NBA Eastern Conference 2026/27: Heat and Pacers at the Bottom

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents NBA Eastern Conference 2026/27: Heat and Pacers at the Bottom.

The new NBA season 2026/27 is just around the corner, and the first major projection for the Eastern Conference comes from The Athletic. The preview's central message: the East is as hotly contested as it has been in a long time. At the same time, seven franchises are expected at the bottom of the standings – including Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers, two names that had nearly always made the playoffs in recent years.

Heat and Pacers at the Bottom – Wizards in the Mix

Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers appear near the bottom of the preview. That's remarkable: both franchises had recently been regular fixtures among the East's playoff contenders. The Washington Wizards, as the analysis's link already hints, are also among the seven teams The Athletic projects to finish at the bottom of the conference.

Don't expect the East to be the least this season, but these seven teams project to be at the bottom of the conference.

What This Means for the Start of the Season

For you as a fan, this means: the question of playoff spots in the East 2026/27 becomes a complete toss-up. Instead of a clear frontrunner and a clear cellar-dweller, a broad middle of the pack is taking shape, in which multiple teams can realistically compete for the upper half of the standings. Heat and Pacers are projected in the lower half of the conference in this outlook.

The full analysis with projected wins, player profiles, and concrete rankings sits behind The Athletic's paywall – The Athletic is part of The New York Times Company.