With all due respect to the unsigned free agents and trade candidates yet to be moved, the dust has mostly settled on the 2025 NBA offseason.
While the basketball world is still recognizable, the landscape clearly shifted in ways that will impact the 2025-26 campaign and seasons beyond.
Multiple blockbuster trades were brokered. Potential centerpieces arrived on draft night. Even free agency, which figured to be rather straightforward given a near-leaguewide lack of flexibility, managed to serve up a few stunners.
With so many puzzle pieces on the move, someone needs to take this scrambled board and figure out the final picture. Someone like…well, us.
Taking everything we now know about these reshaped rosters we’re out to predict the opening night starting lineups of all 30 squads.
Just a few notes before getting started. Since we’re eyeballing opening night, we won’t be miracle-curing any injuries expected to carry over into the season. So, the Boston Celtics won’t have Jayson Tatum, the Indiana Pacers will be minus Tyrese Haliburton—you get the idea.
Also, we’re filling in these puzzles as they’re currently constructed, meaning you won’t see unsigned free agents added to rosters. Even if there are strong hunches about where things are headed (like restricted free agents Josh Giddey, Cam Thomas and, yes, even Jonathan Kuminga probably staying put), this offseason has already taught us plenty about the possible pitfalls of assuming anything in the Association.
With those parameters in place, let’s start building some the fivesomes set to hit the hardwood for the opening tip.
