2026-27 Ballislife NBA Preview: Preseason Power Rankings | Contender Tiers
The Indiana Pacers went 19-63 in 2025-26. Among the most improved NBA teams projected in BetMGM’s 2026-27 win totals, none carries a line further above last season’s record than Indiana at 44.5 wins.
Three other teams carry lines at least 8.5 wins above last season’s record. The Washington Wizards sit 17.5 wins above their 2025-26 total. The Utah Jazz are 13.5 above, and the Dallas Mavericks are 8.5 above.
Most Improved NBA Teams and the 3-2-1 Lottery
Eight teams finished last season with 26 wins or fewer. The New Orleans Pelicans and Dallas won 26, the Memphis Grizzlies won 25, Utah and the Sacramento Kings won 22, the Brooklyn Nets won 20, Indiana won 19, and Washington won 17.
The NBA fined Utah $500,000 in February for pulling Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. before the fourth quarter of two road games, at Orlando and at Miami. Indiana was fined $100,000 for holding Pascal Siakam and two other starters out of a loss to the Jazz earlier that month.
Commissioner Adam Silver issued a statement with the fines.
“Overt behavior like this that prioritizes draft position over winning undermines the foundation of NBA competition, and we will respond accordingly to any further actions that compromise the integrity of our games,” Silver said. “Additionally, we are working with our Competition Committee and Board of Governors to implement further measures to root out this type of conduct.”
The Board of Governors approved a “3-2-1 Lottery” in May by a 29-1 vote, with Memphis casting the only vote against it, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. It takes effect with the 2027 draft.
The league’s three worst teams are now “draft relegated,” which costs each of them one of its three lottery balls but guarantees a pick no lower than No. 12. A team’s own pick also can no longer land first in back-to-back drafts or in the top five three drafts in a row.
1. Indiana Pacers
Tyrese Haliburton tore his right Achilles tendon in the first quarter of Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He missed all of 2025-26. Indiana had won 50 games the season before.
Myles Turner left in the 2025 offseason on a four-year, $108.9 million contract with the Milwaukee Bucks. At the February trade deadline, Indiana filled the spot by acquiring Ivica Zubac and Kobe Brown from the LA Clippers for Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, a 2028 second-round pick, an unprotected 2029 first-round pick, and a 2026 first-round pick protected at Nos. 1-4 and 10-30.
Zubac was averaging 14.4 points and 11.0 rebounds in 43 games at the time of the trade. He made the All-Defensive second team in 2024-25 and is signed through 2027-28. Pairing an elite playmaker like Haliburton with a traditional center capable of rim rolling and post scoring will add intriguing dimensions to Indiana’s offense. Additionally, Zubac’s size will offer an imposing presence in the paint to anchor the defense.
Indiana’s pick came up No. 5 in the lottery and went to the Clippers. Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard posted on X that night.
“I’m really sorry to all our fans,” Pritchard wrote. “I own taking this risk. Surprised it came up 5th after this year. I thought we were due some luck. But please remember – this team deserved a starting center to compete with the best teams next year. We have always been resilient.”
Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, and T.J. McConnell remain from the 2025 Finals roster. Kelly Oubre Jr. and Larry Nance Jr. signed this summer. This team is built to push the pace and play off of Haliburton’s elite playmaking talent.
In 2024-25, Haliburton averaged 18.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 9.2 assists and made the All-NBA Third Team. Last season, the Charlotte Hornets won 44 games, 25 more than they won in 2024-25. If he’s full go for the start of the season and doesn’t need consistent workload management, Haliburton should lead the Pacers to a similar turnaround season.
2. Washington Wizards
Washington has lost at least 64 games in three straight seasons: 67 in 2023-24, 64 in 2024-25, and 65 last season. The Wizards’ minus-982 point differential in 2025-26 was the worst in the league.
The Wizards acquired Trae Young from the Atlanta Hawks for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert in January. Washington gave up no draft capital. Young led the NBA with 11.6 assists per game in 2024-25. He had played 10 games for Atlanta last season around a sprained MCL in his right knee and a right quad contusion.
At the trade deadline, Washington sent Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, two first-round picks, and three second-round picks to Dallas for Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell, Jaden Hardy, and Dante Exum. Young made his Washington debut in March against Utah. He appeared in five games on a minutes restriction and averaged 15.2 points and 6.2 assists. Davis, out since early January with a hand injury, never played for the Wizards. Wizards coach Brian Keefe said in April that neither would return that season.
Washington’s own 2026 first-round pick was protected in the top eight. The Wizards won the lottery. The day before the draft, Young agreed to a four-year, $212 million contract. Washington took AJ Dybantsa out of BYU with the first overall pick.
This summer brought Deandre Ayton over from the Los Angeles Lakers, and Middleton returned to Washington in a sign-and-trade months after the Wizards sent him to Dallas. Tre Mann also signed, while Russell and Hardy are no longer on the roster.
Alex Sarr, the No. 2 pick in 2024, and Tre Johnson return from last season’s roster, along with other young talents like Kyshawn George and Bilal Coulibaly. Under the new lottery rules, Washington’s own 2027 first-round pick cannot land at No. 1. Will Riley and Justin Champagnie also showed they can fill a role last season, while Bub Carrington is another developing talent the team hopes has further upside as a piece off the bench.
There are valid questions surrounding the Wizards. Davis’ availability and contract situation are two prominent questions. He has not played an NBA game since Jan. 8. He will have had a significant amount of time to work on his conditioning to be ready for the season after not having the opportunity to do so going into 2025-26 due to offseason eye surgery. If he and Sarr can anchor the interior defensively, this group has a chance to improve meaningfully.
Offensively, it will require sacrifice and balance, but Davis, Young, and Dybantsa, along with the rest of the young players on the team, have the talent to be successful.
3. Utah Jazz
Utah went 22-60, tied with Sacramento for the worst record in the Western Conference. It was by design to play for the lottery.
Jackson arrived from Memphis in an eight-player deadline trade and played three games for Utah, averaging 22.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists. He and Markkanen both sat the fourth quarter in Orlando, where the Jazz led 94-87 through three and lost 120-117, and again two nights later in Miami, where Utah won 115-111.
Jazz coach Will Hardy spoke after a loss to Portland the night the fine came down.
“I sat Lauri because he was on a minutes restriction,” Hardy said. “So if our medical team puts a minutes restriction on Lauri, I’ll try to keep Lauri healthy.”
An MRI from Jackson’s post-trade physical found a pigmented villonodular synovitis growth in his left knee. He had it removed over the All-Star break and did not return. Jackson, the 2022-23 Defensive Player of the Year, is signed through 2029-30 with a player option. Utah drew the No. 2 pick in the lottery and took Darryn Peterson out of Kansas. He joins Markkanen, Keyonte George, and Ace Bailey. There’s a lot of talent to run offense through that can pose matchup problems.
The focus no longer is on lottery odds. They’ve tanked as hard as any NBA team in recent years, if not harder, resulting in a strong accumulation of talent. Now it’s time to compete.
The main concern, however, is the center position. Walker Kessler had played five games before a torn labrum in his left shoulder ended his season in November. In July, Utah traded the restricted free agent to the Lakers in a sign-and-trade that gave Kessler four years and $130 million and gave the Jazz unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033 plus first-round swaps in 2028 and 2030. Jaxson Hayes signed to replace him.
An upgrade at the center spot may be required at some point and Utah has the assets to do it.
Summer lab work for Cooper Flagg
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— NBA (@NBA) September 20, 2026
4. Dallas Mavericks
Dallas went 26-56 in its first full season after trading Luka Doncic to the Lakers. Cooper Flagg averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists and won Rookie of the Year. He became the first rookie since Michael Jordan in 1984-85 to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists, and steals.
Masai Ujiri took over as president of basketball operations in May. Jason Kidd‘s five seasons as head coach ended the same month. Dallas then hired Dusty May, who had just won the national championship at Michigan. May is the first head coach to jump from college to the NBA since John Beilein left Michigan for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2019, according to CBS Sports.
Dallas used the No. 9 pick on Morez Johnson Jr., who played for May at Michigan.
Kyrie Irving tore his left ACL against Sacramento in March 2025 and has not played since. However, he’s had ample time to make not only a complete recovery, but to also add to his game as he tends to do. What Dallas needed most last season was a closer and Irving, also known as “Mr. Fourth Quarter,” brings exactly that presence. No team played in more clutch games than the Mavericks last season (45) and they lost 28 times.
“Kyrie knows what it takes to win a championship, so as a first-time NBA coach, I’m gonna lean on him in a lot of areas,” May said shortly after Dallas hired him.
Not only will the Mavericks have Irving back, but they could also get a significant second-year leap from Flagg. This team is built to play fast and has two players who can be the top options in the offense with plenty of complementary talents around them.
Getting defensive stops was a real challenge for Dallas last season. Regaining Dereck Lively II from injury will add needed rim protection, along with still having Daniel Gafford and Moussa Cisse. The team also brought in Johnson and Santi Aldama as options to slide over into small ball center roles.
Another challenge the Mavericks faced was a lack of reliable perimeter shooting. Irving’s return helps immensely in this regard directly since he has a proven track record as a shot creator and catch-and-shoot threat. However, having a player that can draw double teams in addition to Flagg will open up role players for higher quality shots. Nonetheless, Dallas added shooting in the form of Aldama, Marcus Sasser, and Tarik Biberovic.
If any of the Mavericks’ younger wings like Zaccharie Risacher or Max Christie can take a step forward, it only strengthens the outlook further. Naji Marshall is coming off a career year and returns in a Swiss Army knife type of role. Caleb Martin is another veteran who Dallas will need to find prior form.
There is a lack of traditional point guard play on this roster outside of 20-year-old rookie Sergio de Larrea. If Irving and Flagg can shoulder the bulk of that responsibility well, while other players step up next to them, the mix is there in 2026-27 to win a lot more games than last season.
May’s first NBA game on the bench comes Oct. 9, a preseason game against the Houston Rockets in Macao.
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