NBA Roundtable: Which Coaches Are Already on the Hot Seat, and Which Teams Will Make a Big Trade?

It’s nice to have NBA hoops back in our lives, isn’t it?

The preseason has begun, which means all of the 2026–27 predictions we’ve made are only a couple of weeks away from coming true. Right?

As the exhibitions roll on and the Oct. 20 opening night creeps closer, SI’s NBA team got together for our second edition of an offseason roundtable, this time to hand out some preseason superlatives. Read on:

Jump to a topic:

Which team is most likely to make a big move this season?
Name a player who is flying under the radar this season.
Who will emerge as a breakout player this season?
Name a coach that enters the year on the hot seat.

Which team is most likely to make a big move this season?

Milwaukee native Tyler Herro will make his Bucks debut this season. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Liam McKeone: Milwaukee Bucks. Milwaukee is starting over after trading Giannis Antetokounmpo. The new roster features several veterans who could prove mighty useful to a contending team—primarily Tyler Herro. Given the state of the roster outside those talents and the Bucks’ status as a rebuilding team, it would make all the sense in the world for the front office to trade any player who isn’t part of their long-term vision. Expect them to do so once the contention landscape crystalizes and teams scour the trade market for help.

Blake Silverman: Golden State Warriors. Golden State lost out on the Giannis sweepstakes, then LeBron James chose the 76ers instead of teaming up with Steph Curry and Draymond Green in the Bay. The Warriors will run back essentially the same roster, which sets the team up to be one of the biggest players at the February trade deadline.

Tom Dierberger: Washington Wizards. On paper, the Wizards’ new duo of Trae Young and Anthony Davis fits very nicely together. The Wizards should be frisky in the East. But if it doesn’t work out as planned (injuries likely playing a factor here), Washington could send Davis to a contender at the deadline. The Wizards might want to move on before his $62.8 million player option for next season hits anyway.

Name a player who is flying under the radar this season.

NAW — Alexander-Walker was voted the NBA’s Most Improved Player last seson after averaging 20.8 points per game. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Liam McKeone: Franz Wagner, Magic. Wagner has become something of a forgotten man in Orlando after several seasons cut short due to injury. But when healthy, the 25-year-old is a big, physical defender who can muscle his way into the paint against any defender. Wagner’s shooting remains his swing skill yet even without a reliable jumper he is capable of putting up 25 points per night while shutting down opponents with his smarts, agility and strength on the other end. With new coach Sean Sweeney coming in, a big year is in store if Wagner can stay on the court.

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Blake Silverman: Jeremiah Fears, Pelicans. Fears’s rookie season flew a bit under the radar due to the Rookie of the Year battle between Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel. Fears finished his rookie year as strong as he could with three straight games with at least 36 points. Yes, a lot of players were sitting by then, but scoring that many points in any NBA game is a true feat. Let alone to do it three times in a row. More importantly, he’s a true building block for New Orleans alongside Derik Queen.

Tom Dierberger: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Hawks. Even though he won Most Improved Player last season, I still don’t think enough fans are talking about “NAW.” Alexander-Walker (yes, the cousin of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) averaged 20.8 points per game while shooting just shy of 40% from deep in his first season in Atlanta. He’s got All-Star potential, especially if the Hawks can stay in the mix this year.

Who will emerge as a breakout player this season?

Liam McKeone: Ausar Thompson, Pistons. A languid athlete who coils like a snake before he springs to swat basketballs into the stands, Thompson is a generational leaper with supernatural instincts out on the floor. The young Pistons wing has already turned himself into one of the league’s most disruptive defenders, but his leap must come on the offensive end this season—and it will. Thompson’s sense of space is other-worldly, and you could see in real time how he was learning to manipulate the weak spots in opposing defenses during Detroit’s playoff run last year despite a broken jumpshot. With better shooters on this year’s roster to give him space to work, Thompson will find ways to score while making a serious case to be considered the NBA’s best wing defender.

Blake Silverman: Ajay Mitchell, Thunder. The Thunder lost Luguentz Dort, Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins due to financial limitations as Oklahoma City prioritized retaining Isaiah Hartenstein. The departures leave plenty of shots on the table, and no player is in a better position to benefit than Mitchell. He was a postseason hero for OKC before he missed the end of its playoff run due to calf issues. He’s a solid defender, and he packs enough of a scoring punch to become a 20-point scorer for the Thunder, especially if Jalen Williams misses considerable time again after an injury-marred year.

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Tom Dierberger: Joan Beringer, Timberwolves. There are several definitions of breakout guys, as you see here. Liam went with a good player (Thompson) developing into a great player, and Blake picked a proven youngster who has star potential. Meet Beringer, the Wolves’ other French giant. He’s not going to win any awards this year, but he’ll let the rest of the NBA know he is A Guy. The No. 17 pick in the 2025 draft played sparingly last season, but now with Naz Reid and Julius Randle out the door, he’ll get plenty of minutes backing up Rudy Gobert in the frontcourt. And he looks pretty, pretty good in the preseason:

OH MY JOAN 😳 pic.twitter.com/kS0oU6DPAt
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) October 6, 2026

Name a coach that enters the year on the hot seat.

Liam McKeone: Kenny Atkinson, Cavaliers. The Cavaliers are as close to championship-or-bust as you can get after trading their remaining tradable draft picks for Peyton Watson, bringing back James Harden and giving Donovan Mitchell an enormous contract extension. Cleveland is extremely invested in this team, and Atkinson has to hold up his end of the bargain—particularly after his team’s collapse in the conference finals and his infamous claim that the Cavaliers “analytically” won several games against the Knicks before they got swept. Should this high-priced roster stumble in a competitive East, Atkinson will be feeling the heat.

Blake Silverman: Micah Nori, Trail Blazers. The first-year Portland coach has to be on the hot season since he just has one year guaranteed on his contract. That’s due to Trail Blazers owner Tom Dundon’s cost-cutting measures and reluctance to put a huge amount of dollars into his head coach. Nori is a fine coach and has been at the top of the line for a head-coaching job after his time as Chris Finch’s top assistant in Minnesota. In Portland, though, he’ll have a close eye on him.

NBA scouts break down each Western Conference team: Clippers | Grizzlies | Jazz | Kings | Lakers | Mavericks | Nuggets | Pelicans | Rockets | Spurs | Suns | Thunder | Timberwolves | Trail Blazers | Warriors

Tom Dierberger: Doug Christie, Kings. It’s going to be another rough year in Sacramento, I fear. This is the second full season of Christie at the helm. There hasn’t been a single Kings coach to last more than three full seasons with the organization since Rick Adelman in the early 2000s. Good news for Doug: The last coach the Kings fired went on to win an NBA Finals 18 months later.

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