LeBron James is officially a Philadelphia 76er, and if you thought the NBA offseason couldn’t get any crazier, think again! The King joining forces with Jaylen Brown on those forward spots completely blows up how we look at every starting five in the league. Everyone knew James was a free agent, but this move has seriously reshaped how teams are predicting their standing for the upcoming season. How much does the Lu Dort trade affect the Oklahoma City Thunder? Where does that wild Ja Morant and Damian Lillard backcourt even fit into the conversation? It’s time to dive into the early predictions and rank all 30 NBA starting lineups because, wow, things are different now.
The Post-Giannis Bucks and Brooklyn’s Rebuild Hustle
At the very bottom of the early rankings, sitting at #30, we have the Milwaukee Bucks. This is the official post-Giannis Antetokounmpo era, and it’s looking like a lot of starting jobs are totally up for grabs. Their projected starting five is PG: Ryan Rollins, SG: Tyler Herro, SF: Jaime Jaquez Jr., PF: Kyle Kuzma, C: Myles Turner. Ryan Rollins, at just 24, had a breakout 2025-26 season, putting up 17.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 5.7 assists, shooting an impressive 41.1 percent from three in 67 starts. Herro is almost a lock to join him in the backcourt. Turner is the starting center for now, but the Bucks should be shopping him to clear space for Kel’el Ware, who was the main piece in the Antetokounmpo trade. Ware is a 22-year-old, 7-footer who averaged 12.8 points, 10.7 rebounds, 1.2 blocks, and hit 40.9 percent of his threes in 34 starts for Miami as a sophomore. Jaquez and Kuzma are the favorites at forward, but look out for Kevin Porter Jr., AJ Green, Ousmane Dieng, and lottery picks Brayden Burries and Nate Ament, all fighting for minutes.
Just above them, at #29, are the Brooklyn Nets. A three-team trade sending Nic Claxton to the Chicago Bulls and bringing Julius Randle over from the Minnesota Timberwolves means a completely new starting five for Brooklyn. Randle and Michael Porter Jr. are the veterans here, and their spots are locked in, unless they get moved before the season begins. Day’Ron Sharpe is set to take over Claxton’s starting center duties after averaging 11.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.0 blocks on 59.3 percent shooting in his seven starts last year. Mikel Brown Jr. (6’5″) and Egor Dёmin (6’8″) are both technically point guards, but they have the size to play together. As the Nets’ only top-10 picks in this rebuild, they definitely need to be on the floor.
Sacramento’s Injury Woes and Upside Swings
The Sacramento Kings land at #28, and it could be another long year for their fans, honestly. Still, there is at least one bright spot at point guard: Darius Acuff Jr., the No. 7 overall pick in the draft, has serious All-Star potential. Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine have both been All-Stars multiple times, so that talent is there. De’Andre Hunter, who only played two games after his trade to Sacramento due to eye surgery, brings some much-needed size to the wing. Keegan Murray, turning 26 next month, battled injuries last season, but he’s still got a ton of upside as the No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 draft. The Kings are going to need his defense and a return to the three-point shooting Murray showcased as a rookie, where he hit 41.1 percent. There are some real injury and defensive concerns for this starting five, a truly weird blend of young players and veterans who don’t necessarily seem to fit together on paper.
The entire league just got a major shakeup with LeBron heading to Philly. The preseason buzz is already insane, and when the real games tip off, you know we’ll be watching every single one of these teams battle it out to prove where they really stand in this wild new landscape.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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