As the NBA season gets closer, every team will be giving themselves a chance to claiming the elusive crown of NBA champions.

While 29 of the 30 teams will ultimately miss out, it's hard to ignore the cases of four teams entering the new season.

We break down the four NBA franchises best set to to lift the Larry O'Brien trophy next June.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Coming off a perfect NBA season, the OKC Thunder are primed and ready to push for the championship once again.

Association MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is entering his prime. The 27-year-old is set up to dominate the league for the foreseeable future, along with his two sidekicks, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren.

Shai is coming off a perfect NBA season from an individual standpoint, winning MVP, Western Conference Finals MVP, and NBA Finals MVP, and leading the association in scoring, averaging 32.7 points per game during the regular season.

The Thunder's young core, led by Shai, is ready to dominate the league and is still well off hitting their prime, with Jalen Williams only 24 years old, and Chet Holmgren only 23.

The only weakness that the Thunder have is their limited volume of three-point shooting. Oklahoma City shot 37.4% from range on 38.8 attempts per games, which was 10th in the association.

Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets were one of the busiest teams in the off-season, and arguably had the best off-season, acquiring Cameron Johnson from the Nets for Michael Porter Jr via trade. They also signed Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr, and traded for Jonas Valanciunas from the Sacramento Kings.

The Nuggets have a better roster construction currently than their championship team from 2023, as their new bench depth will help them be more competitive during the regular season and allow Nikola Jokic to be primed and ready for the playoffs.

After losing to the Thunder in the Western Conference Semi-Finals in seven games, the Nuggets are set for another deep play-off run.

However, the loss of Russell Westbrook may prove to be a challenge for their point guard depth, especially if Jamal Murray were to get injured. Expect Aaron Gordan to take some of the point guard responsibilities with the Nuggets second unit.

Cleveland Cavaliers 

After bouncing out of the playoffs in the second round, the Cleveland Cavaliers look like they will have another chance at securing playoff success with Donovan Mitchell once again.

The Cavaliers were near perfect during the 2024/25 regular season, finishing with a 64-12 record, three all-stars - Mitchell, Darius Garland, and Evan Mobley - two All-NBA selections from Mitchell and Mobley, and a Defensive Player of the Year award to Mobley.

However, they were unable to perform when it counts, losing in five games to the Indiana Pacers.

The Cavs are pretty much running back the same squad from their playoff defeat, with only Ty Jerome and Isaac Okoro leaving the team, and Larry Nance Jr and Lonzo Ball joining the squad.

Point guard Darius Garland, and wing Max Strus will miss the start of the season, which should see Ball hit the court for meaningful minutes, running the offence off the bench.

Cleveland is set to finish as a top three seed in a weaker Eastern Conference once again, but still need to prove themselves in the playoffs, and if not successful, it could see the end of the core four of Mitchell, Garland, Mobley, and big man Jarret Allen.

New York Knicks 

After a Conference Finals run during last season's playoffs, the Knicks decided to fire Head Coach Tom Thibodeau and replace him with Mike Brown for the 2025/26 season.

It seems that the Knicks will tune their gameplan slightly for the upcoming season, acquiring more bench depth to reduce the minutes of their starters for the regular season.

They'll run the offence through the team, not just through Jalen Brunson; changes which should help diversify their game style and set them up for another playoff run.

Acquisitions of Jordan Clarkson, Malcom Brogdon, and Guerschon Yabusele will help bolster their second unit for the regular season and prevent overreliance on their starting unit.

The Knicks should be able to finish inside the top three of the Eastern Conference standings and, at this point, looking like to make it back to the Eastern Conference Finals.