Who won the offseason in the Western Conference? Who will be the top contenders to unseat the Mavericks’ from their throne ruling the West?
It’s an unscientific job trying to break that down, probably doomed to failure. But we’re going to try anyway.
On Monday, we looked at the Mavericks’ busy summer — and by the way, they may have won the West’s offseason with the acquisition of Klay Thompson. On Wednesday, we analyzed the rest of the Southwest Division.
Now, it’s time to wrap up the Western Conference. We’ll go alphabetically so nobody gets in a twist about who we favor, which is nobody, of course.
Suffice it to say that the West is as wide-open as it always seems to be and there will be no shortage of challengers to the Mavericks’ supremacy.
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Denver
Incoming: Russell Westbrook, Dario Saric, DaRon Holmes (R).
Outgoing: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Reggie Jackson.
Analysis: The Nuggets weren’t the same last season after winning the NBA title in 2023. They lost a couple of important role players. Now, they are rolling the dice with Westbrook and hoping Saric can stay healthy. Holmes was the 22nd pick of the draft and is a banger who they hope can take a little of the rebounding pressure off of Nikola Jokic.
Projection: It’s hard to see the Nuggets taking a precipitous fall. They still have one of the best players in the league in Jokic, if not the best. That’s a good place to start. And Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray provide plenty of support. It’s a matter of whether the Nuggets can regain the chemistry that worked so well for them two seasons back.
Golden State
Incoming: Buddy Hield, Kyle Anderson, De’Anthony Melton, Lindy Waters III.
Outgoing: Klay Thompson, Chris Paul, Dario Saric.
Analysis: The Warriors had lost their edge since winning it all in 2022. So they made serious changes and added a couple of solid role players in Melton and Anderson and one of the best shooters in the league in Hield, who has yet to find a home that he can call home after eight
seasons in the league. But players who can nail 40 percent of their three-pointers, as Hield has done in his career, don’t grow on trees.
Projection: Any team with Steph Curry is going to be a threat and the addition of Hield could yield a Splash Brothers 2.0 to the mix with Thompson now a Maverick. The Warriors are past their prime and there will come a time when Curry and the core ride off into the sunset. But it’s still not a team you target as the one you’d want to see in a playoff series.
LA Clippers
Incoming: Kevin Porter Jr., Derrick Jones Jr., Kris Dunn, Mo Bamba, Nic Batum.
Outgoing: Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Daniel Theiss, Mason Plumlee.
Analysis: The pairing of George and Westbrook with Kawhi Leonard and James Harden clearly did not work – too many Alpha dogs. So the Clippers blew it up. The addition of Porter is interesting after he played in Greece last season. Previously, he had three productive seasons in Houston (17.2 points per game), although he had trouble staying on the court. Jones will be a hit in LA because of the style he plays. But he may not find as many open corner threes like he did with the Mavericks.
Projection: Their window slammed shut thanks to the Mavericks in the first round last spring. The Clippers still have dangerous assets, but they no longer can legitimately have championship aspirations. A total remake might be coming.
LA Lakers
Incoming: Dalton Knecht.
Outgoing: Spencer Dinwiddie, Taurean Prince.
Analysis: The Lakers may not be the oldest team in the league in terms of average age. But if you go by mileage on LeBron James and Anthony Davis, it’s not even close. The old graybeards are still going strong, though, and the Lakers brought in a good college shooter in Knecht.
Projection: It’s still a formidable team, just because of their two stars. But they need their young talent (Austin Reaves, Max Christie) and their mid-level role players (DeAngelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent) to take big steps. Every year, you get the feeling it’s the last title shot for LeBron. Every year, we’re wrong.
Minnesota
Incoming: Joe Ingles, P.J. Dozier, Rob Dillingham (R), Terrence Shannon Jr. (R).
Outgoing: Kyle Anderson, Monte Morris, Jordan McLaughlin.
Analysis: They already were a great defensive team, No. 1 in the league last season in total overall rating. And they were a good shooting team. But you can never have too many gunners and Ingles (along with perhaps Dillingham) will provide more of the NBA’s most valuable commodity. They lost three functional role players, but this team again will go with a proven veteran group of stars in Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Projection: The Wolves are in win-now mode and they had the misfortune of running into a hot Mavericks’ team in the Western Conference finals last season. With Edwards, they are full of potential, but the old guys – Gobert and Mike Conley – won’t be on top of their game forever.
Oklahoma City
Incoming: Alex Caruso, Isaiah Hartenstein, Dillon Jones (R).
Outgoing: Josh Giddey, Lindy Waters III.
Analysis: The Thunder are building their team around defense and they got rid of their
weakest link on that end of the court in Giddey. Caruso is as hard-nosed as they come and Hartenstein will give them a different look in the paint when Chet Holmgren sits.
Projection: The Thunder got a good taste of the playoffs last season and a year of maturity and seasoning will do wonders for a team that has a wide-open window of opportunity the next few years.
Phoenix
Incoming: Tyus Jones, Monte Morris, E.J. Liddell, Mason Plumlee, Ryan Dunn (R).
Outgoing: Eric Gordon, David Roddy, Drew Eubanks.
Analysis: Long considered maybe the best backup point guard in the league, Jones was pretty good as a starter, too, last season with Washington (12 points, 7.3 assists). He should be able to step into any role the Suns want from him. Morris and Plumlee can provide depth. Dunn was the 28th pick and anything the Suns get from him as a rookie will be a bonus.
Projection: You have to wonder how long the Suns will go with this group, which so far has been a letdown with Kevin Durant alongside Devin Booker. They were swept in the first round of the playoffs last season by Minnesota and only one of the games had a margin closer than 12 points. Maybe another year of chemistry will help.
Portland
Incoming: Deni Avdija, Devonte Graham, Donovan Clingan (R).
Outgoing: Malcolm Brogdon.
Analysis: Not sure what it says about a team when you keep virtually everybody off a 21-61 team. But they did bring in two potential starters in Avdija and Clingan and a terrific locker room presence in Graham. Clingan was the No. 7 pick in the draft and at 7-2, he will get chances to be the defensive helper Chauncey Billups needs on this team. Avdija is only 23 and had a breakout last season in his fourth year with Washington.
Projection: The Blazers are committed to building around Anfernee Simons, Jerami Grant and Scoot Henderson, who they hope will develop into a star after averaging 14 points as a rookie last season. Don’t expect this team to be in the playoffs. But also don’t expect them to be the pushovers they were last season, either.
Sacramento
Incoming: DeMar DeRozan, Jalen McDaniels, Jordan McLaughlin, Devin Carter.
Outgoing: Harrison Barnes, Davion Mitchell, Chris Duarte, Sasha Vezenkov.
Analysis: They lost a lot of heart in Barnes, who helped prop the franchise back up after their long, lean years. But in DeRozan, they are getting a proven scorer who can get 20 points a game in his sleep. Carter was the 13th overall pick in the draft and certainly has the bloodline. His father, Anthony, was a solid backup point guard for 13 seasons. Carter is recovering from a shoulder injury that could sideline him until 2025.
Projection: The core of Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox hasn’t yet reached the heights that the Kings’ brass was hoping. But to their credit, they have continued to put pieces around those two and if Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter can stay healthy and productive, this remains a team that can be dangerous and likely qualifies for the playoffs this season.
Utah
Incoming: Drew Eubanks, Cody Williams (R), Isaiah Collier (R).
Outgoing: Kris Dunn, Omer Yurtseven.
Analysis: Eubanks will give the Jazz another big man to go with Markkanen, Walker Kessler and John Collins. The two rookies were drafted 10th (Williams) and 29th (Collier) and both will get chances to contribute to a team, particularly if they can show some defensive teeth. The Jazz were dead last in defensive rating last season.
Projection: The Jazz have cast their future with Lauri Markkanen and that’s not a bad place to start with a foundation. But they are looking for another heavy lifter or two to pair with the high-scoring forward. They are relying on the development of a lot of young players – Keyonte George, Taylor Hendricks and Brice Sensabaugh, all of whom are only 20. And Walker Kessler, too, who is 23. If any of them take a major step forward, it’ll expedite the Jazz’s building process.
X: @ESefko
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