We’re a little over a week removed from the Oklahoma City Thunder being crowned the 2024-25 NBA Champions, and there is already speculation about whether they will be dethroned or go back-to-back next year.

There are so many things to take into consideration when looking at who has the best shot to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy in 2026. Kevin Durant just got traded to the Rockets. Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum may miss the entire season, and we still don’t know who will be the next coach of the New York Knicks.

Taking in all of those different factors, here are the six teams that have the best chance to win the 2026 NBA Finals ahead of the start of NBA free agency.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder

The reigning NBA Champions should be at the top of everybody’s lists to repeat in 2026. They will be returning every key starter and rotational player next season.

On top of that, the youngest team in the NBA during the 2024-25 season will be another year wiser and more mature, while guys like Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander inch closer and closer to their physical primes.

Regardless of who the Thunder decide to add this off-season, they already have the core pieces necessary to win a championship, as demonstrated by their 2024-25 campaign. Very little is stopping them from going back-to-back, considering they only lost seven playoff games this season, and three of those losses came against an Eastern Conference opponent. Oklahoma City is in an excellent position to win the NBA Finals again next season.

2. Denver Nuggets

Even though Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the league MVP and the 2025 NBA Finals MVP, the best basketball player in the world right now is Nikola Jokić. He’s only two years removed from an NBA Championship and just finished last season averaging a triple-double (29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 10.2 assists). Keep in mind, he put up those numbers while his best teammate (Jamal Murray) missed 15 games this past season. Had Murray played more, the Nuggets could’ve been a higher seed and might have made it back to the finals.

We also shouldn’t forget that the Nuggets pushed the Oklahoma City Thunder to the absolute limit while employing a head coach who had 17 career games under his belt. If David Adelman can learn and grow from a full off-season with the Nuggets, there’s no reason they can’t topple the Thunder if they were to meet again in the 2026 NBA Playoffs.

There is some work to be done in the Mile High City. But as long as Nikola Jokić is suiting up for the Denver Nuggets, they’ll have a really good shot at winning the NBA Championship.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavaliers were a wildly disappointing team this season after finishing with 64 wins, only to get dog-walked in five games by the Pacers in the playoffs. But that doesn’t change the fact that they were the best team in the East this year and probably will be next year.

As I mentioned in a previous article, the East is wide open right now. The Pacers and Celtics will both be without their best players for basically the entire season and maybe even the playoffs. The Bucks lost Damian Lillard. The Knicks fired their coach. Plus, the Detroit Pistons are still a work in progress that needs a reliable number-two scoring option to pair with Cade Cunningham.

LONZO BALL, WELCOME TO CLEVELAND! pic.twitter.com/5a6mnTe7Im

— Cavaliers Nation (@WeAreCavsNation) June 28, 2025

Taking all those things into consideration, the Cavs should be the favorites to come out of the East. They are bringing back all of their starters and probably won’t let a Sixth Man of the Year candidate like Ty Jerome walk in free agency. And, Kenny Atkinson is the reigning Coach of the Year. If Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland can stay healthy through the regular season and into the playoffs, then the Cavaliers have an excellent chance to win the 2026 Finals.

4. Houston Rockets

They have the coach. They have the young, rising stars. Now, they have Kevin Durant, a future Hall of Famer, who averaged 26.6 points, six rebounds, and 4.2 assists last season.

The most amazing part about the trade for Kevin Durant is that Houston didn’t have to give up a whole lot to get him. Five second-round picks are nothing. They got rid of Jalen Green, who was very underwhelming in the playoffs. They offloaded Dillon Brooks, a distraction who carries a cap hit of $21.1 million. The tenth overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft could be valuable, but the draft is a crap shoot. We don’t know how Khaman Maluach will perform in his first season.

By adding Kevin Durant, the Rockets have one of the best frontcourts in the NBA with him, Jabari Smith Jr., Amen Thompson, Alperen Şengün, and Steven Adams. If Fred VanVleet can continue to dish out the ball and put up at least 10 points per game, then the Rockets will be an incredibly difficult team to take down in the playoffs next year.

5. Minnesota Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves have been in the NBA title conversation for two years now. Despite the pressure that comes with those expectations, the T-wolves have still made it to back-to-back Western Conference Finals.

When discussing the Timberwolves, the conversation always starts with former number-one overall draft pick Anthony Edwards. Even though he has yet to turn 24 years old, he has already emerged as the emotional leader of Minnesota while earning three straight All-Star Game appearances. More importantly, his scoring output has improved every year that he has been in the NBA. Anthony Edwards took a small step back from the last postseason to this postseason, but he still has shown an ability to elevate his game when the lights shine the brightest. If he continues to mature, he can become the best basketball player in the world.

Breaking: Minnesota Timberwolves Naz Reid intends to sign a new five-year, $125M contract to stay with the franchise, including a player option, sources tell @ShamsCharania. pic.twitter.com/PBxWSWoeev

— ESPN (@espn) June 28, 2025

Beyond Ant, Minnesota also has one of the best frontcourts in the NBA. Rudy Gobert is their defensive anchor and starting center, while Naz Reid provides incredibly valuable minutes off the bench as a former Sixth Man of the Year. Since power forward Julius Randle signed a three-year extension, the Timberwolves can run it back next season, another year older and wiser.

6. New York Knicks

The Knicks are trying to fill their head coaching vacancy, but they should still be looked at as a legitimate threat to win the Eastern Conference during the 2025-26 season, regardless of who they hire. I’m not saying that they can hire anybody and contend for a championship, but with the way the roster is currently constructed, the Knicks should almost certainly be in the NBA Finals picture, especially with the way the East has been decimated by injuries.

They have two proven All-Stars in Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. Brunson was named the Clutch Player of the Year, while Towns earned Third-Team All-NBA honors. As we have seen in the past, a dynamic duo and a strong supporting cast can be enough to win a team an NBA championship.

Thankfully for the Knicks, their bench players and other starters are good. Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, and OG Anunoby can all be second or third scoring options on most NBA teams. Plus, their role players like Mitchell Robinson and Precious Achiuwa have shown an ability to provide a spark off the bench when healthy.

A lot of the Knicks’ success will depend on who they hire to be the head coach. At the very least, this team will be competing for a playoff spot. But if the Knickerbockers nail their head coaching hire, then they have a good shot at winning the 2026 NBA Finals.