The 2026-27 NBA GM survey champion pick belongs to the New York Knicks, who collected 60% of first-place votes to win the 2027 NBA Finals, according to NBA.com’s 25th annual poll of league executives. The result arrives even though the San Antonio Spurs, not the Knicks, were named the top pick for best young core and remain one of two teams executives view as the clear championship favorites heading into the season.
League general managers answered 48 questions covering teams, players, coaches and offseason moves for the survey, published Thursday by NBA.com. The results touch nearly every corner of the league, from MVP projections to a notable omission involving the Atlanta Hawks.
The Main Development: Knicks Lead Finals Voting
New York’s 60% share of first-place votes placed it well ahead of the field. The Philadelphia 76ers followed at 23%, while Cleveland and Boston each drew 7%, according to NBA.com. Bleacher Report noted that San Antonio and Oklahoma City are viewed as “far-and-away” the top championship contenders among GMs, a distinction separate from the Finals-winner vote itself.
Oklahoma City enters the season as the defending Western Conference champion in GM eyes after winning 87% of the vote for that title a year ago, per NBA.com. The Thunder won 64 games last season and reached the Western Conference finals before losing to San Antonio in seven games, according to Bleacher Report.
What It Means: Spurs Still Dominate Individual Honors
Even without topping the championship vote, San Antonio dominated other categories. The Spurs were picked as the top young core in the league, built around 22-year-old Victor Wembanyama, 21-year-old Stephon Castle and 20-year-old Dylan Harper, per NBA.com. Wembanyama also received MVP votes from 23 of 30 general managers, according to Bleacher Report, after averaging 25.0 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game last season while leading San Antonio to a 62-win campaign and the Western Conference title.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the back-to-back MVP winner from Oklahoma City, was picked by 67% of GMs as the player most likely to have a breakout season in 2026-27, Bleacher Report reported. Readers can find more on San Antonio’s roster construction in Total Apex Sports’ look at the Spurs’ three-guard lineup and the team’s defensive identity in its Spurs-Thunder defense breakdown.
Context: Hawks Snubbed Despite Division Title
Not every storyline in the survey centered on the title race. The Atlanta Hawks, who went 46-36 and won the Southeast Division for the first time since 2020-21, were left out of the Eastern Conference rankings entirely, according to Yahoo Sports. That marks a sharp drop for a team that was ranked fourth in the East in last year’s survey.
The omission came despite 53% of GMs calling Atlanta’s 2025 offseason the best in the league in last year’s poll. This year, Philadelphia won the best-offseason question outright at 73% after acquiring Jaylen Brown and LeBron James, while Atlanta received no votes in that category, Yahoo Sports reported.
Atlanta’s roster moves since then have been substantial. The Hawks signed CJ McCollum, acquired from Washington on Jan. 9 as part of the Trae Young trade along with Corey Kispert, to a one-year, $21 million extension with a trade kicker on June 21. McCollum averaged 19.2 points in Atlanta’s playoff series and hit game-winning shots in the final minute of Games 2 and 3, according to Yahoo Sports. “I never made it to free agency,” McCollum told HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto regarding the deal.
The Hawks also added Aaron Wiggins from Oklahoma City for two second-round picks on July 6 and extended coach Quin Snyder on June 8. Onsi Saleh, who runs Atlanta’s basketball operations, said of Snyder: “He has created an environment where our players are challenged, supported, and empowered to grow, and that focus on player development has elevated our entire program.” Tobias Harris was named the league’s most underrated offseason pickup at 20%, with OG Anunoby, who made the All-Defensive team in 2025, tied for fourth at 7% in that category despite finishing fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting the previous season.
Team And Player Impact: Coaching And Rookie Honors
The survey also produced notable results beyond the title and MVP races. Indiana’s Rick Carlisle won the best-offense question at 47%, while Miami’s Erik Spoelstra received 13 votes as the league’s best head coach, per Bleacher Report. Mike Conley was the top pick for future head coach at 50%, according to Yahoo Sports, and the Indiana Pacers were named the most improved team for 2026-27.
In the Rookie of the Year race, Milwaukee’s Brayden Burries was picked by 30% of GMs in NBA.com’s survey, while Bleacher Report listed Memphis rookie Cameron Boozer with 15 votes in that category. Fans tracking rookie fantasy value can see more in Total Apex Sports’ ranking of NBA rookie fantasy targets for 2026-27.
What’s Next
The 2026-27 NBA regular season tips off with the storylines from the GM survey now part of the backdrop for every contender mentioned, from New York’s Finals favorite status to Atlanta’s attempt to prove the East rankings wrong. No specific date for the Hawks’ season opener or further survey results was included in the available reporting.
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