NBA Swing: Is the East the Strongest it’s Been in Years?

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With the NBA 2026-27 season just under seven weeks away and Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors expected to be complete in the next few days following the conclusion of the NBA’s investigation into Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers, many are looking at the Eastern Conference as the more stacked conference in comparison to the West. The 2026 offseason would see multiple big names move from the West to the East in addition to other names moving throughout the conference. While the West has two juggernauts at the top of the conference in Oklahoma City and San Antonio, the East has more than six teams that could legitimately be in championship conversations this season.

New York Knicks

The East starts with the defending NBA champion New York Knicks. After a dominant run to the 2026 championship that saw the Knicks only lose three games (two to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round), the Knicks have kept much of their championship roster intact. The only big departure would be big man Mitchell Robinson to the Boston Celtics. Landry Shamet, Jose Alvarado, Jordan Clarkson, and Mohamed Diawara would all re-sign with the team, and Andre Drummond would sign with the team. New York would have a top-five offense and top-10 defense last season and look to continue their dominance this upcoming season. The Knicks have a rough road ahead of them, but if they can repeat as champions, they would be the first team to repeat since the 2018 Golden State Warriors.

Philadelphia 76ers

The seventh seed in the East last season, the Philadelphia 76ers would upset the Boston Celtics in the first round before being swept by the Knicks in the second round. Despite an injury that would have had him out for over a month, Embiid would return in the first round of the playoffs, playing a pivotal role in the first-round series win. The offseason would see Philadelphia land Jaylen Brown in a shock trade and add LeBron James several weeks later. With a starting five of Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, LeBron James, and VJ Edgecombe, the Sixers without a doubt have one of, if not the best, starting fives in the league. Philadelphia also has one of the deeper benches in the league, with notable players including Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Anfernee Simons, Dean Wade, and rookie Labaron Philon; the Sixers have a second unit that can compete with any other second unit in the league. Many are already setting the expectation of the Eastern Conference Finals at a minimum for Philadelphia despite the new-look team not playing a single second on the court.

Toronto Raptors

With the Kawhi Leonard investigation coming to an end and Leonard ultimately facing no true punishment, the Leonard-to-Toronto trade is expected to go through in the next few days. Leonard joins a strong Raptors team that finished fifth in the East last season. Leonard will play alongside Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, and RJ Barrett, in addition to several promising young players, including Ja’Kobe Walter, Jamal Shead, and Colin Murray-Boyles. Toronto would have a top-15 offense last season, but to the surprise of many, they would have a top-five defense. With Kawhi Leonard having a relatively healthy season last season, the Raptors make a strong case to be a championship contender. With the right matchup, Toronto could see themselves playing into June.

Boston Celtics

After a first-round series that would see them lose in seven games to the seventh seed Sixers, Boston would pull the trigger on the most shocking trade of the offseason by trading 2024 Finals MVP Jaylen Brown to the very team that eliminated them in the playoffs. In return, they would land 36-year-old Paul George. Boston still has Jayson Tatum, who is still in the process of recovering from his 2025 Achilles tear, and several notable players from their 2024 championship,p including Payton Pritchard and Derrick White. Despite the big change, Boston would make a solid addition in big man Mitchell Robinson, as the Celtics struggled at the big man position last season. With this being the first time in his NBA career he hasn’t played with Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum has a lot to prove this upcoming season. If he can return to even 80% of what he was before the Achilles injury, Boston should be seen as a legitimate playoff contender and a championship contender with the right path.

Indiana Pacers

Halfway through the first quarter of Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers were off to a hot start, with many arguing the Pacers could’ve been on their way to beating the Oklahoma City Thunder and winning their first NBA championship. Then Tyrese Haliburton would tear his Achilles in one of the most heartbreaking moments in league history. With Haliburton out the entire 2025-26 season, the Pacers would be one of the worst teams in the league without their All-Star guard. Despite the bad season, Pascal Siakam would be an All-Star, and Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith would have solid seasons overall. Indiana would trade for a much-needed big man in Ivica Zubac last season and would sign Kelly Oubre Jr. this offseason. The last time they were healthy and complete, the Pacers had a top-10 offense and a top-15 defense. If Haliburton returns close to 100% and Indiana can be like their 2024-24 team, they will be a sneaky and scary team to watch out for this upcoming season.

Cleveland Cavaliers

After a run to the Eastern Conference Finals that would see them be swept by the New York Knicks, many doubted the future of the Cavs core. They would have a surprisingly good offseason that helps keep them in legitimate playoff contention. Their biggest addition would be the sign-and-trade of Denver Nuggets guard Peyton Watson. James Harden would also re-sign with the team. With a core now featuring Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, Harden, and Watson, the Cavaliers should be legitimate playoff contenders. With the team winning 52 games and keeping much of their team intact, the expectation is that Cleveland should remain in the upper tier of the East this upcoming season. With the right path, Cleveland could make another deep run come playoff time.

Miami Heat

Missing the playoffs last season would have no negative effect on the Miami Heat, as they would land the biggest superstar available in Giannis Antetokounmpo in a trade would unfortunately gut their roster. Despite the roster being gutted, Miami would make several strong additions alongside Giannis, All-Star big man Bam Adebayo, and Andrew Wiggins. Miami would sign Tim Hardaway Jr. and Klay Thompson, adding much-needed three-point shooting. Miami will be expecting several players to step up, including Nikola Jovic and Davion Mitchell, but with Giannis and Bam combining forces to be one of the most intimidating frontcourt duos in the league, Miami is a strong playoff contender. Miami will need an MVP-level season from Giannis to be contenders, but when healthy, Giannis is one of the best players in the league and can lead this Miami team in the playoffs.

The Underrated Teams

There are still several other teams in the East that could be legitimate playoff contenders. Detroit, despite having one of the worst offseasons of any team, still has Cade Cunningham and led the team to 60 wins. If Cade can have another strong season and Jalen Duren can have a bounce-back year following his playoff collapse, Detroit should still be considered a playoff contender. In Atlanta, the Hawks would have a strong season post Trae Young trade. Jalen Johnson would land his first All-Star nod, Nickeil Alexander-Walker would more than double his scoring in his first season in Atlanta, and CJ McCollum would be the veteran presence needed around the young players. Atlanta would be the only Eastern Conference team to win a game against the New York Knicks, taking two games off them in the first round. With offseason additions including Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins, Ryan Nembhard, and 2026 draft pick Kingston Flemings, Atlanta should take another step this upcoming season.