Eastern Conference Power Rankings after the NBA Trade Deadline

Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers and Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers. Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images
Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers and Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers. Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images /
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Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks and Patty Mills, Brooklyn Nets. Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images /

East Power Rankings: No. 7-5

While one of these three teams will have to go through the Play-In Tournament, it seems likely all three will be in the final eight-team playoff bracket. At the same time, it would be fairly surprising if any of them cracked the top 4, and none would be favored in a first-round playoff series.

. 33-24. . Brooklyn Nets. 7. team. 147

Oh, what would have been. It’s easy to write off the Brooklyn Nets after they traded Kevin Durant and Jae Crowder, but this team is still stocked with really good players – they just lack any star power. Mikal Bridges, Spencer Dinwiddie, Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Nic Claxton, Ben Simmons, Royce O’Neale, Seth Curry, Joe Harris, Cam Thomas, Yuta Watanabe…

They are going to falter without a high-level on-ball creator, but Dinwiddie and Bridges can do enough and they have tons of shooting and defense. A fall into the lottery seems highly unlikely at this point.

team. 27. . 32-27. . New York Knicks. 6

The New York Knicks are a really good team this season. They aren’t a title contender, but they are firmly in the next tier. They have the eighth-best point differential in the entire league, with a deep roster that can withstand injuries to everyone but Jalen Brunson. They added Josh Hart at the deadline, a somewhat weird move but one that brings yet another solid player into their rotation.

32-26. . Miami Heat. 5. team. 110.

The Miami Heat have been shaky this season, but since a poor start they’ve righted the ship and are now on track to finish with the fifth seed in the East. They were quiet at the deadline, just shipping out Dewayne Dedmon to clear room under the tax to fill their 15th roster spot. They’ll probably play this year out, then target bigger moves this offseason to gear up for a push next year. With Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, this team is certainly dangerous, but there are enough weak spots this season to keep them out of the next tier despite their recent playoff success.