1 After inking Steph Curry long-term and bringing back free agents Kevin Durant and Andre Igoudala, the defending champions figure to be even more potent entering next season thanks to the additional signings of free agent Nick Young, a sneaky-good fit in the Bay Area, and the defensive prowess of rookie Jordan Bell.

2016–17 record: 67-15 1

2 It remains to be seen how, exactly, the Chris Paul-James Harden backcourt will coexist, but here’s betting the Rockets figure it out. Throw in a potential Carmelo Anthony trade, free agent signing P.J. Tucker, and the progression of young players like Clint Capela and Troy Williams, and Houston will be a handful for the rest of the league.

2016–17 record: 55-27 3

3 The Celtics landed an all-star in free agency in Gordon Hayward, and drafted a promising go-to-type scorer in Jayson Tatum. Throw in the development of sophomore Jaylen Brown and the steady play of Al Horford, Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder & Co., and Boston could be eyeing a repeat as the East’s number one seed.

2016–17 record: 53-29 6

4 A surprising and effective off-season saw the Thunder add Paul George, now the best second-banana in the league who’s not playing for the Warriors, while not losing significant talent. Expect a strong season from projected starter Patrick Patterson, too.

2016–17 record: 47-35 11

5 The Spurs didn’t have a great off-season, losing key role players Jonathan Simmons and Dewayne Dedmon and signing Rudy Gay, who is working his way back from a torn achilles. But with one of the five best players on the planet in Kawhi Leonard, the Spurs won’t exactly be slouches.

2016–17 record: 61-21 2

6 When Kyrie Irving is dealt, the Cavs will almost surely take a small step backward— there’s practically no precedent for trading a disgruntled superstar and getting similar talent/value back. But with LeBron James on the roster, and a decent supporting cast, Cleveland is still the team to beat in the East.

2016–17 record: 51-29 4

7 The Raptors position here has as much to do with the chaos around them in the East as it does what Toronto did this off-season. By bringing back Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka to star alongside DeMar DeRozan, the Raps are ensuring they will be good enough to be in the hunt for a top-3 spot in the conference. How young players like Norm Powell, Jakob Poeltl, Pascal Siakam, Delon Wright, OG Anunoby and, yes, Bruno Caboclo perform will determine how much higher their ceiling can be.

2016–17 record: 51-31 5

8 New logo. New star. Same expectations for a team clearly on the rise. Jimmy Butler, Andrew Wiggins, and Karl-Anthony Towns are as good a foundation as you’ll find.

2016–17 record: 31-51 23

9 The Wizards didn’t add a significant player, and lost trade deadline acquisition Bojan Bogdanovic to free agency. But the strength of their all-NBA calibre backcourt will keep Washington firmly in the playoff picture.

2016–17 record: 49-33 9

10 The addition of Paul Millsap to the Nuggets already-impressive young core make Denver one of the more interesting teams in the West. Millsap is good enough to help secure a post-season birth for the Nuggets who are also expecting big things from centre Nikola Jokic following his breakout 2016-17 season.

2016–17 record: 40-42 18

11 The Clippers lost their best player when they traded away Chris Paul, but they recouped enough talent (Blake Griffin, Patrick Beverley, Danilo Gallinari, Lou Williams, Milos Teodosic) to remain in the playoff hunt— even if an organic rebuild may have been their best course of action.

2016–17 record: 51-31 7

12 A strong off-season saw Miami re-sign key breakout contributors James Johnson and new Heat hero Dion Waiters, while also bringing in free agent Kelly Olynyk fresh off an eye-opening post-season. Throw in the return of Justise Winslow from injury and this team is poised to make some noise.

2016–17 record: 41-41 17

13 Milwaukee drafted well (lengthy forward D.J. Wilson and disruptive guard Sindarious Thornwell) and are banking on growth from Giannis Antetokounmpo, Rookie of the Year Malcom Brogdon, Thon Maker, and a healthy Jabari Parker to help them take a step forward.

2016–17 record: 42-40 10

14 A full training camp with Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins will help the Pelicans maximize the best frontcourt in basketball.

2016–17 record: 34-48 20

15 The loss of Hayward stings, but a wildly impressive summer showing from rookie Donovan Mitchell, trading for Ricky Rubio, and another step forward from new franchise centrepiece Rudy Gobert make Utah one of the more interesting— and unpredictable— clubs heading into next season.

2016–17 record: 51-31 8

16 Rookie Caleb Swanigan could surprise next season, otherwise it’s same old same old for a Trailblazers team that will be relying heavily on it’s high-scoring backcourt of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum.

2016–17 record: 41-41 14

17 Despite trade rumours surrounding Marc Gasol, the Grizzlies mostly stood pat this summer, and will be in tough fighting for a playoff spot as a result.

2016–17 record: 43-39 13

18 Hard to know what to make of the Dwight Howard acquisition, but he along with rookie Malik Monk should help make the Hornets more relevant than they’ve been in a while. A borderline playoff team.

2016–17 record: 36-46 19

19 The Kings had a surprisingly effective off-season, drafting stud point guard D’Aaron Fox and signing free-agents George Hill, Zach Randolph, and Vince Carter to help mentor their young core featuring Buddy Hield and Willie Cauley-Stein. Playoffs? Maybe not yet. But it’s in the near future.

2016–17 record: 32-50 25

20 Acquiring Avery Bradley was a nice coup for Detroit, but the rest of the roster still leaves plenty to be desired for a club in desperate need of a clear identity.

2016–17 record: 37-45 21

21 How far along is the process, and has the 76ers rebuilding accelerated enough for Philly to be a playoff team?

2016–17 record: 28-54 27

22 No, the Lakers will not be a playoff team next season. Yes, Lonzo Ball will absolutely live up to the hype, make his teammates better, and his team a must-watch.

2016–17 record: 26-56 26

23 The Hawks are facing a long, slow rebuild after losing Paul Millsap and Tim Hardaway Jr. in free agency. At least rookie John Collins looks like a steal at number 19 in the draft.

2016–17 record: 43-39 12

24 After a terrible return for Paul George (Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis), the Pacers are in for a long, tough season as their rebuild begins around centre Myles Turner.

2016–17 record: 42-40 15

25 Rookie point guard Dennis Smith Jr. will be a ton of fun to watch, even if his team won’t win many games during a season that could go down as the Dirk Nowitzki farewell tour.

2016–17 record: 33-49 22

26 The Carmelo Anthony drama looms over a franchise ready to hand the reigns to it’s young core of Kristaps Porzingis, Willy Hernangomez, rookie Frank Ntikilina, and pricey free agent signing Tim Hardaway Jr.

2016–17 record: 31-51 24

27 The Bulls are essentially throwing in the towel on this coming season after trading Jimmy Butler to Minnesota for Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn, and the rights to rookie Lauri Markkanen.

2016–17 record: 41-41 16

28 Currently the favourites to land Kyrie Irving, doing so will change their spot in these rankings. But for now the Suns remain an incredibly raw group of promising young talent years away from realizing their potential.

2016–17 record: 24-58 28

29 The D’Angelo Russell trade earlier this summer brought in a promising potential young star to a team in desperate need of exciting, marketable players on its roster. Russell won’t help the Nets win this season, but at least you can start to see a foundation for the future developing in Brooklyn.

2016–17 record: 20-62 30