The Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics rivalry will reach new heights in 2026-2027 due to the swapping of Paul George and Jaylen Brown. The LeBron James factor will also be major, considering the veteran forward is a well-known rival for the city.
Some Eastern Conference players are leaning into the verbal jab route when it comes to LeBron and the 76ers. Guys like Bam Adebayo on the Miami Heat simply say they look forward to dominating the new-look team that employs one of the best to do it.
As for Tatum, he's looking at the bigger picture. Of course, we assume he's internally thinking about possibly taking down the LeBron-led Sixers, who have his former co-star on the roster next season, but the Celtics' forward is admittedly excited about the state of the league. The excitement for recent changes goes beyond Philadelphia.
The NBA is in a good place
"I was just kind of excited for the NBA," Tatum said on the Dan Patrick Show recently. "I think the buzz and the excitement level around this season is higher than in recent years. I think just a bunch of different guys on new teams. There are so many storylines that people love to talk about. I think the NBA is going to be super competitive this year and extremely entertaining."
This isn't exactly the type of talk fans want to hear when they want the drama and the intensity, but Tatum is doing right by the NBA by making it clear that the major changes are good, especially when you zoom in on the Eastern Conference.
Over the past two seasons specifically, the East was recognized as the weaker conference. In 2024-2025, the West's playoff race went down to the wire--and some teams couldn't afford a loss up until the final buzzer of the season.
Suddenly, the East holds plenty of power. Some stars switched over. LeBron left the Lakers for the Sixers. Kawhi Leonard was sent to the Toronto Raptors. James Harden re-upped with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who also made waves by adding the emerging star Peyton Watson. Even the return of Julius Randle to the East is a notable move, all while Brown and Giannis Antetokounmpo changed squads.
Tatum isn't giving his Atlantic Division rival any bulletin board material with his interview on the Dan Patrick Show, as he complimented the LeBron James and Jaylen Brown additions for Philly, but he reminded fans that the big picture in the East gives everybody plenty to look forward to.
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