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The Eastern Conference got stronger during the offseason and houses the reigning champions for the second time in three years, so while the West is still best, the gap is narrower than it’s been since LeBron James led the Miami Heat to back-to-back titles in 2012-13.
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In case you weren’t aware, that remains the last time the East has won the Finals in consecutive seasons.
Fourteen years later, LeBron is back in the conference looking to help the Philadelphia 76ers win their first title since 1983, Giannis Antetokounmpo is now Miami’s main man, and following the long-awaited conclusion to the Kawhi Leonard saga, the 2019 Finals MVP has rejoined the vastly improved Raptors. New York is looking to repeat and must get through an even more stacked East loaded with contenders.
Giannis and Kawhi will be looking to land immediately with a new team and win a championship, something that hasn’t been done in the NBA since Leonard accomplished the feat in Toronto to end last decade.
Kawhi Leonard is a Toronto Raptor pic.twitter.com/9GSg0M7Ttt
– Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) September 15, 2026
Although every division will be tightly contested since multiple teams are capable of finishing first, Leonard leading a new group as a high-profile addition links him at the hip with Antetokounmpo. Counting the Knicks’ Jalen Brunson, five of the last eight MVPs of the NBA’s championship series play on Eastern Conference teams, which includes James and Jaylen Brown teaming up in Philly. Leonard has a pair of Finals MVPs, winning his first in San Antonio in ’14 at the expense of Miami.
James and Brown sharing the burden of being the new guy should help both, but takes them out of the conversation central to this column: who is more likely to take their new team to the top, Giannis or Kawhi?
Leonard has been in the NBA since 2011-12 and played college ball at San Diego State, but is still just 35 years old. Due to injuries, his 798 career games are nearly 100 fewer than Antetokounmpo (895), who was drafted as a teen in 2013 and came straight to the pros from Greece.
They met in the 2019 Eastern Conference finals in a memorable series in which the Raptors fell behind 2-0 in Milwaukee before rattling off four straight wins. Giannis had a big series, but Kawhi imposed his will, leading the Raps in scoring in five of the six contests, including a 36-point effort in a double-OT win in Game 3 that helped flip the series. He closed things out at Scotiabank Arena with a 27-point, 17-rebound game before dominating injury-plagued Golden State in the Finals alongside Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam.
There would be no rematch. Leonard returned to his hometown of L.A. via free agency after leading the Raptors to their first NBA title, joining the Clippers. His exit made life easier in the East, so after Miami represented the conference in the post-COVID bubble Finals, going through Giannis’ Bucks in the semis, Milwaukee emerged in 2021 and ultimately won it all.
Antetokounmpo, who turns 32 in December, now hops on board a Heat team that has been in the play-in for four consecutive seasons. Leonard, who played 65 games last season to Giannis’ 36, is joining a team which ended a lengthy playoff drought by finishing fifth in 2025-26.
The Raptors are on the rise again, moving only Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick in addition to loads of draft capital in order to secure Leonard’s services. They should make progress if a healthy Leonard teaches them how to win.
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Heat, Raptors look evenly matched, prioritize defense
Scottie Barnes is an All-Star already. Does he have more of a game-to-game impact than Bam Adebayo? Is RJ Barrett better than fellow Canadian Andrew Wiggins?
Giannis’ arrival allows Miami to be better down the stretch in games and allows Adebayo, Wiggins and Davion Mitchell to concentrate on setting a defensive tone. Mitchell isn’t the scorer Immanuel Quickley is but can be a significantly more impactful on D.
In many ways, the Raptors and Heat appear to be very similar entering 2026-27. Both have young x-factors like Toronto big man Collin Murray-Broyles and Miami guard Pelle Larsson whose development will play major roles. Adding Klay Thompson and Tim Hardaway Jr. gives the Heat an edge in proven shotmakers, but the Raptors have pieces like center Jakob Poeltl and guard Jamal Shead who are tough to match up with in their own right.
Two factors do work in the Heat’s favor, at least on paper, if you’re forecasting them to have more success. With respect to the Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic, Miami’s division is significantly lighter than what the Raps have to deal with given all the heavyweights in the Atlantic. Although Brooklyn should again be a doormat, New York, Philadelphia and Boston have a chance to be the East’s top seed.
While Leonard is rejoining a franchise he thrived with in his lone season in Toronto (‘18-’19), he also doesn’t have much familiarity to lean on. Thanks to Bobby Portis, Antetokounmpo will have as many guys he’s shared the court with as Leonard, who was with San Antonio when veteran forward Kyle Anderson came into the league and knows him well. No current Raptors player was on that championship-winning roster, which was put together by current Mavericks president Masai Ujiri and coached by current Sixers’ boss Nick Nurse.
Darko Rajakovic picked up a third-place vote to finish tied for 10th in the Coach of the Year and comes off the most successful of his first three seasons in Toronto, but he’s obviously no Erik Spoelstra.
With that in mind, Antetokounmpo should have an easier time winning immediately in his new digs than Leonard, but it’s pretty close to an even playing field for the debate we’ll hopefully get to see unfold. Both future Hall of Famers are looking to elevate their new teams immediately. Who will be more successful?
Here’s hoping both stay healthy enough to track between now and when they decide the matter in the playoffs.
Today’s best reads
- How the Miami Heat’s Defense Can Be Terrifying This Season
- Kyrie Irving Could Be the Miami Heat’s Perfect In-Season Trade Target
- Bold Predictions for the 2026/2027 Miami Heat Season
- A Bold Giannis Antetokounmpo Prediction For the Miami Heat
- Davion Mitchell Sends Strong Message About New-Look Miami Heat
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/heat/onsi as Kawhi joining Giannis in East sets up great debate .
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This story was originally published September 16, 2026 at 4:00 AM.