NBA Teams Look To Return To Postseason Ahead Of 2026 27 Season

As the 2026-27 professional basketball season approaches, 10 franchises look to reclaim postseason berths through high-profile roster additions, returning injured stars, and new leadership on the sidelines following last year’s absence from the spring playoffs.

Ten teams watched the previous 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.

NBA Teams Look To Return To Postseason Ahead Of 2026 27 Season

Indiana Pacers and Washington Wizards Target East Rebounds

Two seasons ago, the Indiana 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.

Tyrese Haliburton confirms that he is ready to return to action at 2026 Indiana Pacers Media Day. 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. In the nation’s capital, the Washington Wizards also eye a fresh start. 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.

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Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets Restructure Roster Cores

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? Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Nets look to bounce back. 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.

New Era in Milwaukee and New Leadership in New Orleans and Dallas

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. Down south, 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.