The NBA preseason is still more than seven weeks away, but ESPN insiders have already flagged underreported issues that could affect several top title contenders for 2026-27. The New York Knicks ran through the East playoffs to win the franchise’s first championship in 53 years, while the San Antonio Spurs pushed to the Finals ahead of schedule and the Oklahoma City Thunder remain positioned as a repeat threat, according to ESPN.
San Antonio enters the year with NBA championship odds of +270, per DraftKings at the time of publication. The Spurs added wing depth in free agency, signing Tobias Harris to a two-year, $31 million deal and re-signing Julian Champagnie to a three-year, $45 million contract, Michael C. Wright of ESPN reported. Harris and Champagnie occupy the same position, raising questions about how coach Mitch Johnson will deploy lineups.
Harris, 33, averaged 13.3 points while shooting 46.9% from the field and 36.8% from 3 last season; he produced eight postseason outings with 20 or more points for Detroit and started 63 regular-season games and 14 playoff games last year, according to ESPN. Champagnie averaged 11.1 points last season, including two 20-point playoff performances, and started 68 regular-season games and all 23 of San Antonio’s postseason contests. In the backcourt, De’Aaron Fox is expected to start opposite Stephon Castle with Dylan Harper coming off the bench after a strong postseason, ESPN reported.
Oklahoma City also listed at +270 by DraftKings faces a different issue: slightly eroded depth after offseason trades meant to trim a steep tax bill, Anthony Slater of ESPN wrote. The Thunder moved veterans Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins and Lu Dort and replaced them with younger, cheaper options, which Slater cautioned could lower the team’s regular-season ceiling. Joe provided timely 3-point shooting and team defense, Wiggins had 11 games of 25 or more points, and Lu Dort served as a perimeter grinder for a defensive-minded unit.
In the playoffs, the Thunder will need Jalen Williams healthy and performing like the All-NBA wing he was two years ago. Williams missed 49 regular-season games and 10 playoff games last season because of wrist surgery and four hamstring strains; Oklahoma City struggled without its second-best player against the Spurs in the Western Conference finals, Slater noted. ESPN’s insiders broke down these and other concerns for the 10 teams considered most likely to contend, with DraftKings odds cited at publication.
