Lakers Nation Roundtable: 2026-27 Lakers & NBA Predictions

The NBA offseason has come and gone and the 2026-27 season is upon us as the Los Angeles Lakers host the Golden State Warriors for Opening Night on Wednesday.

It should be another fun NBA season as parity is still at an all-time high across the league, making it tough to predict where the Lakers will land and how the campaign will play out as a whole. The Lakers, of course, completely overhauled their roster this season, bringing in nine new players to build around Luka Doncic.

As is tradition though, our staff went on record and predicted who would win the 2026-27 NBA Championship, as well as all the major awards and L.A. predictions in the latest Lakers Nation Roundtable:

Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand):

NBA Finals: Spurs over 76ers

The Spurs came close to winning it all last year and I think with another year of experience for their young guys, they can break through and win it all against a 76ers team I believe will come out of a loaded Eastern Conference.

MVP: Nikola Jokic, Nuggets

I wanted to pick Luka Doncic here, but we all know MVP is a media-driven award and the Lakers typically don’t fare well when that is the case. Jokic, on the other hand, remains a media darling and I believe he is still the best player in the world.

DPOY: Victor Wembanyama, Spurs

This was the easiest pick for me. The only thing that can stop Wembanyama from winning this award for the next 10 seasons is health and the need to play 65 games.

ROY: AJ Dybantsa, Wizards

Dybantsa is the most talented of a strong rookie class and should get plenty of touches and maybe will even compete for a playoff spot to earn this award.

MIP: Dylan Harper, Spurs

If Harper steps into a starting role for the Spurs this season, we may see him take a leap into All-Star territory.

6MOY: Sandro Mamukelashvili, Lakers

Mamukelashvili has had an exceptional preseason and looks like he is going to play a big role for the Lakers off the bench.

COY: Jordan Ott, Suns

Ott had an exceptional rookie season as a coach and the Suns made some moves this offseason that could vault them into the playoffs as opposed to being a Play-In team.

Lakers Record: 52-30

I think the Lakers did a nice job building their roster around Doncic this offseason. While more moves may be necessary to truly compete for a championship, they should be a regular season wins machine under Redick for the third straight year.

Trevor Lane (@TrevorLane):

NBA Finals: Thunder over Cavaliers

Both the East and West figure to be tight races to get through the regular season and playoffs. Who stays healthy will play a big role in who the last team standing is.

MVP: Luka Doncic, Lakers

Will this finally be the year the Lakers get some live from awards voters? If Doncic puts up big numbers and L.A. exceeds expectations; he should be firmly in the mix.

DPOY: Victor Wembanyama, Spurs

He’s winning it again as long as he plays 65 games.

ROY: AJ Dybantsa, Wizards

He’s the real deal and will put up big numbers for a surprisingly good Wizards team this year.

MIP: Dylan Harper, Spurs

Looks like the Spurs are going to add him to their starting lineup. He may already be the best guard on their roster and will step into a bigger role this year.

6MOY: Sandro Mamukelashvili, Lakers

Why not? Mamu Mentality ignites the Lakers’ bench every time he steps on the floor.

COY: Erik Spoelstra, Heat

There’s enough pessimism about Miami’s ability to find success with their thinned-out roster post-Giannis trade that a solid finish in a crowded East, including a stretch where the Heat stay afloat while missing one of their stars, should get Spoelstra a lot of praise.

Lakers record: 50-32

With the new anti-tanking rules, this isn’t a step back. It may take a midseason trade to get there with the holes in the roster, but I think they get something done and L.A. is a threat again this season.

Corey Hansford (@TheeCoreyH):

NBA Finals: Thunder over Knicks

Getting Jalen Williams, an All-NBA caliber wing who doubles as one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA, healthy makes all the difference for me. And while the East is deep, I’ll still take the Knicks’ lineup at their best over the rest of the conference, just not over the Thunder who I believe pose a tougher matchup to New York than the Spurs.

MVP: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Heat

The injuries and drama took away from the fact that Antetokounmpo was putting up historic level numbers to start last year. MVP is about story and him reminding everyone, with a new team, checks that box.

DPOY: Victor Wembanyama, Spurs

As long as he’s healthy, just give him the award. Hell, they might name it after him soon.

ROY: Darryn Peterson, Utah Jazz

An absolutely stacked class, and Cam Boozer and Caleb Wilson might put up better numbers on bad teams. But I’ll edge Peterson, who will put up great numbers for a Jazz team finally trying to win and may surprise people this year.

MIP: Walker Kessler, Lakers

Kessler has never played with a playmaker as good as Luka Doncic and his numbers will show it on offense while still providing the defense he’s known for. Plus the extra attention of playing with the Lakers will give him a boost.

6MOY: Ajay Mitchell, Thunder

More minutes in the Thunder backcourt have opened up and he was already putting up great numbers. They’ll improve even more and he’ll get proper credit for it.

COY: Darko Rajakovic, Raptors

An already excellent coach for a rising team just added Kawhi Leonard to the fold. If (and that’s a BIG if) Leonard can stay healthy, the Raptors could have a top three record in the East which could push Rajakovic to the top of this list.

Lakers record: 51-31

JJ Redick’s streak of 50-win seasons will continue. The Lakers’ offense will be outstanding and they will be able to scheme together a defense behind Kessler and a slew of wing defenders that is good enough on a night-to-night basis to complement that. The West is more top heavy than anything, but with Doncic and Reaves leading the way, the Lakers will again be a top-4 seed in the conference.

Ron Gutterman (@RonGutterman24):

NBA Finals: Thunder over Pacers

I have a 2025 NBA Finals rematch coming this season. The West was a coin flip between the Thunder and the Spurs, and I’m going with OKC to get their revenge with a healthy Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell. The East is a total crapshoot, and I could make a real argument for eight teams making the Finals, but I’m going with Tyrese Haliburton and Indiana. The last time the Pacers had a healthy Haliburton and a great center, they made it this far.

MVP: Victor Wembanyama, Spurs

I’d love to pick Luka Doncic here, but I don’t believe in the NBA media to actually give him this award, so I’m going with the safe bet. If Wembanyama plays 65 games, he’ll be the MVP.

DPOY: Victor Wembanyama, Spurs

I believe that Wembanyama will win DPOY in every healthy season he plays for a majority of his prime years. He is, by far, the best defensive player on Earth.

ROY: Cam Boozer, Grizzlies

There are four legitimate ROY contenders, but I’m going with the one who will have the greatest opportunity to make an immediate impact in Boozer. If the Grizzlies are even halfway decent, it will be because he hit the ground running.

MIP: Brandon Miller, Hornets

All the ingredients are there for Miller to win this award. Fun ascension at the end of the previous season, a team more squarely focused around his skillset, national attention and a chance to rise to legitimate All-Star territory.

6MOY: Payton Pritchard, Celtics

I almost selected Pritchard for MIP, but decided his role would prevent him from reaching that. So I decided to slot him in here as the best bench player in the sport.

COY: Sean Sweeney, Magic

This award, more than any other above, is narrative-driven. So a first-year coach coming in an fixing some of the problems that have plagued the Magic in recent years seems like the perfect storm for a COY candidate.

Lakers record: 50-32

I have the Lakers, for the third year in a row, winning 50 games and securing a top-six seed in the conference. Of course, that won’t translate to any regular season awards. It never does. But L.A.. should have a real chance to make noise in the postseason.

Matthew Valento (@matthewvalento):