"The Eastern Gauntlet: Ranking the Contenders, Pretenders, and ‘What-On-Earth-Are-They-Doing?’s of the NSL"

The Eastern Conference of the NSL has gone from the NBA’s little brother to its terrifying older sibling. For years, the West ruled the roost — but lately? The East has been hoarding the silverware like a dragon with a gold fetish.

Last season, GM Josh and his Washington Wizards took home the crown with a LeBron-Booker one-two punch that made opponents feel like they’d walked into a bad dream. The year before, GM Daz’s Milwaukee Bucks (remember them?) rode SGA’s meteoric rise all the way to glory before Daz hit the eject button and zoomed West to the league’s basket case Golden State Warriors. What a hero!

Now, as we head into a brand-new season — pre-free agency chaos — it’s time to sort every Eastern squad into their rightful tier of contending readiness. Are they sprinting for a title now? Building for a dynasty? Stuck in basketball purgatory with a bloated cap sheet?

Let’s break it down, tier by tier.

 

 

Tier 1: The “All-In” Teams

"The credit card’s maxed, the chips are in the middle, and the window is creaking shut"

These squads aren’t here for long-term planning or moral victories. They’re here to win right now — because in a year or two, the stars will be on the decline, the picks will be gone, and the roster might look like the aftermath of a bad hangover.

Expect big trades, high-stakes risks, and maybe even some reckless spending in free agency. These teams know they’re in the win-now zone — and they’re fine mortgaging 2030 for a chance at a parade this season.

Washington Wizards

No team has ever gone back-to-back in the NSL, ever, period. GM Joshua has one goal and one goal only, be Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon. Lebron has one year left on his deal, Jrue Holiday is entering the later stages of his career, it’s now or never.

Philadelphia 76ers

Jimmy Butler, DeMar DeRozan and Draymond Green. Three elite NBA players, two even better in 2k than real life, all over the age of 35. GM Nenjamin has a neatly assembled roster but they need to win in the next 2 years or it’s back to collecting seconds for a little while.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Narrowly missing out on the Final last season, GM Shams moved some big names to bring in 37-year-old Stephen Curry for a deeper push at contention. While the rest of the Cleveland roster is young and deep, they make the All-in category due to the age of their superstar. They have two timelines with their 1B, Scottie Barnes only 24 years old but many feel if Curry were to retire, contention would be a while away for the Cavs.

 

Tier 2: The Contending Risers

"Already scary, but the best is yet to come"

If Tier 1 teams are burning the candle at both ends, Tier 2 squads are still building the candle factory. These are teams with legitimate championship ambitions now, but their stars are still climbing toward their peak.

They’ve got time, assets, and flexibility — which means they can either keep developing organically or flip the switch into full “all-in” mode with one aggressive trade. They’re the nightmare scenario for the rest of the East: already dangerous, and only getting better.

Milwaukee Bucks

GM Ethan was disappointed with the title defence falling short at the hands of the eventual champs in the Conference Semis, but there’s no doubt he extended his roster’s window with the deals made throughout the season. SGA, Mobley, Dort, Nembhard, Poeltl will be contending for a long time to come.

Charlotte Hornets

The Hornets once again look menacing and somehow GM Craig has extended the window. Derozan and OG Anunoby gone, Pascal Siakam to join a Morant and Towns core. The financial side will be hard to maintain but the roster looks set to contend for years as all 3 stars are just on 30 or under. Plus Craig has another off-season to add assets.

Chicago Bulls

The Bulls looked the best team in the East at various phases throughout last season before a slew of injuries derailed their postseason plans. GM Jonathon has assembled an athletic young core sending out with talent at every position. With a number of picks in the bank, the Bulls have the pieces to go further in if they need to find a star to step in for the traded Siakam.

Indiana Pacers

With Wemby gone the Pacers will have to experiment a little to figure out what they are, but a roster of Cade Cunningham, Mikal Bridges, Chet Holmgren, Darius Garland and Walker Kessler will surely be around for a long time. The only thing that will stop this team is a trigger-happy gm and the second apron salary rules. Napping on Free Agency Day is another major threat.

Toronto Raptors

GM Dylan loves to hover between Tier 1 and Tier 2 and it seems his team will be younger and maybe better than last year even with Durant gone. Brunson, Bam Adebayo, R.J. Barrett and Rudy Gobert (I believe) will make a terrific core that will be able to beat any team on their night for years to come.

 

Tier 3: The Two-Window Teams

"One hand on the present, one eye on the future"

These rosters are like those TV shows that can’t decide if they’re a comedy or a drama. They’ve got aging stars who can still play at a high level and young talent with plenty of runway left.

The beauty (and frustration) of this tier is the flexibility — they can push their chips in and go for a run now, or they can re-tool around the youth and push their contention window back a few years. It’s a tightrope walk, and every decision matters.

New York Knicks

Never one to sit on his hands, Smokey added a superstar right on the flip. Durant is his star for the 2026 season but who will be his 1B? Giddey, Allen, Gafford and McDaniels are all quality young role players, but it feels like their window and Durant’s aren’t aligned. Maybe one more star is needed to give this roster clear direction. It’s also worth noting the Knicks have several first round picks including Detroit’s and their own in 2026.

Brooklyn Nets

26-year-old Trae Young comes to Brooklyn to completely open the flood-gates for opposing guards, as he and Lavine look set to light up one end of the floor for each team in 2026. A core of Young, Lavine, Lively, Vuc (has been traded?) and OG Anunoby is interesting though the ages are a little all over the place, as are the skillsets. Breece has his work cut out for him, but there’s a pathway to success for sure and if not, he has his 2026 first. They will be a must-watch TV watch either way.

 

Tier 4: The Rebuilders

"See you in 2028… maybe"

Patience is the name of the game here. These teams have accepted their current fate and are stockpiling young talent, draft picks, and developmental projects like they’re doomsday prepping for the next Giannis-level prospect.

Wins are nice, but ping-pong balls are nicer. The short-term pain is real, but if everything breaks right, they could be in the contender tiers before too long.

Miami Heat

They’re still building and have been since the league began all those years ago. But there ARE signs of life in Miami. GM Pistol is a little starved of top end talent, though Derrick White might see additional opportunities this coming season, but the depth is exciting. A list of top 10 picks with names like Duren, Markkanen, Ware and Coulibaly makes this a team to keep an eye on. They’re probably one or two breakouts away from making real noise. C.J. McCollum 6MOTY!

Boston Celtics

It feels weird putting a team with Jayson Tatum in this category, but he is out for the upcoming season and Boston love to underachieve, so the placement feels right. A gap year is just what GM Toby needs. The Celts have their own pick and several young guns they’d like to see in action, give them a year or two to get back in the mix.

 

Tier 5: The Head Scratchers

"Are they rebuilding? Retooling? Just vibing?"

Every season, there are a few teams that make you tilt your head like a confused puppy. These franchises have talent, but also glaring holes. They’ve got tradeable assets, but also some contracts that look like they were signed during a fever dream.

Maybe it’s mismatched timelines, maybe it’s a lack of draft capital, maybe it’s cap inflexibility — but something’s keeping them from committing to a clear direction. Could they contend? Maybe. Could they blow it up? Also, maybe. Do we know which way they’ll go? Absolutely not.

Detroit Pistons

GM Sheed has been one of the best in the league since the beginning of NSL time, but the past two years have felt a little directionless. Trae Young wasn’t the answer and was shipped out to make way for the future but then some of the future was shipped out this off-season as well. Zubac remains, a 28-year-old 7-footer with a youngish core and Kyle Kuzma. Without their own pick in the 2026 they might as well not lose?

Atlanta Hawks

A year away from being a year away, GM Bulldog is biding his time and adding to the core. Bane will be the focal point of the offence though his role in the NBA might be less this coming season. There’s a lot of young pieces on the roster that are okay-to-good but no eye-popping budding superstars, unless his rookies from the 2025 draft hit. It’s a hard sell in Atlanta without their own 2026 first round pick.

Orlando Magic

Approaching free agency with their best two players (Kyrie Irving and Naz Reid) up-for-grabs, though likely retained, GM Mailo has some work to do to salvage the bones of a team that sits between two eras. The Kyrie era is nearly at the end and he begins the season sidelined with a knee injury, is there anyone good enough to take the torch? They have their pick in 2026 so it’s not all doom and gloom for the magic, though the salary position looks grim.

 

So there you have it — the Eastern Conference, neatly boxed into tiers that will probably look wildly wrong three weeks into the season. That’s the beauty of the NSL: one blockbuster trade, one breakout star, or one bad injury, and the whole hierarchy flips upside down.

But for now, the gauntlet is set. The East remains the league’s most fearsome battlefield, the defending champions are still lurking, and every GM is either chasing the ring or plotting how to knock off the guys who’ve already got it.

Buckle up. It’s going to be a wild ride.