The calendar flipped to 2026, and the NBA season is flying by. The Sixers have been a largely enjoyable watch—perhaps not so much as of late, but overall, which may contribute to how fast it feels like it is all going. Tyrese Maxey has continued his ascension, VJ Edgecombe has burst onto the scene, and Joel Embiid has returned to a far closer version of his regular self than initially thought possible—it's been a lot of fun.
As the Sixers maintain their health and get more playing time together, they have a real chance to make noise in a crowded conference that has no bona fide juggernaut- something that did not seem feasible just a month and a half ago when the quarter poll power rankings dropped. Here is an Eastern Conference power ranking halfway through the 2025-26 regular season:
The Nets are at a weird juxtaposition where they probably have more wins than they want to right now, while also holding all the cards to get worse in the interim for a much brighter future ahead.
The NBA trade deadline is less than three weeks away. If the Nets leave the deadline with Michael Porter Jr and other valuable assets still on the roster, then they have failed and will remain in the last spot on this list moving forward. If they do the right thing for the franchise and can acquire valuable draft capital for their best players, they at least give themselves a chance to fix the mess they have made.
The Wizards recently traded CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert to the Atlanta Hawks for Trae Young. The plan for Young has not been clearly defined, and thus, the Wizards are resigned to their typical spot at the bottom. Young will not debut with the Wizards until after the All-Star break. There is speculation as to whether he will ever debut for the team, this season or at all.
Alex Sarr is a great defender and seems to be figuring out his place in the league. Tre Johnson is going to be good for a long time in the NBA. But the 2026 NBA Draft is where they need the ping-pong balls to fall their way. Get a top-three pick, and suddenly the Wizards will have legit infrastructure for the first time since John Wall and Bradley Beal were young.
Rick Carlisle just won his 1000th game as an NBA head coach amidst the season from Hell that continues for the Pacers. They have yet to crack the 10-win mark on the season, but are still playing the inspired brand of never-give-up basketball that has become their identity. If nothing else, the Pacers culture is strong.
They are setting themselves up perfectly to add a big name in the draft to pair with Tyrese Haliburton when he returns next season. The Philadelphia 76ers have a reimagined future because the 2025 lottery worked out for them following a down year. The Pacers need that good fortune to happen to them this year, and chances are they will not need to be as lucky as the Sixers were to pull it off.
The Hornets should have taken a step forward last year, but injuries to LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller halted that. They were able to draft Kon Knueppel, maybe the best pure shooter to come out of college since Steph Curry.
Unfortunately for the Hornets, this is not the year they took a step forward either. LaMelo Ball trade rumors began to float around early in the season. Ball and Miller again have been hampered by injuries. There is a lot of talent in Charlotte that fits together on paper; they get a sustained chance to show what they can do together. Having Knueppel penciled in as a starter for the next 15 years is a great place to start if Ball and Miller do not work out. So, maybe next year will be the year!
Death. Taxes. And the Bulls being in the Play-In hunt with no chance to get anywhere. They have been mired in mediocrity since Derrick Rose's career was halted by injuries, but even worse is that it now feels like their main goal is to accomplish just that- being mediocre.
What needs to change may be the biggest unknown. Ownership is not changing. The front office, coaching, and roster are all just fine. It is the same story every single year. Nobody should be surprised if this is the same case for the Bulls in the year 2036.
The Bucks are on a fast track to nowhere for the first time since Giannis Antetokounmpo rose to stardom. Giannis is still playing at an MVP-caliber level, but the rest of the roster leaves much to be desired.
For years now, there have been slight hints that Giannis may not be a career Buck. Giannis has also publicly always claimed that he would never request a trade. Somewhere in the middle lies the Bucks' brass, not knowing whether to maximize the roster around Giannis or start really thinking about a life without him. They did what they could to make him happy for the long haul by trading for Damian Lillard three seasons ago, but that experiment went up in flames. The waffling from both sides has led them to this precipitous downhill trajectory.
The Heat are the lowest on this tier because their flexibility to make a trade is the tightest and they do not have coveted assets to entice any sellers. Unless Giannis truly becomes available, their best path forward via the trade market is not clear.
If Giannis is not available, any trade to make the Heat better now would require finding the right fit next to Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo, Norman Powell, and the emerging Kel'el Ware. It is a clunky roster to begin with and there is no guarantee any incoming piece would make them substantially better.
Now that the Hawks have traded away Trae Young, they can focus on building around blossoming superstar Jalen Johnson. The Hawks performed better with Young off the court all season long, and finally shipping him out of town was the best move for the present and future of the franchise.
The Hawks now have the ability to play the style of basketball they want and also have intriguing trade assets to make a big splash when the right person becomes available. It is unlikely he gets dealt this season, but Lauri Markkanen would be someone who could elevate the Hawks to the top of the conference.
The Magic are a big and menacing team that can serve as a matchup problem for anybody, but they have a limited ceiling on offense and they will need to address that if they are going to get to the next level. The Magic would benefit the most from an offensive-minded lead guard.
The Magic have the ammo to go out and make a trade without sacrificing the bones of the roster. It was reported that the Hornets are unlikely to trade him, but the Magic should be calling about LaMelo Ball. A low-risk, potentially high-reward fallback plan is Rob Dillingham in Minnesota.
The Raptors are one of the best surprises of the NBA season, and they are showing no signs of slowing down. They are long, tough, physical, fast, and relentless. In the regular season, that wins a lot of basketball games.
If the Raptors want to win a lot of basketball games in the postseason, they need to find scoring and creation from the guard spot and also insert some real size into the starting lineup. They have their own first-round pick for the next seven years and a few players who could draw interest in trade discussions. Anthony Davis works here, too, LaMelo Ball and Ja Morant, as well. Toronto is in a good spot.
The Sixers are playing their best basketball in two calendar years and are getting consistent contributions up and down the roster. Joel Embiid and Paul George returning to the lineup healthy and starring in their roles has officially raised the ceiling of the team. Embiid taking a backseat to Tyrese Maxey may finally lead to his first prolonged run of good health into the playoffs coming up in April. The pressure of carrying the team on a nightly basis is off his shoulders, and that is the best thing for him in the latter stages of his prime.
They are one substantial trade away from having a chance to compete for the title, but this version of the Sixers would benefit the most from riding it out with the current roster. If they do go fishing, not much is out there that makes sense. Trey Murphy or Herb Jones in New Orleans would be a sneaky great snag for the team. Fascinating spot for Daryl Morey.
The Cavs have been searching for answers all season, trying to recreate the magic they had last year when they were the top seed in the East. At the halfway mark of this season, they already have more losses than they did all of last year.
Still, they have an argument for the best starting lineup in the conference, which means they have a lot of talent on the roster. This team wanted to compete for a title, though. If that is still the goal, something has to change aside from getting healthy, but for now, they are in no danger of losing their spot in the playoff picture and they have time to figure things out.
The Celtics have exceeded all expectations without Jayson Tatum this year and pose a threat to anyone if he comes back, even in a limited capacity. Jaylen Brown has performed like one of the best players in the league and Joe Mazzulla is hitting all the right buttons from the bench.
The Celtics are an inevitable force. To be near the top of the conference while missing your best player for the entire season is a testament to everyone involved in the organization. You do not have to like them, but you have to respect them.
The Knicks are just chugging along. They have not had a sustained stretch of dominance this year but have handled their business for the most part and find themselves in a very comfortable position as the healthiest team atop the conference with the most experience.
Head coach Mike Brown has opened up some of the restraints that were previously on the Knicks' brand of offense, and the starters are not being run into the ground, logging close to 40 minutes per night. The defensive ceiling is never going to be high with Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns on the floor, but they are closer to the middle of the pack this year than the bottom, and that is enough given the current state of affairs in the East. The Knicks have as good a chance as any team to make it to the Finals.
The Pistons play in Little Caesars Arena, and just like the $5 pizzas, the Pistons are hot and ready to make a run at a championship. They have been the most consistent team in the conference thus far, blending a bruising defense with superstar offensive skill from their best player, Cade Cunningham.
The Pistons have created separation from the Knicks and should find themselves coasting towards the East's top overall seed as long as they stay healthy. If they can make a trade for more shooting- someone like Michael Porter Jr.- it is going to be hard to pick against them in the weaker East.
They have not played the Thunder, Spurs, or Nuggets this season. Without knowing directly how they stack up to the top teams in the West just yet, the Pistons right now have no reason to believe they cannot lift the trophy.
