The San Antonio Spurs are the most popular championship pick in the NBA's 2026/27 general-manager survey, receiving 50% of the votes on that question. The NBA's 15 October report also gives Victor Wembanyama 77% of MVP predictions in the annual 48-question exercise.
Expectations favour San Antonio
Oklahoma City receive 43% of championship picks, with the Knicks and Philadelphia also earning votes.
Wembanyama attracts 93% when respondents are asked which player they would choose to start a franchise. The Spurs lead the most-promising-young-core question with 87%, with Wembanyama, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper central to the article's discussion.
Those percentages belong to separate questions. MVP predictions and franchise-building preferences cannot be added into one performance measure, and neither represents a completed end-of-season award.
The survey's rules matter
The NBA says general managers cannot vote for their own teams or personnel. The 48 questions cover teams, players, coaches and offseason changes; 48 is the question count, not a published participant total.
Nikola Jokić receives 63% on the best-centre question, with Wembanyama on 37%. Cameron Boozer leads Rookie of the Year predictions with 50%, ahead of Caleb Wilson, AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson.
Conference-order tables also use weighted points for different placings, unlike single-choice questions.
The survey consequently records preseason expectations among executives. It is not an official league table, an award result or a guarantee that the selected players and teams will achieve those outcomes during the season.