The 2025-26 NBA season is less than a week away, and while the Philadelphia 76ers’ present and the future of the defending champion New York Knicks dominate the conversation, several other storylines deserve attention. Some could take all season to play out, while others could be decided in the first quarter. Here are 10 important people at every level of the game who bear watching, starting with a No. 1 pick who is still looking to make his playoff debut.
Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
Why he’s interesting: It’s now or never.
Williamson played 62 games last season, the second-most of his career, trailing only the 70 he played in 2022-23. His stretch of playing 52 of 53 games from Dec. 14 to April 5 was the longest such span of his career. The Pelicans went 21-31 during that stretch while cycling through a litany of players as they developed rookies Jeremy Fears and Derik Queen.
This is Year 8 for the 2019 No. 1 pick. The league moves fast, and Williamson’s contract for 2027-28 is not guaranteed. Pelicans GM Troy Weaver went through a painstaking rebuild in Detroit at the start of the decade, but he doesn’t have the same situation here, with no assets to accrue draft capital. The new regime resisted wholesale changes last season and hopes new coach Jamahl Mosley can have the same effect J.B. Bickerstaff had in Detroit three years ago before making any drastic moves.
Williamson has the most credentials but also the most questions. He reportedly arrived at camp in great shape after working extensively with assistant coach God Shammgod over the summer.
Doug Christie, Sacramento Kings
Why he’s interesting: The bar isn’t high.
No one expects the Kings to make the playoffs with the current roster, and the front office has said it will not saddle itself with win-now moves that jeopardize the future. Zach LaVine is on an expiring deal, and it’s unclear how Domantas Sabonis, who has two years left on the extension he signed in 2023, fits into the long-term plan.
Christie has yet to put his imprint on the roster’s style of play, something Kings GM Scott Perry values highly. If Christie can put promising rookie point guard Darius Acuff Jr. in positions to become an elite lead performer, it will be a feather in his cap as the roster takes shape. If the Kings post another nondescript season of about 22 wins with no discernible on-court identity, things could get tricky for the well-liked Christie.
LaMelo Ball, Minnesota Timberwolves
Why he’s intriguing: The Timberwolves aren’t strangers to big moves. They acquired Rudy Gobert from the Utah Jazz for a cache of future picks, and two years ago they traded Karl-Anthony Towns to the Knicks after reaching the Western Conference finals for the first time in 20 years. Now Tim Connelly is remaking the roster by bringing in the talented Ball to ease pressure on Anthony Edwards, who has taken on a heavy share of facilitating duties over the past couple of seasons.
Early returns suggest Ball is getting along famously with Edwards, but he faces two major tests. First, and most importantly, he is playing high-stakes, high-pressure basketball for the first time in his NBA career. In his first six seasons with the Charlotte Hornets, the play-in tournament was the high-water mark. Second, can he stay healthy? He has played 70 games twice in his career and joins a team that wants to elevate itself to the tier of the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs in the West.
Micah Nori and Ja Morant, Portland Trail Blazers
Why they’re intriguing: This is the only player-coach combination on the list, even if the two aren’t joined at the hip. Nori, the highly regarded assistant in Minnesota, took this job under less than ideal circumstances. Only the first year of his contract is guaranteed, with team options for the second and third years. National Basketball Coaches Association president J.B. Bickerstaff called the deal a “slap in the face.” Trail Blazers governor Tom Dundon has already drawn criticism for his cost-cutting practices, and Nori appears to be in a lose-lose situation.
That’s where Morant comes in. It has been years since he was an All-Star (2022 and 2023), let alone a future face of the league. His trade from the Memphis Grizzlies was a merciful end, but in Portland he shares the same position with franchise legend Damian Lillard, who is returning from an Achilles injury. Jrue Holiday is still on the roster, along with Scoot Henderson. Where does Morant fit, not just on this team but across the league?
His game hasn’t developed an outside shot, and injuries have limited him to 79 games over the past three seasons. He is due $42.1 million and $44.8 million in the next two years and will be 29 when free agency arrives.
Is Portland fertile ground for a hard reset? Or are the matters too complicated for either Nori or Morant to truly succeed?
Anthony Davis, Washington Wizards
Why he’s intriguing: It has been a while since Davis was an impact player. He has appeared in just 71 games over the past two seasons, so he has something to prove. He has yet to play a game for the Wizards and, unlike Trae Young, did not receive a contract extension. Davis is entering a potential contract year, holding a $62.7 million player option for 2027-28, on a team he didn’t choose, which makes his situation all the more interesting. The Wizards also have No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa, Young, who averages 20 points and 10 assists, and 2024 No. 2 pick Alex Sarr, who has shown considerable promise through two seasons.
The relationship between Davis and the Wizards appears to be going well, and he will want to put his best foot forward to secure his future as he turns 34 in March. If he stays healthy, Davis remains one of the most versatile big men in the league and a future Hall of Famer. If he and the Wizards don’t agree on an extension, he could also become a coveted player on the market. Both sides understand this is a business. The question is how the situation plays out and how long it takes to become clear.
Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks
Why he’s intriguing: The answer is fairly obvious. Extension talks with the Knicks have hung over the organization since they won their first title in 53 years. Those talks have stalled after Towns found the Knicks’ offer of $200 million over four years unsatisfactory. That figure is $76 million less than his potential max of $276 million over four seasons, and it would represent a pay cut from his current salary of $57 million. Like Davis, Towns holds a player option for next season at $61 million, a figure the second-apron-conscious Knicks must weigh carefully.
Minnesota traded Towns two years ago partly because of his salary and its desire to get out from under the second apron in its first year. One wonders whether that history weighs on his mind as the Knicks chase a repeat. Is everything on the table if the Knicks stick to their word about not negotiating during the season?
The Knicks played as one unit during their run to the NBA Finals last season, and repeating has never been tougher in today’s league. How will they manage it? And how will Towns, who sacrificed last season and is now being asked to sacrifice again, exceed expectations?
Kenny Atkinson, Cleveland Cavaliers
Why he’s intriguing: Perhaps we have made too much fun of his comments during the Eastern Conference finals, when he told reporters that “analytically” the Cavaliers had won two of the three games against the Knicks, even though they were on their way to being swept. That remark obscured the best season and playoff run Cleveland has had in over 30 years that wasn’t headlined by LeBron James. But the Cavs looked emotionally and physically spent heading into that series. Was that the maximum Atkinson could have gotten from his team? And with the Eastern Conference improving from top to bottom, where do the Cavaliers fit in? Can Atkinson truly unlock Evan Mobley, a No. 1 talent who is the third option in this setup?
Donovan Mitchell re-signed for the max, and James Harden agreed to a three-year deal as he enters his age-37 season with plenty of mileage on his body and legs. The Cavaliers acquired Peyton Watson from the Denver Nuggets in a sign-and-trade deal, but is that enough to keep up? And can Atkinson shake off those comments and the perception they created to keep Cleveland in the upper echelon?
Kyrie Irving, Dallas Mavericks
Why he’s intriguing: Irving is a wizard with the ball, a perfect shot-creating guard who needs barely a sliver of space to get off a shot with either hand and isn’t afraid to take big shots in big moments. But no one knows how his ACL surgery will affect his game, considering he hasn’t played live basketball in 19 months.
Irving found ways to excel alongside LeBron James in Cleveland, Kevin Durant in Brooklyn and Luka Doncic in Dallas, so he should have little trouble figuring out how to work with Cooper Flagg, who stands to take a big leap in Year 2. Dallas has new leadership in Masai Ujiri, the team president, and first-year coach Dusty May. There have been no whispers about Irving’s current fit.
Irving will turn 35 in March. He holds a player option for 2027-28 at $42.4 million and could be a coveted veteran for several contenders if his path leads elsewhere. But he has long been described as comfortable in Dallas, and that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Some of his most productive and efficient play has come with the Mavericks, so it shouldn’t be assumed he is on the way out. Either way, a return to the court for a spellbinding performer is noteworthy.
Jon Horst, Milwaukee Bucks
Why he’s intriguing: Travis Scott’s “Butterfly Effect,” Giannis Antetokounmpo’s song of choice after he scored at Fiserv Forum, won’t be playing there anymore following his trade to the Miami Heat. But the butterfly effect of that move will keep rippling.
Unless your name is Sam Presti, trading away a franchise star usually signs your own pink slip rather than setting up the next phase of team building. Horst did a masterful job building the team that won the NBA championship in 2021, then used every creative lever available to keep Antetokounmpo happy until the relationship ran its course. The return for the franchise star and Bobby Portis was three first-round picks, Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kel’el Ware. Lillard’s waive-and-stretch deal remains on the books through 2029-30 at $21 million per season.
There is also the league’s investigation into the signing of Gary Trent Jr., which is examining possible salary cap circumvention. If the LA Clippers case is any guide, and no one is comparing the severity of the two situations, the NBA will take this very seriously.
Will Horst still have the chance to rebuild the Bucks into another contender?
Kawhi Leonard, Toronto Raptors
Why he’s intriguing: The yearlong investigation into Leonard receiving impermissible benefits from the Clippers is over. He was not suspended but was required to repay $700,000 in restitution. He was then traded back to his preferred destination of Toronto, where he helped the Raptors win their only NBA title in 2019.
He would probably prefer that no one ask about his Clippers experience, and the Raptors don’t seem to care about what happened in the past seven years. They handed him a lucrative three-year extension upon his arrival, hoping history will repeat itself.
The Raptors were a first-round exit last year but still have talent, even after trading Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick to the Clippers. Leonard, if healthy, can help make everything fit in a crowded Eastern Conference. But can he be trusted to simply stay on the floor?
Last season was one of his best, even amid the controversy, as he averaged nearly 28 points on remarkable 50-39-89 shooting splits. But he is 35, and he carries plenty of physical baggage.
“I want to love Kawhi because he’s an incredible talent,” a high-ranking Western Conference executive told reporters. “However, he doesn’t abide by the rules of the game. Which is to be available. If he played 70 games, he’s a top-three player. I’d take my chances with him.”