On Wednesday, the NBA announced the draw for the teams, all of which will participate in the 2025-26 NBA Cup. The Washington Wizards will be in East Group A with the Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors.

The Eastern Conference group is packed with talent, experience, and business deals. Only the best will survive the chaos of group play.

Milwaukee joined the Los Angeles Lakers as the first two organizations to win an NBA title and an NBA Cup. Antetokounmpo joined LeBron James as the only players to capture career regular season, NBA Cup and NBA Finals MVPs and Bucks head coach Doc Rivers is the only coach to capture a Finals and Cup final title.

Defending NBA Cup champion Milwaukee will play its group-stage games in this season’s tournament against New York, Chicago, Charlotte and Miami.

The Cleveland Cavaliers were one of the best teams in the NBA, at least record-wise. They were dominant in the first half of the season and had multiple 10-game winning streaks. Unfortunately, two of their few early losses came during the NBA Emirates Cup.

The league unveiled the groups for the third year of the tournament, which tips off on Oct. 31. Group play continues through Nov. 28.

The Los Angeles Lakers won the inaugural cup during the 2023-24 NBA season, with the Milwaukee Bucks securing the honors this past campaign. The Warriors will undoubtedly have a chance to make a deep run in the tournament, that's if Steve Kerr and the coaching staff make progress a priority.

The groups are as follows: West Group A: Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, Utah Jazz West Group B: Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans