Atlantic Division 2026-27 preview: champion Knicks, Sixers' all-in gamble, Celtics' reset, the Kawhi Leonard trade finally lands, and Brooklyn's youth movement

Preseason games are already underway — Philadelphia played the Knicks on October 5 and faced Boston on October 10 — before the real thing starts October 20. Five teams, five very different stories. New York is trying to run it back. Philadelphia assembled a roster nobody could have predicted a year ago. Boston blew up its wing rotation on purpose. Toronto closed out a trade saga that dragged on for months. And Brooklyn is still building.

The Knicks defend a title while Dolan draws a hard line

New York is coming off its first championship in 53 years, beating the San Antonio Spurs in five games in the 2026 NBA Finals. But owner James Dolan made one thing clear back in June 2026, telling WFAN radio the Knicks would not cross the second luxury-tax apron to preserve the champion roster. At the time, New York sat about $18 million above the tax, $9.4 million above the first apron, and just $3.3 million below the second apron, which is projected at around $221.7 million for 2026-2027.

That line cost New York its depth at center. Mitchell Robinson, the starting center on the title team, left for Boston after eight seasons with the Knicks (2018-2026). Ariel Hukporti signed a one-year, $3.4 million deal with Philadelphia as a restricted free agent. Guerschon Yabusele, Tosan Evbuomwan and Jeremy Sochan, who signed a one-year deal in Portland, are also gone. To patch the hole, New York brought in Andre Drummond on a one-year, roughly $3.9 million contract as the lone proven backup big behind Karl-Anthony Towns, re-signed Jose Alvarado as the backup point guard, extended Landry Shamet for four years and $24 million, and signed young French forward Mohamed Diawara to a multiyear deal worth more than $10 million.

The starting five stays intact: Jalen Brunson ($37,739,521), Mikal Bridges ($108,482,144 fully guaranteed on his extension), OG Anunoby ($42.5 million, the roster's second-highest salary), Josh Hart and Towns ($57,078,728, the roster's highest salary).

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That stability, though, comes with an open question. The Knicks have suspended extension talks with both Towns and Hart for the rest of the season, according to Yahoo Sports on October 9 and ESPN. Towns is eligible for a four-year extension worth up to $276 million and carries a $61.1 million player option for 2027-2028, per Yahoo Sports and Spotrac. Reuters reported on October 11 that New York had offered four years and $200 million, which Towns viewed as insufficient given what he'd hoped for. Towns has publicly said he was disappointed the talks were paused, while reiterating he wants to stay. BasketNews reported October 14 that the stretch around this season's trade deadline could be when both sides revisit the conversation. New York remains above the tax but below the second apron, by design, with Mike Brown back for another season as head coach.

Philadelphia's superteam gamble hinges on Embiid's knee

Few offseasons moved as fast as Philadelphia's. In 24 days, the 76ers went from a franchise searching for direction to one of the most talked-about teams in the league: a trade for Jaylen Brown on July 1, 2026, followed by LeBron James signing on July 24.

Brown arrived from Boston in exchange for Paul George and draft compensation, and he described his reaction as "excited and disappointed." James, at 41 years old, is entering his 24th NBA season — a record — after taking a significant pay cut from roughly $53 million with the Lakers to a two-year, $8 million deal with a player option for 2027-2028. He called it his "last decision."

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The whole project still runs through Joel Embiid's health. Over the last three NBA seasons, Embiid has played just 96 of a possible 246 games, a 39% availability rate. He had arthroscopic knee surgery in April 2025, his second operation on the same knee in 14 months. When healthy, he's good for 26.9 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists. The caution is already visible this preseason: both Embiid and LeBron were inactive for the October 5 game against the Knicks, according to Bolavip, and Fox Sports reported that Philadelphia was preparing for an October 10 game against Boston while it remained unclear whether either star would suit up.

The projected starting five is Tyrese Maxey (28.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 6.6 assists on 46.1% shooting across 82 games last season), VJ Edgecombe (16.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists in 87 games at age 20), Brown (28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists at Boston last season), James and Embiid. Anfernee Simons joined as a free agent to add scoring punch off the bench, carrying a 14.3-point career average. Nick Nurse enters his fourth season as head coach. The cap sits at $164.961 million and the tax line at $200.428 million — Philadelphia projects a total payroll north of $222 million, with a tax bill above $69 million.

Boston bets on "optionality" after trading Jaylen Brown

Boston closed its offseason with the league's most polarizing move: sending Brown to Philadelphia for Paul George and two first-round picks along with two second-rounders. President Brad Stevens summed up the thinking in one word — "optionality."

In his last full season before the trade, Brown posted a 36.2% usage rate across 83 games. He was entering year three of a five-year, $285 million contract, with a $57.08 million cap hit for 2026-2027.

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The new starting five is built around Jayson Tatum, who averaged 21.2 points in just 23 games in 2025-2026 while shooting 33.8% from 3-points and now steps into the role of top offensive option. Alongside him: George, who shot 41.0% from 3-points across 56 games last season at age 36; Derrick White, who scored 15.6 points but shot just 32.2% from deep; and Payton Pritchard, who averaged 16.6 points in 87 games and moves into the starting lineup with Brown gone. At center, Boston will choose between Neemias Queta (10.2 points, 8.1 rebounds) and Mitchell Robinson, the former Knicks starter who signed with Boston and grabbed 8.0 rebounds a game in 80 appearances last season.

Boston's total payroll sits around $210.7 million against the $164.961 million cap, with George carrying the roster's largest cap hit at $54.1 million. Joe Mazzulla returns for another season as head coach.

The Kawhi Leonard trade finally lands in Toronto

No story in the division took longer to resolve than Toronto's pursuit of Kawhi Leonard. The Clippers and Raptors reached an agreement in principle on June 30, 2026 — Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, unprotected 2031 picks and additional future picks headed to Los Angeles for Leonard — only for the deal to be put on hold July 9 when the NBA opened an investigation into possible salary-cap circumvention involving Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, according to ESPN and The Star.

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The league eventually sanctioned the Clippers for violating cap rules, clearing the way for the trade to close around September 14-15, 2026, per ESPN and Yahoo Sports. NBA.com made it official on September 23: Toronto acquired Leonard, a two-time Finals MVP, in exchange for Ingram, Dick and future draft picks. A day earlier, ESPN reported Leonard had agreed to a two-year, $115 million extension with the Raptors that includes a player option for 2028-2029. He made his Toronto debut in early October, with head coach Darko Rajaković confirming his availability for a preseason game against the Knicks.

Ingram and Dick are gone from the 2026-2027 roster. The lineup now built around Leonard includes Immanuel Quickley (signed to a five-year, $175 million extension in 2024), R.J. Barrett in the final year of his deal, Scottie Barnes and Jakob Poeltl, who averaged 10.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 2025 — with Leonard sliding into one of the forward spots. Jamal Shead starts at backup point guard, Collin Murray-Boyles enters his second season after All-Rookie honors, and Kyle Anderson signed a one-year veteran deal off the bench. Rajaković, entering his fourth season as coach after signing a multiyear extension reported July 2 by The Athletic, was also named head coach of the World Team for the 2026 All-Star Game by commissioner Adam Silver.

Brooklyn builds its youth movement around Porter and Randle

Michael Porter Jr. was Brooklyn's engine last season, starting 52 of 54 games while averaging 23.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists on 46.4% shooting and 36.4% from 3-points.

Brooklyn sent Nic Claxton, the starting center for most of last season (11.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, a starter in 68 of 73 games), to the Chicago Bulls as part of a three-team trade, according to ESPN.

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In his place, Brooklyn brought in veterans. Julius Randle joins the Nets for his 12th NBA season, the no. 7 pick out of Kentucky in the 2014 draft. Moe Wagner, a 2018 first-round pick out of Michigan, enters his 8th season, and Keon Ellis, undrafted out of Alabama in 2022, joins for his 4th.

General manager Sean Marks is also counting on last year's draft class to grow up. Marks used what ESPN described as "his historic stockpile of five first-round picks in 2025" to land Egor Demin, Nolan Traore, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf in a single class. All five return for 2026-2027 after uneven rookie seasons that still came with real minutes: Demin started 45 of his 54 games (9.9 points, 3.2 assists, 38.5% from 3-points), Traore started 31 games (8.0 points, 3.5 assists), and Wolf averaged 8.2 points and 4.5 rebounds across 62 games.

Brooklyn added three more names in the 2026 draft — Mikel Brown Jr. (no. 6, Louisville), Joshua Jefferson (no. 28, Iowa State) and Tyler Bilodeau (second round, UCLA). Jordi Fernandez enters his third season as head coach.

One notable absence: Cam Thomas, who averaged 13.9 points in just 27 games last season, no longer appears on Brooklyn's active 2026-2027 roster, with no source specifying the exact date or terms of his departure.

Predicted Atlantic Division standings

1. New York Knicks — The champion roster's starting five is untouched, and Dolan's hard line at the second apron cost the Knicks depth at center, not the group that won it all.

2. Toronto Raptors — The resolution of the Kawhi Leonard saga and his two-year extension change Toronto's standing overnight, after a trade that spent months stuck in a league investigation.

3. Philadelphia 76ers — Four stars make the Sixers the division's most spectacular — and riskiest — bet, but the whole project rests on Embiid's health after a 39% availability rate over the last three seasons, and the caution is already showing in the preseason.

4. Boston Celtics — Trading Brown for "optionality" leaves Boston without a proven shot-creator to replace his scoring volume, making this a transition season built around Tatum's health.

5. Brooklyn Nets — The Nets remain in rebuild mode, adding veterans like Randle and Wagner to speed up a young core's development without derailing it, still looking for room to exist in the Knicks' shadow.