questions. Leave a 5-star review and give your feedback in the comments below!

TLTJTP: The Kawhi Leonard Aspiration Story
Robert Flom

The next division in my 2026 NBA preview is the Central Division, probably the strongest overall division in the Eastern Conference.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Additions: Lonzo Ball, Larry Nance Jr., Tyrese Proctor (49^th pick in 2025 Draft)

Subtractions: Ty Jerome, Isaac Okoro, Tristan Thompson

Other: Re-signed Sam Merrill

Outlook: The Cavaliers have had three straight impressive regular seasons followed by playoff disappointments, marring the Donovan Mitchell era to this point. Still, after winning the East last season (in the regular season) by a wide margin, the Cavs (probably smartly) decided to not adjust their roster much, bringing back largely the same team. Lonzo is a good upside swing compared to the limited Okoro, but losing Ty Jerome (the best backup guard in the NBA last year) hurts. The Cavs have an incredible top four, a solid supporting cast, and a very good head coach. They are a lock to be a top team in the East barring injury disaster, and this is their best chance yet to make a deep playoff run considering the injuries to Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton. Maybe they finally break through.

Prediction: 58-24 (Last year predicted 51-31, actually 64-18)

Detroit Pistons

Additions: Caris LeVert, Duncan Robinson, Chaz Lanier (37th pick in 2025 Draft), Javonte Green

Subtractions: Malik Beasley, Dennis Schroder, Tim Hardaway Jr., Simone Fontecchio

Other: Re-signed Paul Reed

Outlook: I was more off on the Pistons last year than any other team – after years of being too high on them, I went low, and was resoundingly wrong. In fact, the Pistons were probably the best story in the NBA last year after the championship-winning Thunder, winning an incredible 30 more games than the prior season. The Pistons did lose some of the key pieces to their playoff push, especially Malik Beasley, who was the second-best shooter in the league last year, but did bring in a couple helpful veterans in LeVert and Robinson. More importantly, the Pistons have one of the best young cores in the NBA: star ballhandler Cade Cunningham, athletic freak Jalen Duren, defensive whiz Ausar Thompson, secondary scorer Jaden Ivey, and energetic swing man Ron Holland are just the best of the bunch. In an Eastern Conference with only three true playoff locks, there’s no reason the Pistons can’t be a top-four seed this year given some internal improvement – and I think they will be.

Prediction: 49-33 (Last year predicted 20-62, actually 44-38)

Milwaukee Bucks

Additions: Myles Turner, Cole Anthony, Gary Harris, Thanasis Antetokounmpo

Subtractions: Damian Lillard, Brook Lopez, Pat Connaughton

Other: Re-signed Bobby Portis, Re-signed Gary Trent Jr., Re-signed Ryan Rollins, Re-signed Taurean Prince, Re-signed Kevin Porter Jr., Re-signed Jericho Sims, Re-signed Chris Livingston

Outlook: The Bucks were one of the three teams (along with the Pacers and Celtics) that were devastated by torn Achilles to star players in the playoffs. Unlike the other teams, the Bucks jettisoned their injured star, waiving and stretching Damian Lillard’s contract to clear cap space to sign Myles Turner. It was a bold move for a team that seemed completely without options to really improve, and Turner is an excellent fit as a Brook Lopez replacement. However, the Bucks really didn’t sign anyone to replace Dame himself, and it’s tough to see a similar Bucks roster to last season win as many games considering the drop-off from Dame to Cole Anthony or Kevin Porter Jr. A healthy Giannis plus a deep-ish roster of veterans is enough for a low-level playoff berth, but not much more – the Bucks’ second-best player is Turner, and their third is one of Bobby Portis or Gary Trent Jr., who are sixth-man level talents. Unless one or two of the Bucks’ precious few young guys really make strides, this is a team with a limited ceiling.

Prediction: 43-39 (Last year predicted 52-30, actually 48-34)

Indiana Pacers

Additions: Jay Huff, Kam Jones (38^th pick in 2025 Draft)

Subtractions: Tyrese Haliburton (out with Achilles tear), Myles Turner, Thomas Bryant

Other: Re-signed Isaiah Jackson, Re-signed James Wiseman

Outlook: The Pacers were one game away from winning the NBA Championship. Unfortunately for them, Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles in Game 7 of the Finals, they subsequently lost to the Thunder, and now their short-term future is in doubt. Letting Myles Turner walk might be a smart play in the long-term, but it hurts in the medium-future, forcing the Pacers to replace the two most important spots in the starting lineup. Pascal Siakam is a star-level player, Andrew Nembhard is good and can continue to improve, and Rick Carlisle is a top-tier coach – the Pacers will certainly be competent. But without Haliburton on offense and Turner on defense, it’s tough to see them being more than a play-in squad, maybe a low-tier playoff team at the absolute best. Their best bet is that young guys like Bennedict Mathurin and Jarace Walker seize the opportunity for minutes and step up in a big way.

Prediction: 40-42 (Last year predicted 48-34, actually 50-32)

Chicago Bulls

Additions: Noa Essengue (11^th pick in 2025 Draft), Isaac Okoro

Subtractions: Lonzo Ball, Talen Horton-Tucker

Other: None

Outlook: The Bulls continue to flounder in no-mans land. Rather than accepting the writing on the wall and going into a tank in a good 2025 draft, the Bulls fought their way to yet another play-in berth and inevitable loss before the playoffs proper. I like the Noa Essengue pick, and Matas Buzelis showed quite a bit of promise last year down the stretch of the season. Outside of that, the Bulls’ roster is pretty grim, especially if they cave to Josh Giddey and overpay him in restricted free agency (I believe almost none of his stretch run play is legitimate). There’s enough talent to keep the Bulls out of the cellar, but not enough for them to be even a remote threat in the Eastern Conference. Maybe they finally trade Nikola Vucevic and Coby White and embrace the tank, but I’ll believe it when I see it.

Prediction: 30-52 (Last year predicted 28-54, actually 39-43)

2026 NBA Season Preview: Central Division
Robert Flom

The Southeast Division was by far the weakest in the NBA last year, with no teams attaining a record of over .500. That does not seem like it will be the case this season, with up to three teams making postseason pushes, including a potential top seed in the East in Orlando.

Orlando Magic

Additions: Desmond Bane, Tyus Jones, Jase Richardson (25^th pick in 2025 Draft), Noah Penda (32^nd pick in 2025 Draft)

Subtractions: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, Caleb Houstan, Gary Harris, Cory Joseph

Other: Extended Paolo Banchero for 5 years $239M, Re-signed Mo Wagner

Outlook: The Magic had one of the best offseasons in the entire NBA. While they paid a lot to acquire Desmond Bane, Bane is a perfect fit next to Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner as an exceptional off-ball shooter that adds downhill scoring juice. Tyus Jones has been overrated for much of his career, but as a backup point guard he’s still a steadier option than Cory Joseph, Markelle Fultz, or other Magic options in recent years. The Magic’s defense under Jamahl Mosley has been consistently excellent, setting a nice floor on a nightly basis. Add in a strong draft with Jase Richardson and Noah Penda plus a young roster full of developing players and you have a team that should be very good in the regular season with potential upside as a legitimate contender. I don’t think they quite get there this year, but third-best team in the East seems like a very reasonable goal.

Prediction: 51-31 (Last year predicted 49-33, actually 41-41)

Atlanta Hawks

Additions: Kristaps Porzingis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Luke Kennard, Asa Newell (23^rd pick in 2025 Draft), N’Faly Dante

Subtractions: Clint Capela, Caris Levert, Terance Mann, Georges Niang, Larry Nance Jr.

Other:

Outlook: The Hawks had a very good offseason. That being said, I think people are getting a bit over their skis with them. The Hawks’ best move this past summer will not have an impact on their 2026 roster, as it involved swindling the Pelicans out of their 2026 first round pick just to move back 10 spots in the 2025 Draft. Kristaps Porzingis is theoretically a good fit, but I don’t trust him to stay healthy and I also don’t believe he’ll be as impactful outside of Boston. Nickeil is a very nice wing, but is he really a needle mover? Hawks believers would point to rising star Jalen Johnson, second-year wing Zach Risacher, and fifth-year big Onyeka Okongwu as candidates for internal improvement, and that’s certainly fair, but I can’t get to contender status with them. Still, they should be pretty good, and in the East maybe that’s enough.

Prediction: 46-36 (Last year predicted 37-45, actually 40-42)

Miami Heat

Additions: Norman Powell, Kasparas Jakucionis (20^th pick in 2025 Draft), Simone Fontecchio, Ethan Thompson

Subtractions: Duncan Robinson, Haywood Highsmith, Kevin Love, Kyle Anderson, Alec Burks

Other: Re-signed Davion Mitchell, Re-signed Dru Smith

Outlook: The Heat’s roster sure looks a lot different than when I last did this exercise last summer. Jimmy Butler is gone, as are other long-time mainstays like Duncan Robinson and Haywood Highsmith. Picking up Norm Powell for cheap is a good movie, and Jakucionis was a theoretical steal in the draft, but are those moves strong enough to turn around a Heat team that seems sunk in mediocrity? I don’t really think so. Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Powell, Andrew Wiggins, and decent depth plus Erik Spoelstra as coach is certainly enough for competence, but there’s not much upside here outside of Kel’el Ware or maybe Nikola Jovic. It’s possible the Heat get into the mid-40s in wins, but I think they’re going to be in the play-in.

Prediction: 40-42 (Last year predicted 44-38, actually 37-45)

Charlotte Hornets

Additions: Kon Kneuppel (4^th pick in 2025 Draft), Collin Sexton, Liam McNeeley (29^th pick in 2025 Draft), Mason Plumlee, Pat Connaughton, Ryan Kalkbrenner (33^rd pick in 2025 Draft), Sion James (34^th pick in 2025 Draft)

Subtractions: Mark Williams, Seth Curry, Jusuf Nurkic, Vasilije Micic, Josh Okogie, Taj Gibson

Other:

Outlook: In terms of pure talent, the Hornets should be better than they are. Unfortunately, they’re the Hornets, and things just don’t seem to work out well for them. LaMelo Ball’s health is the most important variable for them – he’s played 36, 22, and 47 games in the past three years, and they just aren’t going to be good without him having a healthy season. I like Kon Kneuppel, and Brandon Miller remains a very promising young wing, but the rest of the Hornets roster doesn’t have a ton of upside without LaMelo. There is also the rather large issue that the Hornets have the worst center rotation in the NBA, consisting of an ancient Mason Plumlee, the hungry but limited Moussa Diabate, and rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner. Even if Kalkbrenner is ok as a rookie, the Hornets are going to be outplayed at that position almost every night, and that’s a major disadvantage. Between that, LaMelo’s health, and too many guards, I just don’t see this as being close to a winning season.

Prediction: 27-55 (Last year predicted 29-53, actually 19-63)

Washington Wizards

Additions: Tre Johnson (5^th pick in 2025 Draft), CJ McCollum, Cam Whitmore, Will Riley (21^st pick in 2025 Draft), Marvin Bagley, Malaki Branham

Subtractions: Jordan Poole, Marcus Smart, Malcolm Brogdon, Saddiq Bey, Richaun Holmes, Colby Jones

Other: Re-signed Anthony Gill

Outlook: The Wizards are in year three of their long-term rebuild and this season is probably going to be just as bad record-wise as the previous two. The Wiz have added a lot of young talent, but still don’t have a north star to build around (unless one of their youngsters pops) and are clearly trying to tank for the loaded 2026 draft. I think they’ll probably be fun to watch for diehard NBA fans – Tre Johnson is a bucket, Alex Sarr and Bilal Coulibaly both flash potential, and CJ McCollum and Khris Middleton are still good – but are definitely going to compete for a bottom-three record in the NBA with the Nets and Jazz. Tre is the young guy I’m going to have my eye on the most; he doesn’t do much besides score, but he’s tremendous at putting the ball in the hoop and his heaters are legendary.

Prediction: 19-63 (Last year predicted 20-62, actually 18-64)

2026 NBA Season Preview: Southeast Division
Robert Flom

Our next entry in the Where Are they Now series is Tyrone (Ty) Wallace, another young Clipper from the interregnum period between Lob City and the 213 era.

Clippers Career

Ty Wallace was the 60^th pick in the 2016 pick by the Utah Jazz, but was not ever signed to an NBA deal by the Jazz, instead playing in their G-League system all of the 2017 season. He was signed to a training camp deal by the Clippers going into 2018, but was one of the last cuts in preseason. However, in mid-January, with the Clippers dealing with a ton of injuries and Ty playing well in Agua Caliente, he was signed to a two-way deal by the Clippers. Ty then spent most of the rest of the year playing in Los Angeles, logging 30 games (including 19 starts) in the NBA and averaging 9.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 28.4 minutes. Ty was not able to shoot at all (25% from three on low volume) but his driving ability plus size on defense made him a fairly promising prospect considering he was just 23 at the time.

Ty was a restricted free agent and got an offer by the New Orleans Pelicans, but the Clippers matched it, and he returned to the Clippers for the 2019 season. Like previous Where Are they Now entrants Jawun Evans and Sindarius Thornwell, Ty’s playing time was impacted by the advent of rookies Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jerome Robinson as well as the health of Pat Beverley and Avery Bradley. Ty still played in 62 contests, but his minutes dropped all the way down to 10.1, and his production and efficiency tanked. Ty was out of the rotation by the time the playoffs rolled around, and was waived after the season with the arrival of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. An abrupt end to what had seemingly been the start of a promising career with the Clippers.

2020 Season

Ty was claimed off waivers by the Timberwolves but was then waived by them at the end of training camp before playing in a single NBA game for Minnesota. However, Ty was then once again claimed off waivers, this time by the Atlanta Hawks. Ty played in 14 games for Atlanta in the next few months, but did not make much of an impact, averaging just 2.9 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 0.9 assists on horrid shooting splits (31.8/6.7/64.7) in 11.4 minutes per game. Ty was subsequently waived on December 14 and was not picked up by an NBA team.

However, the Clippers remained interested in having Ty Wallace in their system, and he was signed by the Agua Caliente Clippers in March 2020. As this was right at the end of the season, Ty played in just two games for Agua Caliente – it was more about keeping him going into the following season.

2021 Season

Ty remained with the Agua Caliente Clippers during the 2021 season, but for some reason only played in 11 games. Still, he started in 10 of those games and averaged 31.6 minutes while putting up a very robust line of 16.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.5 steals. In short, he was quite good, despite still not shooting well from three (28.6%) and turning the ball over 4 times per game.

2022 Season

Ty started off the 2022 season with the Agua Caliente Clippers as well, but was traded to the Long Island Nets (Brooklyn’s G-League team) before playing in a game. For the Nets, he had his best season since all the way back in 2018, averaging 21.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 4.9 assists in 35.6 minutes per game while only starting in 11 contests. Along the way, a shocking development occurred: Ty started taking and making threes at a high volume, with his 6.1 attempts and 42.7% shooting both being career highs by massive margins.

Ty was so good, in fact, that he got one last shot in the NBA, receiving two 10-day contracts from the Pelicans. Ty appeared in 6 games for New Orleans and averaged just 12.5 minutes per game, but it still must have felt great for him considering he’d been out of the NBA for 2.5 years at that point. Still, his cup of coffee in the NBA was brief, and he finished the season back in Long Island with the G-League.

2023 Season

After six years of playing professional basketball in the United States, Ty Wallace finally moved overseas in 2023. Maybe he knew that a real NBA contract wasn’t coming, or maybe the money and prospects of higher-quality basketball was too potent. Regardless, Ty signed with Paris Basketball of the LNB Elite and Eurocup in July 2022. He played in 43 combined games for Paris across both competitions, averaging 15.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 5.9 assists. His three-point shooting fell back down to earth at 31.3%, though his 5.8 attempts remained much higher than earlier in his career. The turnovers, too, were an issue, with 3.6 giveaways per contest, but the level of production in very good leagues was impressive.

2024 Season

Following his successful season in France, Ty upgraded slightly, signing with Turk Telecom of the Basketball Super League (BSL) in Turkey, which also competed in the Eurocup. The BSL is considered a somewhat stronger league than LNB and offers comparable pay. Ty upped his game for Turk, producing probably the finest season of his career considering tenure and level of play, as he averaged 17.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 33 minutes while shooting 44.5% from the field, 33.7% from three (5.8 attempts), and 77.5% from the line (4.3 attempts) while cutting turnovers to 2.9 per game. An extremely impressive season from Ty at some of the highest levels of international competition.

2025 Season

In July 2024, Ty Wallace signed with Zalgiris Kaunas of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL), a bit of a downgrade in terms of domestic leagues – but one that plays in the EuroLeague, the best league in the world outside of the US. However, Ty played only a few games for them before leaving the team in October. The explanation at the time was cloudy, but it seemed there were personal issues going on.

Ty was out of a job for a few months, but signed with Galatasaray of the BSL and Basketball Champions League. Ty played in 26 games for Galatasaray but started in just over half of them, and his stats were down across the board compared to previous seasons despite playing at a similar level. It’s unclear if he still had issues impacting him or his play was just suffering, but 2025 was definitely a down season, and in late June he and Galatasaray parted ways.

Future

Ty Wallace is somehow already 31 years old, putting him at the end of his prime and starting into the downslope of his career. Still, his 2022 to 2024 seasons would indicate he has plenty of good basketball left in him. It’s honestly been a pretty stellar career for the 60^th pick in the draft and a relatively unheralded college prospect – compared to Evans and Thornwell, Wallace has played at higher levels and produced much better. It seems unlikely Ty will come back to the NBA, but a few more years in top international domestic leagues is certainly a possibility.

Where Are They Now: Ty Wallace
Robert Flom

The next player up in the Where Are They Now Series is Jawun Evans, Sindarius Thornwell’s draft mate all the way back in 2017.

Clippers Career

Jawun Evans was taken with the 39^th pick in the 2017 Draft, marking the first draft selection of the post Lob City era. Evans was well liked by draft pundits as a pick, and Clippers fans had moderate expectations for Jawun due to a strong two-year college career. Evans played in 48 games his rookie season, averaging 16.2 minutes per contest for a competitive Clippers’ squad. However, despite flashing some fun playmaking and pesky point-of-attack defense, Evans’ offensive game, which was terrific in college, did not translate, with Jawun shooting just 35.2% from the field and 27.8% from three. It was overall a disappointing season, albeit with a few real highlights.

Unfortunately, like several of the Clippers’ young players from the 2016-2018 seasons, Jawun became a casualty of the Clippers’ influx of young talent with two lottery picks in the 2018 draft, and was waived on October 15, 2018 in training camp.

2019 Season

Jawun was picked up by the Phoenix Suns on a two-way deal just a couple weeks later, in early November, and remained with the Suns’ organization for most of the 2019 season. However, he played in a mere 7 games for the big league squad, averaging just over nine minutes per game and playing exclusively in garbage time. Instead, Jawun played mostly in the G-League, appearing in 32 games for the North Arizona Suns and averaging 15 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game. Unfortunately, his turnovers were high (3.2) and the three-point shooting remained below average (33.8% on 2.3 attempts).

Evans was waived by the Suns on March 23, and was picked up by the Thunder on March 25. He played in just one game for the Thunder, logging a single minute with one stat (a missed three) before the season ended. Overall, not a banner year for Jawun, and this would be the last season he made appearances in NBA games.

2020 Season

Jawun was picked up by the Raptors 905, Toronto’s G-League team, and spent the season with them. He started in 16 of 33 games, but his scoring dropped all the way down to 7.6 per game, a nearly 50% reduction. Jawun’s turnovers also fell nearly in half, to 1.8, with a clear emphasis on running an offense and making plays for others rather than scoring. Sadly, what was probably Jawun’s steadiest year as a pro so far ended in early March, as he was waived following a season-ending injury.

2021 Season

It took Jawun nearly a full year to find a new professional home, as he signed with Promitheas Patras of the Greek Basket League in January of 2021. Evans played in just eight games for Patras and averaged a mere 15.2 minutes per game, with averages of 6.8 points and 2.0 assists not much to write home about. It was a brief sojourn internationally for Jawun, who then returned to North America at the end of the year.

2022 Season

Jawun signed with the Raptors 905 again, but was traded to the Canton Charge (Cleveland’s G-League team) before playing a game. He then appeared in 20 games for Canton, averaging 7.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.9 assists on his best shooting splits yet (43.2% from field and 43.3% from three). Still, at this point Jawun seemed locked into bench roles at the G-League level, or similar international arenas.

2023 Season

In September 2022, Jawun went back overseas, signing with Juventus Utena, a Lithuanian basketball team. Here, Jawun probably had his best overall professional campaign, averaging 14.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 5.5 assists while shooting 46.2% from the field, 40.5% from three, and 88.9% from the line. Oddly, Jawun played in just 14 games for Juventus before leaving, and didn’t sign anywhere else during the 2023 season after departing in January.

2024 Season

In July 2023, Jawun signed with Slask Wroclaw in Poland, but once again only appeared in a few games for the Polish side before signing with JDA Dijon Basket in the French LNB A. Jawun played in just a couple of games for Dijon as well, with very poor stats, logging just 10 total games across both leagues in the entire 2024 calendar year. Again, I’m not sure why he played in so few games, whether because of injuries, personality issues, or something else entirely.

2025 Season

In August of 2024, Jawun went back to Poland, this time signing with Legia Warsaw. Jawun played 13 games for Legia, but his stats were poor, scoring 7.9 points on 37.1% shooting from the field and 28.2% from three. Jawun left Legia, and in January of 2025 went back to the G-League, signing with the Maine Celtics. Jawun logged just four games with Maine, and his stats there were even worse than in Poland (albeit in a tiny sample size), shooting just 2-11 across those appearances and missing his only two threes. And that takes us to the present day.

Future

Jawun Evans has sadly had a bit of a downer career. After a somewhat fun if ultimately not very good rookie season in the NBA and then a competent (though again not awesome) G-League campaign the next year, he has really struggled to find his footing, with most of his stints with teams not lasting for more than a couple of months. Just 29 years old, Jawun could probably continue to play professionally for another few seasons, but it seems like at this point he might be even below the G-League level.

Ultimately, Jawun’s biggest issue has been scoring the basketball. It’s odd considering he was an effective and efficient scorer at good volume in a good conference in college at Oklahoma State, but his scoring has just not translated to the pros at all. More specifically, Jawun’s three-point shot has just never materialized, and it’s tough being a small guard that’s not a good three-point shooter. Hopefully Jawun can scratch out another couple of years professionally, even if that means going to some lesser-tier leagues.

Where Are They Now: Jawun Evans
Robert Flom

You know the NBA Offseason is in its dog days when I re-start the Where Are They Now articles, a very long running series dating back to Clips Nation documenting the career of former Clippers’ players. With Chris Paul returning to the Clippers, I wanted to take a look back at the days immediately after he left the team for the first time, and so I will be reviewing some of the Clippers from the fun 2017-2018 season. First up: Sindarius Thornwell.

Clippers Career

Sindarius Thornwell was taken with the 48^th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, continuing the Clippers’ tradition of taking older players in the draft (Reggie Bullock, CJ Wilcox, Brice Johnson, etc.). Expectations are always pretty low for players taken so low, but Sindarius immediately raised them through a strong Summer League. He then went on to play a real role for the 2018 Clippers, playing in 73 games (starting 16) for a team that went 42-40. A limited (to be kind) offensive player, Sindarius played minutes because of his defense and energy, which was the M.O. of that squad.

Unfortunately for Sindarius (but fortunately for the Clippers), the selection of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the 2018 Draft and the improved health of Pat Beverley (he barely played in 2017) pushed Thornwell way down the depth chart. Sindarius still played in 64 games for the incredibly fun 48-34 squad, but averaged just 4.9 minutes per game, with most of his playing time coming in garbage time or for very limited defensive situations.

Then, in the summer of 2019, the Clippers brought in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, and everything changed (Avatar the Last Airbender reference for those who know). For a team trying to compete for a championship, there was no longer room on the end of the bench for a defensive-first prospect already in his mid-20s, and so Sindarius was waived in early July.

2020 Season

Sindarius signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers to a training camp deal, but was waived before the season started. He thus spent most of his time in the G-League, logging 40 games for the Rio Grand Valley Vipers. Unfortunately, it was not a great season for Sindarius, who averaged just 9.2 points on 42.6% shooting from the field and 28.9% from deep. His inability to do much on the offensive end (though he did average 4.6 assists per game) did not bode well for his NBA prospects.

Sindarius was in fact signed at the very end of the season by the New Orleans Pelicans in a COVID-season only “substitution deal” but played just two inconsequential games for them.

2021 Season

The Pelicans must have liked what they saw from Sindarius, however, because they re-signed him in December of 2020 before the start of the season (that season started just before Christmas). The Pelicans waived him before the trade deadline before re-signing him to multiple 10-day deals. In total, Sindarius played 14 games for the Pels, averaging just 1.2 points in 5.2 minutes per game as a primarily defensive-oriented player.

When Sindarius’ second 10-day deal expired, the Orlando Magic stepped in and signed him to a two-way deal. Sindarius actually got more playing time than he had in years, averaging 20.6 minutes per game in his seven appearances for Orlando. Sadly, he was dreadful on offense, shooting 32% from the field and 28.6% from three.

Sindarius’ lack of offense game was his downfall, and those games for the Magic were the last time he appeared in the NBA.

2022 Season

After sticking in the NBA for parts of four seasons (legitimately a nice career for the 48^th pick), Sindarius finally went overseas, signing with German side Ratiopharm Ulm for the 2022 season. Ulm has been one of the better teams in the German League (BBL) in recent years, and competed in Eurocup that season. Across 42 games played, Sindarius started 39 and averaged 29.9 minutes per game, playing a key role. He also shot well for the first time in his professional career, averaging 44.4% from the field, 39% from three (on 3.9 attempts!), and 81.8% from the line (3.7 attempts) and scoring 12.5 points per game. A much-needed bounce back season for Sindarius.

2023 Season

Sindarius parlayed his excellent 2022 campaign into a deal with Frutti Extra Bursapor of the Turkish Basketball League (BSL), one of the best domestic leagues outside of the US. Oddly, Thornwell played just four games for Bursapor, and then did not play at all the rest of the year. I’m not sure what happened here, whether it was an injury, suspension, personal reasons, or something else, but it was a lost season for Sindarius.

2024 Season

The next time Sindarius played basketball it was for Avtodor Saratov of the Russian Basketball League (VTB). He suited up for 39 games, starting 34, and had a similar (if somewhat worse) season to his 2022 campaign for Ulm. Sindarius shot pretty well, collected a good number of rebounds, and scoring in the low double-digits. At this point, this seems like what Sindarius is at this level

2025 Season

In August 2024, Sindarius signed with Zastal Zielona Gora of the Polish Basketball League. He played and started in 17 games for Zastal before leaving the team in February 2025 and moving to the Xinjiang Flying Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Like so many former NBA players, China beckoned. Sindarius played 12 games for the Flying Tigers, but started just three, and played in fewer minutes per game than he had since leaving the NBA.

Future

Now 30 years old (turning 31 in November), Sindarius Thornwell seems well past the point of an NBA return. He’s clearly playing at a level where he can continue finding jobs overseas, but at this point I’d also imagine he’s not close to returning to a true top-level league (Euroleague) or team. Ultimately, while Sindarius’ defense at his size made him a useful bit player in the NBA, his lack of development as an offensive player has held him back from a steady tenure with any team. Hopefully he can keep playing another few years and reach the decade mark of his professional career.

Where Are They Now: Sindarius Thornwell
Robert Flom

The Clippers’ main roster is already settled, with 14 players with full NBA contracts all set for training camp and the start of the 2025-2026 season. However, they have continued to tinker on the margins, with multiple pieces of roster news breaking yesterday.

First, Shams Charania of ESPN announced that the Clippers were signing guard TyTy Washington to a one-year deal. It was not specified in the tweet, but it was later confirmed that this deal is an Exhibit 10 contract, making it an elevated training camp signing. Washington is a fourth-year guard who was drafted by the Rockets at 29 in the 2021 draft, but was traded and then waived after his rookie season. He has been on the Bucks and Suns the past two years on two-way deals, and has played just 58 NBA games with limited minutes.

Later in the day, Michael Scotto of Hoopshype broke the news that the Clippers were re-signing wing Jordan Miller to a two-way deal. To clear room for Miller, the Clippers waived Patrick Baldwin Jr. from the two-way deal he signed late last season. However, Law Murray of the Athletic stated that the Clippers were hopeful Baldwin Jr. would join the team in training camp. I’m not surprised by this swap: Miller is too old to really be a prospect, but he’s closer to an NBA-level player than Baldwin, whose athleticism did not cut it even in Summer League.

Essentially, where the back half of the roster stands right now is this: Cam Christie and Yanic Konan Niederhauser are on full roster deals and expected to remain on the roster going into the season. Jordan Miller, Kobe Sanders, and Trentyn Flowers are on two-way deals, with TyTy Washington and Patrick Baldwin Jr. on Exhibit 10 deals. NBA teams can bring 21 players into training camp, so the Clippers could technically add two more players on Exhibit 10 or other training camp deals.

The Clippers don’t seem heavily tied to anyone on two-way deals. Law (in his tweets yesterday) indicated that Jordan and Kobe are actually a bit “safer” than Flowers, and that all three will face competition from the training camp invitees for those two-way deals. If I had to guess, I think the three of those guys will win the two-way spots, but who knows.

That honestly might do it for the Clippers this summer unless some unexpected trade happens. The Clippers will not carry 15 full roster spots into the season, and their three two-way slots are all filled as well. The last pieces of business might be signing the last two training camp deals, but it is possible those are so unimportant they won’t even make “news” rounds on Twitter.

Clippers Make Multiple Back End Roster Moves
Robert Flom