Overview

• Opening night Tuesday features Oklahoma City’s banner-raising against Kevin Durant and the Rockets, with the Lakers hosting the Warriors in the other game.
• Eighty percent of surveyed general managers picked the Thunder to repeat, and MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander framed a 2026 title defense as the team’s explicit goal.
• Achilles injuries sideline All-Stars Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton, Damian Lillard and Dejounte Murray for all or most of the season, altering playoff paths.
• In the East, Cleveland returns a 64-win core and adds Lonzo Ball, New York enters under new coach Mike Brown with elevated expectations, and Orlando boosts its offense with Desmond Bane.
• Houston reshapes its ceiling with Durant’s July trade, while the Lakers retool around Luka Doncic with Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart as LeBron James begins the season out with sciatica.