Eastern Conference Power Rankings: Orlando Magic aim to climb into contender tier

Tier 6: Lag for Flagg

Key Additions: Tobias Harris (Signed from PHI), Ron Holland (No. 5 Draft Pick)
Key Losses: Evan Fournier (Unsigned), Troy Brown Jr. (Unsigned)

The Detroit Pistons fired Monty Williams after one disastrous season that seemed to set back their development plans. The Pistons did not have much of a direction it seemed. And Cade Cunningham's injury (he played in 62 games after appearing in 12 in his sophomore season) only slowed things down.

The Pistons did not have a great secondary scorer or much shooting. It just made life hard for everyone.

The Pistons did not necessarily solve all of those problems. But Cunningham is still a really good player. A veteran like Tobias Harris will help them improve. But this is still a mess of a roster and a rebuild seeking clarity and direction.

Key Additions: Nicolas Claxton (Re-Signed), Bojan Bogdanovic (Traded from NYK)
Key Losses: Mikal Bridges (Traded to NYK), Lonnie Walker (Unsigned)

The Brooklyn Nets picked a new direction this offseason when they traded Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks. They netted five first-round picks in the deal to set up their future.

That is at least something to restart their rebuild.

And there is a long way for the Nets to go now. This is a hard reset and Brooklyn's roster is going to be searching for a galvanizing player. The Nets are going to fall to the bottom of the standings.

Certainly the race for a strong 2025 Draft class makes that decision a little easier to swallow as the Nets try to rebuild themselves.

Key Additions: Alex Sarr (No. 2 Draft Pick), Malcolm Brogdon (Traded from POR)
Key Losses: Tyus Jones (Unsigned), Deni Avdija (Traded to POR)

The Washington Wizards still have some powerful offensive weapons and players. They are still going to catch some teams by surprise, Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma are NBA scorers. The question will always be whether they can score more than they give up. That was the issue with them last year.

The Wizards should look much the same this year.

Alex Sarr represents a transition of sorts. He will give them some defensive presence. But rookies are rookies and there is a steep learning curve. Who knows how long Malcolm Brogdon will play -- likely just enough for them to shuttle him along. Perhaps Tyus Jones comes back after he has struck out in free agency.

But the Wizards certainly have a long way to go.