Charles Barkley dismisses the Knicks as his favorite to win the East

NBA Hall of Fame Charles Barkley no longer supported New York Knicks to win the Eastern Conferenceshifting their support to Cleveland Cavaliers.

During ESPN’s Inside the NBA broadcast Friday night, Barkley announced that he did no more picking New York to come out of the East.

“I’m trading my pick Ernie. I told you I think the Knicks are out of the East… The Cleveland Cavaliers are out of the Eastern Conference,” Barkley said.

Cleveland jumped up in the standings after that trade with the Los Angeles Clippers to acquire James Harden in exchange for Darius Garland within this season. The Cavaliers extended their winning streak to seven games with a 118-113 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night, improving to 36-21 on the season. Cleveland is now third in the Eastern Conference, just one game behind the Boston Celtics for the second seed.

Since arriving in Cleveland, Harden has averaged 18.4 points, 8.6 assists, five rebounds and one steal per game while shooting 49.1 percent from the field and 48.1 percent from three-point range in five contests in 31.8 minutes per game.

“The Cleveland Cavaliers are out of the Eastern Conference,” – Charles Barkley 👀👀👀 pic.tvitter.com/kF7KskMKSzuG

— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) February 21, 2026

Charles Barkley trades East pick as Cavaliers ramp up ahead of Knicks matchup

Harden’s presence coincided with increased production from center Jarrett Allen. In that same five-game stretch, Allen averaged 22.6 points, 11.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists and one block while shooting 76.3 percent from the field in 30 minutes per game. For the season, the 27-year-old is averaging 14.9 points and 8.4 rebounds while shooting 62.7 percent in 45 games.

New York, meanwhile, experienced a strong stretch of its own despite Barkley’s dismissal. The Knicks went 10-3 from late January to early February, including an eight-game winning streak. However, they slipped to the fourth seed after a Defeated 126-111 by the NBA leading Detroit Pistonsdropping to 35-21 per year.

The two Eastern Conference contenders are scheduled to meet during New York’s upcoming three-game road trip. The Knicks visit Cleveland next Tuesday at 7:30pm ET on the Peacock.

With the Cavaliers riding the momentum and climbing the standings, Barkley’s revised prediction underscores how quickly the Eastern Conference hierarchy has changed in the weeks since the trade deadline.