NBA Training Camp Questions: New Faces, Key Injuries, Contract Talks for All 30 Teams

Monday's media day kicked off NBA training camps around the league and offered a first look at several stars in their new homes. The Philadelphia 76ers had perhaps the biggest offseason, adding Jaylen Brown on July 1 and then the league's all-time leading scorer LeBron James before the month was over . But the Sixers aren't the only ones who made big moves.

James' former team, the Los Angeles Lakers , took a big swing in trading for former Jazz center Walker Kessler , and Giannis Antetokounmpo finally found a new home in the Miami Heat . LaMelo Ball is teaming up with Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves , and Ja Morant will look for a fresh start with the Portland Trail Blazers .

Big trades and signings aren't the only noteworthy storylines coming out of the offseason. Will the Detroit Pistons resolve Jalen Duren 's contract dispute ? How will the San Antonio Spurs rebound after collapsing in the Finals? Our NBA Insiders answer the biggest preseason questions for all 30 teams.

Jump to a team:

ATL | BOS | BKN | CHA | CHI | CLE

DAL | DEN | DET | GS | HOU | IND

LAC | LAL | MEM | MIA | MIL | MIN

NO | NY | OKC | ORL | PHI | PHX

POR | SAC | SA | TOR | UTAH | WAS

Will the Hawks build on their strong finish to last season?

To be clear, the Hawks' 51-point loss in their elimination game isn't the strong finish we are referring to. But Atlanta did account for two of the Knicks' three playoff losses, and the Hawks went on a 19-4 run with a plus-13.9 average point differential at the end of the regular season after committing to CJ McCollum in the starting lineup.

Atlanta added to the roster this summer -- drafting Kingston Flemings in the lottery and trading for ring-earning role players Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins -- and is positioned to be aggressive at the trade deadline or next summer, when the Hawks could have about $45 million in salary cap space. -- Tim MacMahon

Is Jayson Tatum ready to assume command of the Celtics on the court?

Tatum made it a point to get back on the court before last season ended , proving his Achilles injury couldn't keep him down. The results were mixed in the short term, as his regular-season percentages were down across the board and he sat out Game 7 of the Celtics' first-round series because of left knee discomfort .

Trading Jaylen Brown was a full endorsement of Tatum's ability to take the throttle while retooling to get back to championship status. But is Tatum fully recovered from the injury and ready to assume control? -- Vincent Goodwill

Can the Nets go from deplorable to dependable?

The Nets invested in a long-term rebuilding plan: think of those first-round picks Sean Marks held onto in the 2025 draft, rather than attempting to aggregate them for impact players. But then lottery reform happened , forcing the Nets to press the fast-forward button in July.

Trading for Julius Randle upgraded their talent , as did drafting another point guard in Mikel Brown Jr . Can this team look competent without the benefit of knowing another high draft pick is on the way? -- Goodwill

Can the Hornets be a better team after trading two cornerstone starters?

Charlotte has been very methodical in its build, and ownership and the front office have taken strides to avoid falling into the traps that ascending teams can sometimes make when they chase the middle. The Hornets got to the middle last season but clearly the team didn't believe that LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges , both of whom have expensive contracts and will be searching for extensions soon, were part of the rise so they tried to maximize their position by trading both .

The acquisitions of veterans Naz Reid , Grayson Allen and Dennis Schroder , in theory, augment newly established cornerstones Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel . But Charlotte needs to get Miller into an extension that makes sense for both sides -- an age-old tale -- and Knueppel suffered a moderate hamstring injury that is going to cause him to sit out all of training camp and the start of the season. In a very competitive Eastern Conference, getting back to the play-in might be a chore. -- Brian Windhorst

Was summer league a preview of what we will see from Caleb Wilson ?

No rookie had the Las Vegas gym buzzing quite like Wilson did this summer. He put up 35 points in his first game as a pro, knocked down as many 3-pointers in one game as his entire freshman season at North Carolina and rounded out his highlight reel with ferocious dunks and a chase-down block. For the first time in years, Wilson gives the Bulls a clear reason for optimism going forward. -- Jamal Collier

Can Peyton Watson make a difference as the fifth starter?

The Cavs have been heavily invested in four of their five starters for years -- Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen in the front court with Donovan Mitchell and now James Harden , after a midseason exchange for Darius Garland , in the backcourt. But they've had a rotating cast filling out the last spot next to them -- Dean Wade , Max Strus or De'Andre Hunter , most recently -- all of whom have failed to raise the ceiling of the lineup.

Watson, 24, is coming off his best season with the Nuggets and has the potential to push this group over the edge even more if he can continue his improved 3-point shooting to go along with his defensive chops. -- Collier

How much better can Cooper Flagg be as a sophomore?

Flagg is literally and figuratively growing up before our eyes. He got taller over the summer after his Rookie of the Year season , measuring at 6-foot-10 without his shoes. The fact that the 19-year-old Flagg is still growing serves as symbolism of his seemingly limitless ceiling. Fair or not, Flagg will always be compared in Dallas to Luka Doncic , who was a first-team All-NBA selection in his second season. Conventional wisdom is that Flagg is on the trajectory to ascend to that level of stardom. How soon can he get there? -- MacMahon

Can Aaron Gordon stay healthy?

In his six seasons with the Nuggets, Gordon has only improved as a player and elevated as a fit next to Nikola Jokic . His importance has never been greater, but his availability has never been more in question. Gordon sat out 31 games two seasons ago and 46 games last season. Both playoff runs also ended with a hobbled Gordon dealing with a hamstring strain and a calf strain that either had him significantly limited or sidelined.

Denver's depth has eroded around Jokic, but when Gordon is healthy and productive on the wing, they still have as complete and feared of a five-man starting unit as any team. But how often will he be out there? Word is he is geared and ready for camp. -- Anthony Slater

Will Jalen Duren attend training camp, and if so, how long will it take for him to acclimate?

The Duren saga has loomed over the Pistons all summer, and there still is no resolution. Duren was not at Pistons media day Monday and is not expected at the start of training camp, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania. If Duren goes the extreme route of taking a qualifying offer, it won't make for a comfortable situation -- along with the unprecedented act of turning down $200 million.

Team chemistry and continuity were reasons Detroit went from 44 wins in 2024-25 to 60 last season, and the roster has gone through changes this offseason. The possibility of an unhappy Duren creates the possibility of a slow start in a stacked East. -- Goodwill

When will we see Jimmy Butler ?

Butler tore his right ACL on Jan. 19 and had surgery in early February. The early months of rehab went slow, but there was steady word over the summer from those around Butler that his knee was strengthening, his court work was increasing and the optimism about his ultimate recovery was growing. Butler told ESPN in June he expected to get back "to who I've always been."

He will be limited to individual court work when camp opens. A January or February timeline appears to be a soft target, but it will depend on how his knee responds to increased contact once he is cleared. The Warriors' viability as a dark horse playoff threat is almost entirely contingent on Butler getting back to somewhere near his old self before April. -- Slater

Will the Rockets finally advance beyond the first round of the playoffs?

Houston hasn't advanced past the opening round since the 2019-20 season and is coming off back-to-back first-round exits as future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant enters his second season as a Rocket. Season-ending injuries to veterans Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams created somewhat of a gap year for Houston in 2025-26.

But at the same time, several young players such as Amen Thompson , Reed Sheppard , Tari Eason , Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr . grew due to increased responsibilities created by the loss of the team's main offensive facilitator. Will that development carry over to this season for a team that fancies itself a contender? Is VanVleet truly the missing ingredient? We'll see. -- Michael C. Wright

What can the Pacers expect from Tyrese Haliburton ?

It has been 16 months since Haliburton's most recent game when the Pacers put together one of the most memorable playoff runs in league history as he went on an all-time run of clutch performances. How well Haliburton will bounce back from his Achilles injury is a perplexing wrinkle in an Eastern Conference that has become even more competitive since he last played. Can Haliburton reclaim his spot at the top of the contenders or has the rest of the competition passed him by? -- Collier

What will be the fallout from the league's punishment for the Kawhi Leonard saga?

Leonard is now in Toronto , but it's not as if it was a clean break after seven seasons with the franchise. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is suspended for a year, as is president of business operations Gillian Zucker. President of basketball operations, Lawrence Frank, is suspended six months. The franchise was fined $30 million and will be docked five first-round draft picks between now and 2033.

With all that swirling around, how will this new-look roster with the likes of Brandon Ingram , Darius Garland , Bradley Beal , Rui Hachimura , Max Strus and Brook Lopez -- alongside rookie Keaton Wagler -- be able to compete in an unforgiving Western Conference? -- Dave McMenamin

Will the bet on Walker Kessler pay off?

The Lakers pushed virtually all of their chips to the middle of the table to make a move on the 25-year-old and pair the 7-2 center alongside Luka Doncic 's wizardry. The cost was prohibitive: not just a four-year, $130 million contract, but two unprotected future first-round picks and two future pick swaps sent to the Utah Jazz to make it happen. Lakers coach JJ Redick called Kessler a "perfect fit" alongside Doncic and Austin Reaves before training camp even opened, and L.A.'s president of basketball operations and general manager, Rob Pelinka, defended the gamble by suggesting that it was the only viable way to land a player like Kessler.

"There's a scarcity of supply," Pelinka said. "There just is. And if you look at what you could potentially get in the draft or what is potentially going to come in free agency, those centers just don't exist."

If Kessler is everything L.A. hopes he will be, it will all be worth it. If he's not, the franchise will be in a tough spot with roster flexibility. -- McMenamin

How soon can Memphis return to relevancy?

Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman confidently said last season at the trade deadline that fans shouldn't expect a long rebuild. And that was before Memphis traded franchise star Ja Morant to Portland. "We're not starting from scratch," Kleiman said. "We already have a lot to work with. I don't think this is some five-year, try to be terrible [by tanking process]."

The current roster features plenty of young talent in Zach Edey , Cedric Coward and No. 3 pick Cameron Boozer , but it appears the Grizzlies might still be a couple of years away from returning to the postseaso

_Originally reported by [ESPN](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/50008454/nba-2026-2027-preseason-biggest-question-all-30-teams)._