Five Biggest Storylines for the Rest of the NBA Season

The NBA’s trade deadline and All-Star break have come and gone. Some players got to bask in the sun of their preferred vacation spot while others participated in a surprisingly exciting All-Star Game.

After a few days away, it’s about time for the return of some real action with plenty at stake over the final 30 or so games in each team’s regular-season schedules. For some, it’s time to lock in and secure favorable postseason seeding. And for others—well, quite the opposite.

A cluster of teams have found their way to the bottom of the NBA’s standings. Hopes of taking a step forward this season have vanished and games after the All-Star break are all about adding some ping pong balls to their pot in the NBA draft lottery. But not in obvious ways, of course.

Players who found new homes at the Feb. 5 trade deadline had a few games to acclimate to their new situations, as teams who took swings to push for a title must adjust quickly to make it all work. Most notably, James Harden’s arrival in Cleveland is off to a good start with three wins in as many tries as the 17-year veteran embarks on a new journey in the chase for his first title. The Wizards, Jazz and Pacers brought in new stars, but they have more time to settle in without playoff aspirations this year.

From contenders with added intrigue to the uncertain futures of some of the NBA’s brightest stars to the always interesting race to the bottom, there’s plenty to watch over the last chunk of the regular season. Here are five of the biggest storylines across the league to monitor the rest of the way:

James Harden’s honeymoon phase with the Cavs

Harden played three games with the Cavaliers prior to the All-Star break, which were three wins for the new-look Cleveland squad. The Cavs are fourth place in the Eastern Conference at 34–21 heading into the stretch.

Evan Mobley’s return is on the horizon as he’s dealt with calf issues this season. According to Tankathon, Cleveland has one of the easiest schedules the rest of the way. It does have two games against the Pistons and meetings with the Knicks and Thunder over the next two weeks. But the Cavs’ remaining schedule also includes two games against the lowly Nets and Mavericks, plus meetings with the Pacers, Wizards, Pelicans and Jazz. Any NBA schedule is tough, but an easier than normal slate helps Cleveland as it continues to get used to the new backcourt of Harden and Donovan Mitchell.

The Cavs are in striking distance of the Knicks and Celtics to move up into the No. 2 seed in the East. Playoff positioning will be key in Harden’s hunt for his first NBA title. With the shocking trade that sent Darius Garland to the Clippers, it was presumed Cleveland would have a bumpy start with Harden’s arrival, especially with the absence of Mobley. That hasn’t happened yet and how the Cavs handle their last chunk of the season will tell us whether Cleveland is a true title threat this year.

Who wins the great tank race of 2026?

Utah Jazz bench — The Utah Jazz hope to find themselves at the top of the NBA draft lottery this season | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

To tank or not to tank?

The bottom eight NBA teams are within eight wins of the coveted title of the league’s losingest team this season. Each team is incentivized to find its way to the top of a loaded draft this year other than the Pelicans who owe their first-round pick to the Hawks. That leaves a large field of the Kings, Wizards, Pacers, Nets, Jazz, Mavs and Grizzlies in the tank race. You could even add the 23–30 Bucks depending on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s availability for the rest of the season.

Although Utah looked to turn a new page toward competition with the acquisition of Jaren Jackson Jr. at the trade deadline, his season with the Jazz ended after just three games. Utah has smartly punted on the season with a hope to add another young building block around their core of Jackson, Lauri Markkanen, Ace Bailey and Keyonte George.

Indiana is another interesting team to monitor down the stretch. The Pacers acquired star center Ivica Zubac from the Clippers at the deadline, sending L.A. a first-round pick that’s protected 1–4 and 10–30 this year. That means if Indiana’s pick lands between Nos. 5 and 9, it will go to the Clippers this year. The fate of the Pacers’ pick will depend on how the ping pong balls land in the draft lottery, but more losses and better lottery odds will only help in an off year without Tyrese Haliburton.

Jayson Tatum’s potential return

Jayson Tatum and Cooper Flagg — Jayson Tatum continues his recovery from a torn Achilles | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Those who paid close attention to Sunday’s All-Star Game caught a preview of a documentary that Tatum collaborated on with NBC that documents his recovery from the torn Achilles suffered in last season’s playoffs.

Clips of Tatum’s workouts have caught steam over the first half of the season, signaling he may be ready to return sooner than expected. Whether he will actually return this season remains to be seen. If he does make a comeback, he’ll certainly help the second-place Celtics. His readiness and what he looks like after the injury are the true questions.

Even without Tatum, Boston has impressed behind Jaylen Brown’s strong season during which he's scored 29.3 points per game. I’m particularly bullish on the deadline deal to acquire Nikola Vučević from the Bulls, filling a frontcourt need with a floor-spacing big man. Vučević isn’t the player he once was and sending out Anfernee Simons in the deal brings scoring questions, but Boston has largely succeeded without its best player. There’s no reason that should change now, especially with Vučević, who creates a matchup advantage with the East-leading Pistons, in the fold.

Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix reported Tuesday that a Tatum return this season is still up in the air and it will boil down to whether he believes he can return at or close to the level he was when he went out. Should Tatum believe he’s ready to go at full steam, the Eastern Conference’s power dynamic could change on a dime.

Is this it for LeBron James?

Nobody knows whether season No. 23 will be the last for James, not even him.

He held an All-Star conference separate from the rest of the participants, which caused fans to wonder whether there was any big announcement to come. James, however, reinforced what he’s said all season: When he knows, we’ll know.

The reluctance to announce a forthcoming retirement makes at least one more season fully plausible at this point. A big question is, where would that take place? James is an unrestricted free agent following this season and depending on how the rest of the Lakers’ year goes, he could go elsewhere. A triumphant return to Cleveland for a retirement tour and a shot at one more title seems like the most likely outcome if he departs L.A., especially when you consider how emotional James was in the Lakers’ sole game at Rocket Arena this season. Rob Pelinka would certainly be happy to have James back for another run with the Lakers, though.

James’s future aside, the Lakers hope to compete this season and are currently tied for fifth in the West with the Timberwolves. L.A. has the NBA’s best scorer in Luka Dončić, but the Lakers will have a tough time getting past the conference’s top trio of the Thunder, Spurs and Nuggets. After James missed the first month of the season, the Lakers had some hiccups with the 41-year-old back in the lineup. Those have since subsided, winning four of the past five games with James on the floor prior to the All-Star break. Austin Reaves’s recent return certainly helps, but do the Lakers have enough to compete against the Western Conference’s powers?

Maybe they can win a playoff series, but a run at the title or even the Western Conference finals seems too tall of a task. If things go south in L.A. over the Lakers’ last 28 games, maybe James’s future will become more clear.

MVP race between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokić and … Cade Cunningham?

We’re headed for another MVP race between Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokić, but what if the latter becomes ineligible for postseason honors? With 27 games left for the Nuggets, Jokić can’t miss more than one game after an extended absence due to a hyperextended knee.

That leaves no wiggle room for the three-time MVP, so what happens if Jokić is ineligible once the regular season concludes? Does Gilgeous-Alexander just run away with the award? Probably, but a one-man race is no fun.

Cade Cunningham deserves more love in MVP discussions with the season Detroit is having, although it’s a massive challenge to butt into the conversation with the dominance of Jokić and SGA. The Pistons have won 40 games and are 5 1/2 games clear of the rest of the Eastern Conference at the All-Star break with Cunningham leading the way. He likely needs to score more to be a legitimate MVP candidate, averaging 25.3 points per game compared to 31.8 for Gilgeous-Alexander and 28.7 for Jokić.

Mannix: From 14 Wins to NBA Title Contender: How the Pistons Found Their Identity

Cunningham is averaging the most assists in the league, 9.6 dimes per night, other than Jokić’s 10.7 per game. Should Jokić miss more time after the break, Cunningham could break into the MVP conversation alongside Dončić, who’s leading the NBA with 32.8 points per game, but the Lakers’ 33–21 record which has them fifth place in the Western Conference could hold him back. The Lakers aren’t too far off of the Nuggets (35–20), but Jokić averaging a triple-double makes him a bona fide MVP candidate as long as he’s eligible.

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