Now that the dust has settled and most of the free agent moves have been completed, we can officially get back to thinking about actual basketball again. The NBA’s Summer League is in full swing, and while us basketball fanatics salivate over the potential of Jahlil Okafor and whether or not Russ Smith will make an NBA roster, we can also start thinking about the regular season again. So, how did teams in the west fare through all of this? Who came out on top? This is a very early edition of power rankings for the Western Conference. Check out where your favorite team ranks:
1. Golden State Warriors
How could anyone else be at the top of this list? To be the champs, you must beat the champs, as they say, and the Warriors remain champs of the NBA until further notice. In fact, the Warriors played this offseason as expertly as they did the entire season prior. They traded away their biggest contract in David Lee and re-signed Draymond Green for the foreseeable future. In the draft, they stole Kevon Looney at 30, whom many thought could go in the lottery. This team will be dangerous once again, and for now there is no reason to knock them off the top of the totem pole. The champions reign supreme yet again.
2. San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs may have been the biggest winners in free agency, yet they know they still have much work to do to get back on top. The additions of LaMarcus Aldridge, David West, and the sneaky Ray McCallum solidify the notion that the Spurs’ machine will never die. San Antonio also re-signed Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green, two key cogs for the future, and Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, for perhaps one last ride. Rather than overpaying for Cory Joseph, Marco Belinelli, and Aron Baynes, they upgraded at all of those positions instead. The Spurs also traded Tiago Splitter, freeing up space in the frontcourt. Look for the Spurs to be back to their old ways next season, proving doubters wrong yet again.
3. Memphis Grizzlies
Memphis operated quietly yet effectively this offseason in improving their team, which was knocked out of the playoffs by the eventual champion Warriors last year. They added Matt Barnes, who adds an edge, shooting, and defense, as well as Brandan Wright, an athletic, young big man. Wright is an instant upgrade over Kosta Koufos, and Barnes will add wing depth to the Grizzlies’ bench. Throw in that Memphis re-signed Marc Gasol, Jeff Green, and Beno Udrih without issue, and the Grizz have themselves a tidy summer. They didn’t overspend for anyone, and didn’t throw away the future in the process. Memphis will be back with a vengeance, and the rest of the west better be on high alert.
4. Los Angeles Clippers
Perhaps we can call it the Paul Pierce effect. The Clippers were this close to flopping this offseason, yet a stroke of luck and some convincing meetings got DeAndre Jordan back in the fold. Jordan joins his old running mates Chris Paul and Blake Griffin (high five! No?) as well as newcomers Lance Stephenson and Pierce. The bench should be deeper than last season, and Pierce brings that championship experience that helped Boston, Brooklyn, and Washington all make extended playoff runs that the Clippers so desperately desire. All things considered, their offseason went from flop to fantastic, and they are positioned towards the top of the west already.
5. Houston Rockets
Houston must have felt that they overachieved last season in the playoffs, because they didn’t feel the need to make any splashy moves in the offseason. Despite not having Patrick Beverley and Donatas Motiejunas in the playoffs, the Rockets still made it to the western conference finals. With them back healthy, and Corey Brewer being there for the whole season, Houston can absolutely return to the level they played at last season. The arrival of Sam Dekker should help their wing depth as well, and if Josh Smith decides to re-sign, he could continue to wreak havoc on opposing power forwards. Houston will be back, and they will continue to threaten the rest of the NBA so long as James Harden is in the mix.
6. Oklahoma City Thunder
Oklahoma City will be much better than last season, if they can stay healthy of course. The return of Kevin Durant will absolutely spark this team back to where they should be: in the playoffs. OKC re-signed Enes Kanter, and he helps solidify a frontcourt that is deep, but dealt with injuries last season as well. Adding Cameron Payne was a solid move, as they add a potential steal at point guard to back up (and eventually replace?) Russell Westbrook. OKC will have to hope new head coach Billy Donovan can be as successful as a few other recent rookie NBA coaches, but he inherits a solid situation and can succeed right away. To keep KD around after next season, he’ll have to.
7. New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans were quiet during the offseason in terms of new player additions, but they did make a few significant splashes by locking in some of their players for the future. The most notable was re-signing Anthony Davis to the largest contract ever, and rightfully so. The Pelicans should improve under Alvin Gentry, who has championship experience. Davis only continues to get better, and if the rest of the core can stay healthy, unlike last year, this team will be dangerously tough. Look to see New Orleans build on their improvements and threaten the upper echelon in the west.
8. Phoenix Suns
Can the Suns finally get over the hump and make it back to the postseason again? That will depend on the roster coming together quickly. The biggest arrivals are Tyson Chandler and Mirza Teletovic, while the Suns shipped out Marcus Morris and Gerald Green, among others. Although LaMarcus Aldridge spurned them, they did re-sign Brandon Knight, and Chandler is a notable upgrade at center. With a few teams that finished ahead of them having a rough summer, the door is wide open for Phoenix to finally get back into the playoffs.
9. Utah Jazz
The Jazz had a relatively quiet offseason, but the future remains bright as they continue to build around a solid young core. Led by Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors, and Rudy Gobert, this team has potential for the future as its other young pieces continue to grow. The team’s improvement centers on the core gelling, and within a year or two the Jazz could be a very dangerous team. Right now, they sit on the cusp of the playoffs, and could be headed for a brighter place.
10. Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks might have been the biggest losers in the offseason, if only from an embarrassment standpoint. Being spurned by DeAndre Jordan is one thing, but the fashion in which it happened is what makes it so bad. Not only did he tie up their cap space before backing out, but he also sent the Mavericks and their fans into flashbacks of past free agents also turning them down. Wesley Matthews can help when he’s healthy, and the arrival of Deron Williams could spark life in both his career and the team. The Mavs have to replace a massive hole in their center, as Tyson Chandler left, and Monta Ellis takes his scoring prowess to Indiana. Dallas is set to take a hit from last season, but it may not be as far as most pundits are predicting.
11. Minnesota Timberwolves
One of the most exciting up-and-coming teams has to be the Timberwolves. With Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns, Zach LaVine, and a bevy of young talent, this team could be very exciting this year. Ricky Rubio improved last year before his injury, and the return of Kevin Garnett will provide much needed veteran leadership. The Wolves didn’t make any big free agent splashes, but the core is young and learning how to win. Minnesota should make a marked improvement from last season as they attempt to climb the ladder of the western conference.
12. Sacramento Kings
The Kings had perhaps the most interesting offseason in the NBA. From rumors of a schism between DeMarcus Cousins and George Karl (not disproved by their icy handshake at the NBA summer league) to an interesting trade and a couple questionable free agency decisions. Cousins and Rudy Gay are a formidable duo, and Darren Collison and Rajon Rondo are adequate at point guard. However, the team is still in a questionable state and the whole situation feels like it could reach a boiling point at any moment. An improvement from last year is probable, but it remains to be seen just how big that will be.
13. Portland Trail Blazers
Oh how the mighty have fallen. Last season, Portland was considered a title contender for most of the year. Now, they have four new starters and are firmly in rebuild mode. The Blazers still have all-star Damian Lillard, but replacing LaMarcus Aldridge, Wes Matthews, Robin Lopez, and Nicolas Batum are Ed Davis, Mason Plumlee, Al-Farouq Aminu, and Gerald Henderson. In a word, yikes. Lillard can carry this team to a respectable record, but Portland’s offseason left them in limbo, a place you don’t want to be in the modern NBA.
14. Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers went for it this offseason, and came up pretty much empty. Most big name free agents snubbed L.A., and they were left with Lou Williams, Brandon Bass, and Roy Hibbert. These are nice players, but they also lost one-third of their roster from last year. The wild card here is D’Angelo Russell, who could blossom as a point guard for this team. However, point guards have a very steep learning curve, especially in the loaded west. It’s hard to imagine the Lakers improving much from last season, even if Kobe Bryant is back and healthy.
15. Denver Nuggets
When the biggest move in your team’s offseason is hiring a new head coach, that’s not a good sign of things to come. The Nuggets still boast their dysfunctional roster that has no identity on offense or defense. Perhaps Mike Malone can fix that, and draft pick Emmanuel Mudiay can inject some life into this team. However, Ty Lawson is dealing with legal troubles and the only real moves made were signing Jameer Nelson and Will Barton. It’s hard to imagine this team getting any better than last season, especially given the uncertainty surrounding Lawson again. The arrow looks like it’s pointing down in Denver.