NBA general managers overwhelmingly expect the Oklahoma City Thunder to capture a second consecutive championship, according to the 24th annual GM survey released on October 9, 2025, by John Schuhmann of NBA.com. Executives could not vote for their own teams or personnel.
Championship outlook
Eight out of 10 respondents (80 percent) picked the Thunder to win the 2026 NBA Finals. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Denver Nuggets followed at 7 percent each, while the Houston Rockets and New York Knicks collected the remaining votes.
If Oklahoma City prevails next June, the franchise would become the league’s first back-to-back champion since Golden State in 2018. Last year’s survey favored Boston to repeat with 83 percent of the vote, but the Celtics exited in the 2025 conference semifinals.
Individual honors
Denver center Nikola Jokic is the clear favorite for the 2025-26 MVP award, securing 67 percent of the vote. The three-time winner was also labeled the league’s best center (97 percent possible), best international player (93 percent), best passer (80 percent), player with the highest basketball IQ (80 percent) and the player who forces coaches to adjust the most (57 percent).
Rising and versatile talent
Rockets guard/forward Amen Thompson topped three categories: most athletic player (58 percent), most versatile defender (18 percent) and player most likely to break out this season (30 percent).
For a second straight year, Spurs center Victor Wembanyama was chosen as the best player to build a franchise around, earning 83 percent. He also led voting for best defender (80 percent) and tied Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo as the league’s most versatile player (30 percent each).
Rookie projections
Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg dominated the Rookie of the Year forecast, collecting 97 percent of the vote. Ninety-three percent of executives also believe he will be the top player from this class in five years.
Offseason assessments
Fifty-three percent of general managers named the Atlanta Hawks as the team that made the best offseason moves, while 47 percent predicted the Orlando Magic would show the greatest improvement in 2025-26.
Respondents called the Milwaukee Bucks’ summer the most surprising, citing the decision to waive and stretch Damian Lillard (43 percent) and the subsequent signing of free-agent center Myles Turner (30 percent).
The full results of the survey are available on NBA.com.
Source: Hoops Rumors
