Most Intriguing NBA Teams in 2026/27

Sixteen of the 30 NBA teams have at least semi-realistic title ambitions ahead of the tip off of the new campaign. It’s not just contenders that provide intrigue ahead of opening night, though.

These five teams are fascinating when it comes to making NBA picks in 2026/27 for a mix of reasons. For some, it’s about a sky-high ceiling. For others, it’s a wide range of regular season and playoff outcomes.

76ers

How can the Sixers be left off after their wild offseason? It’s impossible not to be intrigued by adding LeBron James and Jaylen Brown to the core of Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and V.J. Edgecombe.

The prospect of this starting five being healthy for a playoff run is as tantalizing as it is improbable. The intrigue stretches from how Nick Nurse keeps shot-hungry players happy to how the offense looks in crunch time and how they match up defensively against the East’s other contenders.

Does Brown accept being a 3-and-D guy on occasion? What does the LeBron-Embiid two-man game look like in halfcourt sets? There are so, so many questions about this Sixers team.

Pelicans

The Pelicans have been below .500 in six of the last eight seasons. New Orleans hasn’t won a playoff series since 2018. Coming off a 26-win season, these Pels aren’t going to be ending that playoff series drought, but there’s plenty to be interested in.

Jamahl Mosley was a slightly surprising hire after a so-so spell with the Magic. Mosley is charged with getting the most of a talented, albeit ill-fitting roster. Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III, Dejounte Murray, Herb Jones, Jeremiah Fears, Yves Missi, Bennedict Mathurin, Derik Queen, and Saddiq Bey sounds like it should be a competent team.

But how does it work? Queen and Williamson can’t play next to each other at the four and five. Williamson’s future remains curious, too. Murphy and Jones are perennial trade candidates, yet the Pels have been steadfast in retaining their starting wings.

Missi and Fears are promising young players. Mathurin has shown flashes of his scoring upside in his young NBA career.

The upper half of the play-in is very much up for grabs behind a clear top six in the Western Conference.

Would I be surprised if the Pels landed seventh? Not particularly.

Would I be surprised if they had less than 30 wins again? Not really.

Pacers

Tyrese Haliburton is back. The last time we saw Haliburton in competitive action, he was lighting up Game 7 of the Finals and looked like he was carrying the Pacers to the title.

Much of the core remains from the team that Haliburton put on his back. The main difference is a significant upgrade at the five, with Ivica Zubac replacing Myles Turner.

Jarace Walker has amassed another season of NBA experience. Veterans Kelly Oubre and Larry Nance Jr. provide help in the wing and frontcourt spots, respectively.

Integral in the 2025 run, T.J. McConnell looked to have lost a step last year, and it remains to be seen if Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith can return to their levels from almost 18 months ago.

It’s not a question of whether Indiana is good. It’s how good – are we looking at a serious contender? Or have they been overtaken by the East’s elite?

Jazz

It’s time for the Jazz to try and win after four consecutive losing campaigns. A rookie guard like Darryn Peterson doesn’t usually translate to winning hoops, but Utah has veteran players to carry some of the burden in Jaren Jackson Jr., Lauri Markkanen, and even Jusuf Nurkić.

The too-good-to-turn-down trade of Walker Kessler has created a dependency on Nurkić, who will miss at least the first few weeks of the season. Jackson doesn’t rebound enough to play the five, leaving Tony Bradley, Mo Bamba, and Kyle Filipowski as Will Hardy’s options at center.

Keyonte George got his big-money extension and must now find a way to coexist with Peterson. There’s also the question of where 2025 lottery pick Ace Bailey fits in and what about the role for third year forward Brice Sensabaugh after a strong end to 2025/26?

There’s quite a lot to figure out with this roster, but Hardy is a highly regarded coach and he’s got plenty of talent at his disposal.

Hawks

The Hawks didn’t do much wrong during the offseason, but they find themselves as an outsider to make the playoffs in a loaded Eastern Conference.

Quin Snyder has Kingston Flemings, Aaron Wiggins, and Luguentz Dort added to an already interesting collection of players. Snyder will have some decisions to make about his rotations.

Dort and Dyson Daniels are potentially a formidable perimeter defensive pair, but how does it work offensively? Flemings warrants playmaking reps, but what’s the split between the rookie, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Jalen Johnson, and CJ McCollum?

Wiggins is an important piece to aid Snyder in balancing his lineups. The former Thunder guard is one of nine players that will expect to be on the floor in crunch time, though, and while that’s a luxury many coaches will envy, it may also create some challenges.