NBA predictions 2026-27: Sporting News' expert picks for NBA champion, MVP, Rookie of the Year, and more

NBA predictions 2026-27: Sporting News' expert picks for NBA champion, MVP, Rookie of the Year, and more originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

>A year ago, the Knicks were the fourth-most likely team to win the NBA championship according to Vegas. The Spurs were 17th. Few predicted that both teams would face off in the Finals, including our Senior NBA Writer Steph Noh who had the Thunder defeating the Cavs in his official guess a year ago.

>We're opening up predictions to the rest of our Sporting News staff this year, along with widening the range of guesses that we're making. Who will come out of the Eastern Conference? Who will make it out of a murderer's row in the West? What will the various awards picks land on? And what is one thing that is capturing our interest this season?

>Our Sporting News staff has decades of collective experience and watches hundreds of games every season, crossing over all sorts of different fandoms. Here's where our experts landed on their predictions.

>NBA PROJECTED WIN TOTALS: Eastern Conference | Western Conference

Sporting News NBA predictions 2026 Steph Noh,  Senior writer Eastern Conference champion: Indiana Pacers Western Conference champion: San Antonio Spurs NBA champion: San AntonioSpurs MVP: Victor Wembanyama, Spurs First Team All-NBA: Victor Wembanyama, Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo Rookie of the Year: Cameron Boozer, Grizzlies

>Overview: Indiana is going to be one of the most interesting teams of the season. I have them finishing eighth in the East while also making it to the Finals. That sounds crazy, but the top 10 teams in the East should all have very compacted regular season records. The Pacers may start slow due to new pieces and Tyrese Haliburton's return from an Achilles tear, dropping them near the bottom of that group.

>I do like the Pacers finishing strong. Coach Rick Carlisle is one of the greatest minds in the league, and they have playoff risers up and down their roster. People forget that they were leading at halftime of Game 7 of the NBA Finals just 16 months ago. I'm eager to see if they can recreate that magic.

>RANKING ALL 150 NBA STARTERS: 11-150 | Top 10

Carlan Gay, Assistant managing editorEastern Conference champion:Philadelphia 76ers Western Conference champion: San Antonio Spurs NBA champion: San Antonio Spurs Most Valuable Player: Victor Wembanyama, Spurs First-team All-NBA: Victor Wembanyama, Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jaylen Brown Rookie of the Year: Cam Boozer, Grizzlies

>Overview: News flash! The 76ers will be fun to watch all season. Whether they’re healthy or not, Philly will be must-watch TV. Shoutout to my girl Kate Scott and Alaa Abdelnaby — you’re going to love them on League Pass. Ultimately, I went with the Spurs as my champions because I love the story of Victor Wembanyama using the pain of his first Finals loss to come back and win his first ring, while LeBron James passes him the torch as the face of the league for the next decade plus. Last note: excited to see the fully healthy Pacers play. Last, last note: Suns finish in the top 4 of the West — put some respect on Devin Booker.

>NBA BOLD PREDICTIONS: Eastern Conference | Western Conference

Dennis Lee-Imagn Images

Daniel Mader, Content producerEastern Conference champion: Philadelphia 76ers Western Conference champion: Oklahoma City Thunder NBA champion: Oklahoma City Thunder Most Valuable Player: Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves First-team All-NBA: Anthony Edwards, Victor Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic Rookie of the Year: AJ Dybantsa, Wizards

>Overview: NBA fans may not be very happy about it, but I think we’re in for a reminder about the sky-high ceiling of the Thunder’s roster. If a beat-up OKC team hadn’t narrowly fallen to the Spurs last spring, we’d probably be talking about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s placement among the best guards ever and the Thunder living up to the dynasty talks.

>I don’t think we’ve left the window of SGA dominance quite yet, and he’ll be lifting another Finals MVP trophy by June. Count me a believer in the 76ers experiment. It will be clunky at first, but where LeBron James goes, he wins. He’s never failed to bring a title to a city, and Philadelphia has the combination of stars and depth needed to reach the NBA Finals.

>The playoffs will be SGA’s stage, but in the regular season, this is the year Anthony Edwards goes from elite to an MVP level. I like the LaMelo Ball fit in Minnesota, and I would not be surprised if he helps Edwards average over 30 points per game; if not, I think we’re in for a similar reminder of Luka Doncic’s offensive capabilities in Laker Land in terms of the MVP race.

>When it comes to surprise teams, I think the Wizards and Jazz both make a return to the playoffs behind their new talented rookies, while the Celtics, Magic and Rockets are the biggest disappointments, all missing the postseason.

Daniel Chavkin, Content producerEastern Conference champion: Toronto Raptors Western Conference champion: Oklahoma City Thunder NBA champion: Oklahoma City Thunder Most Valuable Player: Victor Wembanyama, Spurs First-team All-NBA: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, Anthony Edwards, Kawhi Leonard Rookie of the Year: Cam Boozer, Grizzlies

>Overview: The 2026-27 NBA season promises to be a fun one, as the Eastern Conference is wide open while the West really looks like a two-team race once again. Starting with the East, eight teams feel great entering the season, but it's tough to predict who will be in good shape come April. Therefore, I'm going with the Raptors to come out of the conference, as Kawhi Leonard will be the most impactful offseason addition who makes Toronto especially dangerous come the postseason. As for the West, it's really the Thunder vs. Spurs once again, but OKC will be motivated after the Spurs broke out in the 2026 playoffs. As a result, the Thunder will win their second title in three years, igniting dynasty debates.

David Suggs, Content producerEastern Conference champion: Indiana Pacers Western Conference champion: Minnesota Timberwolves NBA champion: Minnesota Timberwolves Most Valuable Player: Victor Wembanyama, Spurs First-team All-NBA: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama, Nikola Jokic, Anthony Edwards, Jayson Tatum Rookie of the Year: Cam Boozer, Grizzlies

>Overview: History would suggest we will see two different teams grace the floor during the 2026-27 Finals. No team has made the Finals in back-to-back years since the Warriors did so in 2018 and 2019. Some might believe the Spurs will progress one step further than they did last year, citing their youthful exuberance. Others might think the Knicks, with their cadre of wing talent and the formidable pairing of Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, are poised to surge to the top of the East once more. Ultimately, I’ll go with the field; San Antonio and New York’s ascension was influenced at least partially by the tempest of injuries and general randomness that opened up around them. It would be folly to believe they would be fortunate enough to receive the luck of the draw two years in a row.

>The Pacers tumbled down the Eastern Conference standings without Tyrese Haliburton. I have faith he will return to form in 2026-27. LaMelo Ball should inject life into the Timberwolves attack. He’s one of the greatest passers I’ve ever laid eyes on. He’ll nestle comfortably into Chris Finch’s side, producing easy looks for the likes of Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels. Naz Reid’s departure hurts. But with Gobert anchoring the defense and Ball and Edwards running the show, the Wolves have what it takes to surge to a first-ever title in 2026-27.