Monday's media day kicked off NBA training camps around the league and offered a first look at several stars in their new homes. The Philadelphia 76ers had perhaps the biggest offseason, adding Jaylen Brown on July 1 and then the league's all-time leading scorer LeBron James before the month was over. But the Sixers aren't the only ones who made big moves.
James' former team, the Los Angeles Lakers, took a big swing in trading for former Jazz center Walker Kessler, and Giannis Antetokounmpo finally found a new home in the Miami Heat. LaMelo Ball is teaming up with Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Ja Morant will look for a fresh start with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Big trades and signings aren't the only noteworthy storylines coming out of the offseason. Will the Detroit Pistons resolve Jalen Duren's contract dispute? How will the San Antonio Spurs rebound after collapsing in the Finals? Our NBA Insiders answer the biggest preseason questions for all 30 teams.
Jump to a team:
ATL | BOS | BKN | CHA | CHI | CLE
DAL | DEN | DET | GS | HOU | IND
LAC | LAL | MEM | MIA | MIL | MIN
NO | NY | OKC | ORL | PHI | PHX
POR | SAC | SA | TOR | UTAH | WAS
Atlanta Hawks
Will the Hawks build on their strong finish to last season?
To be clear, the Hawks' 51-point loss in their elimination game isn't the strong finish we are referring to. But Atlanta did account for two of the Knicks' three playoff losses, and the Hawks went on a 19-4 run with a plus-13.9 average point differential at the end of the regular season after committing to CJ McCollum in the starting lineup.
Atlanta added to the roster this summer -- drafting Kingston Flemings in the lottery and trading for ring-earning role players Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins -- and is positioned to be aggressive at the trade deadline or next summer, when the Hawks could have about $45 million in salary cap space. -- Tim MacMahon
Boston Celtics
Is Jayson Tatum ready to assume command of the Celtics on the court?
Tatum made it a point to get back on the court before last season ended, proving his Achilles injury couldn't keep him down. The results were mixed in the short term, as his regular-season percentages were down across the board and he sat out Game 7 of the Celtics' first-round series because of left knee discomfort.
Trading Jaylen Brown was a full endorsement of Tatum's ability to take the throttle while retooling to get back to championship status. But is Tatum fully recovered from the injury and ready to assume control? -- Vincent Goodwill
Brooklyn Nets
Can the Nets go from deplorable to dependable?
The Nets invested in a long-term rebuilding plan: think of those first-round picks Sean Marks held onto in the 2025 draft, rather than attempting to aggregate them for impact players. But then lottery reform happened, forcing the Nets to press the fast-forward button in July.
Trading for Julius Randle upgraded their talent, as did drafting another point guard in Mikel Brown Jr. Can this team look competent without the benefit of knowing another high draft pick is on the way? -- Goodwill
Charlotte Hornets
Can the Hornets be a better team after trading two cornerstone starters?
Charlotte has been very methodical in its build, and ownership and the front office have taken strides to avoid falling into the traps that ascending teams can sometimes make when they chase the middle. The Hornets got to the middle last season but clearly the team didn't believe that LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges, both of whom have expensive contracts and will be searching for extensions soon, were part of the rise so they tried to maximize their position by trading both.
The acquisitions of veterans Naz Reid, Grayson Allen and Dennis Schroder, in theory, augment newly established cornerstones Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel. But Charlotte needs to get Miller into an extension that makes sense for both sides -- an age-old tale -- and Knueppel suffered a moderate hamstring injury that is going to cause him to sit out all of training camp and the start of the season. In a very competitive Eastern Conference, getting back to the play-in might be a chore. -- Brian Windhorst
Chicago Bulls
Was summer league a preview of what we will see from Caleb Wilson?
No rookie had the Las Vegas gym buzzing quite like Wilson did this summer. He put up 35 points in his first game as a pro, knocked down as many 3-pointers in one game as his entire freshman season at North Carolina and rounded out his highlight reel with ferocious dunks and a chase-down block. For the first time in years, Wilson gives the Bulls a clear reason for optimism going forward. -- Jamal Collier
Cleveland Cavaliers
Can Peyton Watson make a difference as the fifth starter?
The Cavs have been heavily invested in four of their five starters for years -- Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen in the front court with Donovan Mitchell and now James Harden, after a midseason exchange for Darius Garland, in the backcourt. But they've had a rotating cast filling out the last spot next to them -- Dean Wade, Max Strus or De'Andre Hunter, most recently -- all of whom have failed to raise the ceiling of the lineup.
Watson, 24, is coming off his best season with the Nuggets and has the potential to push this group over the edge even more if he can continue his improved 3-point shooting to go along with his defensive chops. -- Collier
Dallas Mavericks
How much better can Cooper Flagg be as a sophomore?
Flagg is literally and figuratively growing up before our eyes. He got taller over the summer after his Rookie of the Year season, measuring at 6-foot-10 without his shoes. The fact that the 19-year-old Flagg is still growing serves as symbolism of his seemingly limitless ceiling. Fair or not, Flagg will always be compared in Dallas to Luka Doncic, who was a first-team All-NBA selection in his second season. Conventional wisdom is that Flagg is on the trajectory to ascend to that level of stardom. How soon can he get there? -- MacMahon
Denver Nuggets
Can Aaron Gordon stay healthy?
In his six seasons with the Nuggets, Gordon has only improved as a player and elevated as a fit next to Nikola Jokic. His importance has never been greater, but his availability has never been more in question. Gordon sat out 31 games two seasons ago and 46 games last season. Both playoff runs also ended with a hobbled Gordon dealing with a hamstring strain and a calf strain that either had him significantly limited or sidelined.
Denver's depth has eroded around Jokic, but when Gordon is healthy and productive on the wing, they still have as complete and feared of a five-man starting unit as any team. But how often will he be out there? Word is he is geared and ready for camp. -- Anthony Slater
Detroit Pistons
Will Jalen Duren attend training camp, and if so, how long will it take for him to acclimate?
The Duren saga has loomed over the Pistons all summer, and there still is no resolution. Duren was not at Pistons media day Monday and is not expected at the start of training camp, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania. If Duren goes the extreme route of taking a qualifying offer, it won't make for a comfortable situation -- along with the unprecedented act of turning down $200 million.
Team chemistry and continuity were reasons Detroit went from 44 wins in 2024-25 to 60 last season, and the roster has gone through changes this offseason. The possibility of an unhappy Duren creates the possibility of a slow start in a stacked East. -- Goodwill
Golden State Warriors
When will we see Jimmy Butler?
Butler tore his right ACL on Jan. 19 and had surgery in early February. The early months of rehab went slow, but there was steady word over the summer from those around Butler that his knee was strengthening, his court work was increasing and the optimism about his ultimate recovery was growing. Butler told ESPN in June he expected to get back "to who I've always been."
He will be limited to individual court work when camp opens. A January or February timeline appears to be a soft target, but it will depend on how his knee responds to increased contact once he is cleared. The Warriors' viability as a dark horse playoff threat is almost entirely contingent on Butler getting back to somewhere near his old self before April. -- Slater
Houston Rockets
Will the Rockets finally advance beyond the first round of the playoffs?
Houston hasn't advanced past the opening round since the 2019-20 season and is coming off back-to-back first-round exits as future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant enters his second season as a Rocket. Season-ending injuries to veterans Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams created somewhat of a gap year for Houston in 2025-26.
But at the same time, several young players such as Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard, Tari Eason, Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr. grew due to increased responsibilities created by the loss of the team's main offensive facilitator. Will that development carry over to this season for a team that fancies itself a contender? Is VanVleet truly the missing ingredient? We'll see. -- Michael C. Wright
Indiana Pacers
What can the Pacers expect from Tyrese Haliburton?
It has been 16 months since Haliburton's most recent game when the Pacers put together one of the most memorable playoff runs in league history as he went on an all-time run of clutch performances. How well Haliburton will bounce back from his Achilles injury is a perplexing wrinkle in an Eastern Conference that has become even more competitive since he last played. Can Haliburton reclaim his spot at the top of the contenders or has the rest of the competition passed him by? -- Collier
LA Clippers
What will be the fallout from the league's punishment for the Kawhi Leonard saga?
Leonard is now in Toronto, but it's not as if it was a clean break after seven seasons with the franchise. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is suspended for a year, as is president of business operations Gillian Zucker. President of basketball operations, Lawrence Frank, is suspended six months. The franchise was fined $30 million and will be docked five first-round draft picks between now and 2033.
With all that swirling around, how will this new-look roster with the likes of Brandon Ingram, Darius Garland, Bradley Beal, Rui Hachimura, Max Strus and Brook Lopez -- alongside rookie Keaton Wagler -- be able to compete in an unforgiving Western Conference? -- Dave McMenamin
Los Angeles Lakers
Will the bet on Walker Kessler pay off?
The Lakers pushed virtually all of their chips to the middle of the table to make a move on the 25-year-old and pair the 7-2 center alongside Luka Doncic's wizardry. The cost was prohibitive: not just a four-year, $130 million contract, but two unprotected future first-round picks and two future pick swaps sent to the Utah Jazz to make it happen. Lakers coach JJ Redick called Kessler a "perfect fit" alongside Doncic and Austin Reaves before training camp even opened, and L.A.'s president of basketball operations and general manager, Rob Pelinka, defended the gamble by suggesting that it was the only viable way to land a player like Kessler.
"There's a scarcity of supply," Pelinka said. "There just is. And if you look at what you could potentially get in the draft or what is potentially going to come in free agency, those centers just don't exist."
If Kessler is everything L.A. hopes he will be, it will all be worth it. If he's not, the franchise will be in a tough spot with roster flexibility. -- McMenamin
Memphis Grizzlies
How soon can Memphis return to relevancy?
Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman confidently said last season at the trade deadline that fans shouldn't expect a long rebuild. And that was before Memphis traded franchise star Ja Morant to Portland. "We're not starting from scratch," Kleiman said. "We already have a lot to work with. I don't think this is some five-year, try to be terrible [by tanking process]."
The current roster features plenty of young talent in Zach Edey, Cedric Coward and No. 3 pick Cameron Boozer, but it appears the Grizzlies might still be a couple of years away from returning to the postseason. -- Wright
Miami Heat
How will Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo fit offensively?
After years of trying to add a superstar, the Heat finally traded for Antetokounmpo this summer. Together, he and Adebayo will be one of the most formidable front courts in the conference, but their fit offensively is much less clear.
Both have similar skill sets, play around the basket without much of an outside shooting game -- and both would be enchanted by a point guard helping create easy offense. The Heat are going to need a much healthier Antetokounmpo this season to compete in a crowded East and provide enough time to find offensive chemistry with Adebayo. -- Collier
Milwaukee Bucks
Do any of these players fit together?
There are no shortage of questions for how Milwaukee moves forward in the post-Giannis era, but in the aftermath of trading a franchise player, the Bucks' roster will be deeper than it was last season. But with so many capable rotation players, including a mix of veterans and young players, the onus will be on new coach Taylor Jenkins to figure out how all the players fit together on a nightly basis. The Bucks do not own their draft pick this season, which gives them incentives to try to remain competitive if they can find the right player combo. -- Collier
Minnesota Timberwolves
How quickly can LaMelo Ball and Anthony Edwards find the correct offensive balance?
The four-team blockbuster that landed Ball in Minnesota was finalized in early July. Ball has spent a chunk of the past two months in the team's practice facility in downtown Minneapolis getting acclimated with his new franchise and his new teammates. That has included Edwards, who has been around plenty the past month, attempting to expedite the progression for the league's most spectacular new backcourt experiment.
It will be a high bar for the Timberwolves to rise into the San Antonio and Oklahoma City tier, but if Ball and Edwards can figure out how to fuse and amplify each other's talents, they have the greatest chance among West competitors. -- Slater
New Orleans Pelicans
Did the Pelicans make a mistake in choosing to run it back with essentially the same group as last season?
It might look that way on the surface. But considering the immense talent on the roster -- from Dejounte Murray and Trey Murphy to Jeremiah Fears, Zion Williamson and Derik Queen -- it's clear that Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver believed the club's biggest offseason acquisition needed to be a coach to lead and cultivate all the talent.
Perhaps New Orleans found that in Jamahl Mosley, who presided over a rebuild in Orlando, leading the Magic to three consecutive postseason berths. The talented Williamson will always be a question because of his injury history. But don't be surprised to see the big man showcase a more consistent jumper this season. -- Wright
New York Knicks
Will Karl-Anthony Towns' contract extension standstill affect the champions' harmony?
The vibes were great for the Knicks all spring, culminating in a romp through the playoffs and their first championship in 53 years. Towns, the first of several Knicks impact players hoping to get extended, hasn't been rewarded with an offer he likes, as owner James Dolan issued the edict to avoid the punitive second apron.
If last season was one of sacrifice, will he fight the temptation to set himself up as a factor in a robust free agent market next summer? The Knicks will have the target on their backs all season long, and they can't afford to be disjointed in any way. -- Goodwill
Oklahoma City Thunder
Can Jalen Williams stay healthy?
Maybe the Thunder would have been the first repeat champions since the 2017-18 Warriors if not for Williams' recurring hamstring injuries that sidelined him for much of the regular season and the vast majority of the playoffs. The hope is that Oklahoma City won't have to wonder after a summer of Williams working on his body to maximize his chances of staying healthy.
Williams is one of the best two-way wings in the league when he's on the court -- a versatile, disruptive defender who also alleviates a lot of pressure on back-to-back MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as a secondary creator. -- MacMahon
Orlando Magic
What will define this season: The Sweeney effect or a big trade?
Last season was a setback for the Magic, who invested heavily into their core of Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs and Desmond Bane. But, partially because of injuries, they backslid last season. The front office contemplated major moves last season and into the summer -- this is tough to believe, admittedly, because Jeff Weltman has been known for not making trades during his tenure -- but it did happen, per sources. Instead they decided to change the coach, firing the popular Jahmal Mosely and replacing him with Sean Sweeney, regarded as one of the top assistants in the league.
The Magic haven't been able to score when it truly matters and Banchero, to whom they've given a max contract, has not consistently been able to be part of effective lineups around the team's other cornerstones. So it's on Sweeney to see if tactical changes can make a difference. Sweeney has played a big role in helping the Mavericks and the Spurs get more out of their rosters over the past few seasons. If they don't, you might see the Magic in the rare position of being involved in trade rumors by midseason. -- Windhorst
Philadelphia 76ers
How long will it take for all the new players to come together?
As if trading for 2024 Finals MVP Jaylen Brown wasn't a dramatic enough fork in the road for the Sixers to navigate, four-time Finals MVP, four-time MVP and the league's all-time leading scorer, LeBron James, joined a few weeks later. There's no roadmap for coach Nick Nurse to follow to maximize a group like this, with not only those two new faces, but an ascendent star in Tyrese Maxey and the player who has been "the man" in Philadelphia for the past decade in Joel Embiid.
James, having played more NBA games than anyone in history, has seen it all and is anticipating the discovery period ahead. "We have to have a bunker mentality," James said on an episode of his podcast, "Mind the Game," last week. "The only thing that matters is what we preach every day and how we're going to hold each other accountable."
James has the experience to know to stay the course, but many of his new teammates haven't lived anywhere close to the same NBA existence that he has. -- McMenamin
Phoenix Suns
How does Jalen Green fit in with this group?
Phoenix was one of the surprise success stories in the league last season, winning 45 games in Jordan Ott's first year as a head coach and quickly pivoting from the lackluster Kevin Durant era. But most of that winning was done with 24-year-old shooting guard Green in street clothes. Green sat out 50 games because of persistent hamstring issues and in the games he did play, Phoenix went just 17-15. Initially seen as the key player in the Durant trade with the Rockets, it was Dillon Brooks who ended up having a breakout offensive season for the Suns while injuries limited Green.
Green's absence also allowed more minutes for Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin, who both had strong seasons and were rewarded with new contracts in the offseason. Green is in the last year of his deal for $36.3 million, although he has a player option for next season at $36 million. Will he be able to find his stride if he can stay healthy, or will his best skill as a scorer be redundant with Devin Booker already filling that role as the leader of the team? -- McMenamin
Portland Trail Blazers
How do the Blazers fit all their guards?
The Blazers made Micah Nori the lowest-paid, shortest-term coach this summer and then gave him a mismatched roster in the middle of a storm about the future of the franchise. If you want to be an optimist, and why shouldn't one, Nori will probably get universal praise if he's able to stitch it together for even a middle-of-the-road season.
Damian Lillard is back, both in Portland and from an Achilles tear. That's awesome. Ja Morant has been acquired by trade after playing 79 games total the past three seasons. That's interesting. Jrue Holiday, two-time winner of the Joe Dumars NBA Sportsmanship Award and winner of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion Award, is a rock of leadership. That's wonderful. Former No. 3 pick Scoot Henderson is coming off his best season, but is still trying to improve his efficiency and get a big contract extension this fall. That's something. Shaedon Sharpe is coming off his best season and is at the start of a four-year, $90 million contract but tore his meniscus and is expected to sit out most of the season. That's a bummer.
Figuring out how to make all of that work is going to be a huge key to the season. -- Windhorst
Sacramento Kings
Can Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis recharge their careers?
Both LaVine and Sabonis have been available for trade during the past few transition cycles, but Kings general manager Scott Perry has not received an appealing enough offer to strike. So both veterans return to a young team in transition, serving essentially as starting placeholders without much obvious loyalty to the franchise's future.
It would benefit both sides if they play well. Internally, the Kings are intent on making at least a small leap from the 22 games they won last season and avoiding the new lottery relegation zone. LaVine and Sabonis can aid in that, and doing so would also resuscitate their value and perhaps get them to more appealing situations while netting Sacramento trade assets in return. -- Slater
San Antonio Spurs
Can the Spurs live up to the hype?
San Antonio entered the 2025-26 season with the goal of earning a top-six seed for the postseason and shocked the NBA with a run to the Finals. Now, the Spurs head into 2026-27 with realistic title aspirations after finally breaking through a six-year playoff drought. Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs play in a league-high-tying 34 nationally televised games this season.
How will this still relatively inexperienced team handle the limelight? The front office displayed confidence in the group on hand by bringing in only one player (Tobias Harris) who will crack the rotation from last season. If Wembanyama continues on his trajectory, this could finally be his MVP season. -- Wright
Toronto Raptors
Is the Kawhi Leonard-Scottie Barnes pairing a home run?
The Raptors had good news and bad news after last season. They absolutely took a step forward, making the playoffs and taking the Cavs to seven games despite not having starters Immanuel Quickley or Brandon Ingram by the end. Barnes had a brilliant two-way season, maturing into the kind of force they always hoped he'd become.
But the bad news was Toronto had an expensive roster and it was not in a great position to improve it. Plus, there's a new controlling owner, Ed Rogers, and that sort of stuff gets everyone on edge. So the Raptors had to stick their necks out a little and take a risk and it, surprisingly, was the same risk they took in 2018 when they won the title: They traded for Leonard. Oh, and gave him a two-year, $115 million extension as he was stepping out of the cloud of a massive scandal in L.A.
The idea of Barnes and Leonard, who had a spectacular season in 2025-26, is delicious. Combining two two-way forwards with great size and scoring ability with young Collin Murray-Boyles could give the Raptors one of the best frontcourts in the league. Could. Counting on Leonard has been a fool's game this entire decade: Good luck to everyone involved! -- Windhorst
Utah Jazz
Can the Jazz make the massive leap to competitiveness?
After a painful rebuilding process, the Jazz plan to hit the gas this season, as president of basketball operations Austin Ainge put it. Utah has accumulated an intriguing collection of talent, but there will be some growing pains as the group learns to win in the NBA. Jaren Jackson Jr. is the team's only foundational player who has any playoff experience. -- MacMahon
Washington Wizards
What happens with Anthony Davis?
It is well known in the league that Wizards ownership, basically Ted Leonsis, is fatigued of multiple years of failure that included a gruesome end to last season with losses in 27 of 28 games. And now the mandate is a fast, fast, fast turnaround, which was the basis of the trades for Davis and Trae Young last season. The addition of No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa, in theory, makes the idea of going from a team that won 17 games to the postseason a mildly plausible concept. But the Wizards have given themselves a prickly situation with Davis.
The team had an understanding with Young that he'd be getting a big extension, which was needed to get him to agree to shut down for the season -- a move that would have hurt his value if he'd gone into free agency -- to help improve their odds of securing the No. 1 pick. The Wizards landed the No. 1 pick and Young got a new deal for four years and $212 million.
There was no such understanding with Davis. And even though he has been eligible for a new extension since the summer, the Wizards informed him they wanted to wait for a couple of months before entering talks. Davis said Monday that he will decide on contract discussions after finishing the season with Washington. This isn't the recipe for a healthy star-team dynamic. This is why Davis is going to be one of the most watched players in the league in the early going. Maybe this quick flip makes the Wizards look like geniuses, and their front office gets a nod for Executive of the Year and rewarding contract extensions because of this innovative high-wire act they might be able to pull off. Or maybe Davis revolts, as he has before, and it turns into a triage situation. This, for sure, can be said -- and it hasn't been in awhile: The Wizards are going to be must see TV. -- Windhorst