The NBA released its 2026–27 GM survey on October 15, with San Antonio receiving 50% of title predictions and Oklahoma City 43%. Wembanyama drew 77% for MVP and 93% as the first franchise-building choice. Executives favor both the young core and immediate title prospects, but margins differ by question.
Spurs lead championship picks, while Western Conference scores are level
The 25th annual survey has 48 questions on teams, players, coaches and offseason moves. GMs cannot select their own personnel or teams. Percentages represent votes, not actual championship probabilities.
| Survey question | Leader and share | Main comparison |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 championship prediction | Spurs 50% | Thunder 43% |
| 2026–27 MVP prediction | Victor Wembanyama 77% | Nikola Jokić 10% |
| First player to start a franchise | Victor Wembanyama 93% | 83% in previous survey |
| Best current center | Nikola Jokić 63% | Victor Wembanyama 37% |
| Most promising young core | Spurs 87% | Wizards 7% |
| Best defensive team | Thunder 77% | Spurs 20% |
The championship picks differed by seven percentage points. For the Western Conference rankings, first- through fourth-place votes were worth four, three, two and one points, respectively. The Spurs and Thunder each received 34% of the total points. Looking only at first-place votes, San Antonio had 53% to Oklahoma City’s 47%.
San Antonio received 87% of votes for the most promising young core, with Washington at 7%. The NBA listed Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper as 22, 21 and 20 years old, respectively.
Wembanyama leads MVP picks, Jokić retains current-center majority
Wembanyama topped eight questions. He received 77% of MVP predictions and 93% of votes for the player GMs would choose to start a franchise. The latter was up ten percentage points from 83% in the previous survey. The two questions asked who would win the coming season’s MVP and whom GMs would select first to build a team from scratch.
Nikola Jokić led the best current center vote with 63% to Wembanyama’s 37%. Wembanyama received 97% in both the best defender and best interior defender categories. Oklahoma City led the best defensive team vote with 77%, followed by San Antonio at 20%.
