Tyrese Haliburton confirms that he is ready to return to action at 2026 Indiana Pacers Media Day.
Ten teams watched last year’s postseason from home. Now, they’re looking for a way back in.
Some return with healthy stars. Others feature new faces, promising young cores or entirely new identities.
With the 2026-27 season approaching, here’s one key storyline for the 10 teams looking to return to the postseason, starting in the East.
Brooklyn Nets
No team scored fewer points than the Nets last season (105.9 ppg). In response, Brooklyn added three-time All-Star Julius Randle this summer to provide an immediate lift. But how high the team can climb may depend on its youth.
After taking five first-rounders in the 2025 Draft, Brooklyn added another potential building block this summer in No. 6 pick Mikel Brown Jr., a dynamic guard who will look to boost the backcourt alongside Egor Dëmin.
If the two click, while Randle and Michael Porter Jr. provide steady scoring, Brooklyn could take a meaningful step forward.
Chicago Bulls
Josh Giddey (left) and Matas Buzelis are two big pieces of Chicago’s promising young core.
A four-year playoff drought has brought plenty of change to Chicago: a new leader in the front office, new head coach in Tiago Splitter, and potentially, a new franchise cornerstone in Caleb Wilson.
Wilson, this year’s No. 4 overall pick who shined in the NBA Summer League, joins Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey to form a promising young core. The Bulls also added All-Star Norman Powell and Nic Claxton, bringing proven production to complement the trio.
Can the mix bring meaningful spring basketball back to Chicago?
Indiana Pacers
Two seasons ago, the Pacers were one win from an NBA title. Last season, they won 19 games.
The difference? Tyrese Haliburton, who tore his Achilles in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals and missed all of last year.
Now, Haliburton says he’s “100 percent” healthy, immediately changing Indiana’s outlook in the East. With Pascal Siakam still alongside him and Ivica Zubac now anchoring the middle, the Pacers have the pieces to make last season look like an aberration.
Milwaukee Bucks
For the first time since 2012-13, the Bucks enter a season without Giannis Antetokounmpo.
After missing the playoffs for the first time in nine years last season, Milwaukee traded its two-time Kia MVP to Miami in a blockbuster deal that brought back Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakučionis and a slew of draft picks.
Milwaukee used one of those picks (No. 13 overall) on Nate Ament after using its own selection (No. 10 overall) on Brayden Burries, a big-bodied guard who earned First Team All-Summer League honors.
Now, new head coach Taylor Jenkins is tasked with bringing all the pieces together as a new era begins in Milwaukee.
Washington Wizards
AJ Dybantsa and the new-look Washington Wizards hope to make some noise.
Speaking of new eras, things look a whole lot different in D.C. than they did a year ago.
The Wizards traded for Trae Young and Anthony Davis last winter, but Young played just five games for Washington, while Davis played zero due to injury.
Now, both are healthy, and they’ll be joined by No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa, adding three major pieces to a young core that already features Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George.
Washington has won fewer than 20 games in three straight seasons. But with this new-look group, the postseason is suddenly within sight.
New Orleans Pelicans
Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans look to make a return to the playoffs.
After a 26-win season, New Orleans brought in a new voice to help turn young talent into tangible results.
Jamahl Mosley takes over after guiding Orlando to three straight playoff appearances, with player development at the center of his new challenge. That starts with 2025 lottery picks Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen, each coming off promising rookie seasons, while Bennedict Mathurin adds another young scorer to the mix.
Then there’s Zion Williamson, who played 62 games last season, the second-most of his career, while averaging 21.0 points per game. If Williamson can stay healthy and Mosley can help the Pelicans’ young pieces take another step, could a return to the postseason follow?
Dallas Mavericks
Another new voice takes the helm in Dallas, and he’s no stranger to winning.
Two months after leading Michigan to a national championship, Dusty May accepted the Mavs head coaching job. At his disposal will be Cooper Flagg, the reigning Kia Rookie of the Year, who became the first rookie since Michael Jordan (1984-85) to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists and steals.
Now with a full season under his belt, Flagg will get his first chance to play alongside Kyrie Irving, who missed all of last year with a torn ACL, while Dereck Lively II hopes to return soon after missing almost all of 2025-26 due to foot surgery.
With May leading the way and a healthier supporting cast around Flagg, can Dallas turn its new direction into a postseason run?
Memphis Grizzlies
Cameron Boozer, the No. 3 pick in the 2026 Draft, represents a new chapter for the Grizzlies.
From one Duke product to another, Memphis hopes Cameron Boozer can follow Flagg’s fast start in the NBA.
Boozer represents a new chapter for the Grizzlies, who moved on from longtime cornerstones Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. over the past year. The No. 3 overall pick now joins a young core that includes Cedric Coward, a First Team All-Rookie selection last season, and Zach Edey, while Jerami Grant and Isaiah Stewart headline a string of veteran newcomers.
After a 25-win season, how quickly Boozer makes his mark could determine how far Memphis goes.
Sacramento Kings
How different might last season have looked in Sacramento if the Kings stayed healthy?
Zach LaVine played just 39 games, Keegan Murray appeared in 23 and Domantas Sabonis was limited to a career-low 19 as the team stumbled to 22 wins.
Now, all three are back, with an added spark in Darius Acuff Jr., this year’s No. 7 overall pick, who led the SEC in points (23.5) and assists (6.4) per game as a freshman at Arkansas.
If the Kings stay healthy and Acuff Jr. can add an extra element, “The Beam” should be much more prevalent in the Sacramento sky this season.
Utah Jazz
Don’t sleep on Utah.
After finishing ninth in points per game (117.6) last season, the Jazz added one of the 2026 Draft’s most gifted scorers in No. 2 pick Darryn Peterson. They’ll also get a healthy Jaren Jackson Jr., who played just three games for Utah after arriving from Memphis midseason.
Jackson, a former Kia Defensive Player of the Year, will form an All-Star tandem in the frontcourt alongside Lauri Markkanen while helping bolster a defense that finished 29th in defensive rating.
Factor in a blossoming Keyonte George, coming off a career-high 23.6 points per game last year, and the Jazz have plenty of reasons to believe a postseason push is possible.
