Who are the early winners and losers of the 2026 NBA Off-Season?

The NBA off-season has been in full effect for the last two weeks. The league has been flourishing with news left and right. From free agent signings to moves on the trade market, all 30 NBA teams have been active. Like any off-season, there are winners and losers throughout the process. Some teams got better. Some got worse and some made little to no moves at all. Let's start out with the early winners of the off-season. Beginning with the Los Angeles Lakers, who nearly overhauled their starting five and bench. The Lakers went into the off-season with several of their own players entering free agency. The Lakers would part ways with old face of the franchise, LeBron James, and loose role players Marcus Smart, Raui Hachimura and Luke Kenard in free agency. Losing this core would require reinforcements. The Lakers responded by resigning their star guard Austin Reeves to a max contract, trading for big man Walker Kessler and signing multiple key role players in Sandro Mamukelashvili, Collin Sexton and Quentin Grimes. The Lakers became fully committed to building around their star Luka Dončić and these moves symbolized a changing of the guard in the LeBron to Luka Era. The Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers are winners of the off-season through both the trade market and free agency. The Heat's acquisition of future Hall of Famer Giannis Antetokounmpo, along with role players Bobby Portis and Tim Hardaway, put the franchise back in the Eastern Conference contenders' mix. The Heat, who missed the playoffs for the first time in 7 years, will have an opportunity to bounce back and contend for a championship next season. Building around Giannis will be the organization's newest priority, and they are off to an impressive start. The Sixers followed the same approach with the acquisition of star Jaylen Brown along with role players Anfernee Simmons and Dean Wade. The Sixers were able to get off of aging former star Paul George's contract and swap him with Boston Celtics' All-NBA star Jaylen Brown. Brown will have an opportunity to lead the Sixers following a career year in all statistical numbers with the Celtics. A big 3 of Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid can challenge the defending champion New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference. Next we transition into the early losers of the NBA Off-season. The first loser, and it's entirely for their lack of moves, the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans, who finished the 2025-2026 NBA Season with a 26-56 record, made just one move in free agency. They brought back 38-year-old veteran big man Deandre Jordan. No trades or additional signings have been made. This is a sign of a team completely content with standing pat. There is still plenty of time for a move to be made, but the lack of moves signals irrelevance and mediocrity for the franchise in the long haul. The Charlotte Hornets and Boston Celtics are losers of the NBA off-seasons due to being on the wrong end of poorly made trades. The Charlotte Hornets had their best season in 10 years and were one win away from snapping a 10-year playoff drought. They followed up the elimination with the trade of stars Lamelo Ball and Miles Bridges. Two separate trades that will not help the Hornets in the short haul and will continue to extend their long rebuild. The Celtics traded their star Jaylen Brown to the rival Philadelphia 76ers for aging former star Paul George. A move that was clearly a salary dump and a change in direction with the full-time return of star Jayson Tatum. The Celtics under-appreciated Jaylen Brown, who led them to an NBA championship in 2024, while winning the finals MVP. The Celtics will gain some financial flexibility but will not see signs of progression by replacing Brown with George. Paul George showed flashes of past greatness and will be expected to bounce back with a larger role in Boston. So who are the winners and losers of the NBA off-season? Can these winners and losers change their narratives next season? The NBA off-season is only two weeks deep and there still feels like many moves to come on the horizon.