The last major off-season domino has fallen. Kevin Love is headed to Cleveland, and in his place, Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett. While the trade can't be finalized until 30 days from when Wiggins was signed, it is practically set in stone. With Love off the market, nearly all players capable of changing a franchise have a home. And while there are still many roster spots to be filled, and training camps to be preformed, most teams have a pretty good idea of what their roster for the upcoming season will look like. This means that it is never too early to look ahead to this upcoming season and find out who the true competitors will be. While LeBron James' move to Cleveland, and Paul George's injury have shaken up the East, the West is just as stacked as ever. Barring any major events or injuries, these are some teams who are clearly going to be contenders in their respective conferences.
Eastern Conference
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers should be one of the most improved teams of the 2014-2015 season. After selected Andrew Wiggins first overall in the 2014 draft. More importantly, the Cavs were able to sign LeBron, as he returned home to where he started his career. LeBron immediately improves the Cavaliers as he will bring much needed leadership to a talented, but underachieving team.
More importantly, LeBron will bring a championship mentality and elite level talent to Ohio. The Cavaliers did trade Wiggins and Bennett, losing two valuable young players with sky high potential. However, they were able to snag Kevin Love, arguably one of the most talented big men in the NBA. Love brings immediate offense and rebounding to the Cavs. Love does come with some concerns however.
He is an average at best defender and has struggled with injury problems, something the Cavaliers big men have been plagued with for years. The Cavs certainly have the talent to make a trip to the Finals, the key for them will be consistency of the defensive end. Both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love are poor defenders, and there are very few standout defenders on the roster. If new head coach David Blatt and LeBron can properly motivate the young players to play as a team, the Cavs could emerge as top contenders in the East.
Chicago Bulls
Much like the Cavs, the Bulls have improved greatly this off-season They were able to amnesty Carlos Boozer, and in return sign Pau Gasol as a free agent. Former first round draft pick Nikola Mirotic will also be joining the Bulls after playing overseas. The additions of these two will greatly improve the production from the power forward position. Gasol will bring championship experience, while playing at a high level. Mirotic, while unproven, is an extremely gifted offensive player that should immediately improve one of the worst offenses.
The Bulls also traded up to draft Doug McDermott, the extremely gifted shooter out of Creighton. He too should improve their offensive production. Finally, point guard Derrick Rose is returning from injury and appears to be fully healed. He has reportedly looked great in Team USA practices.
With all these welcome additions the Bulls should be the early favorites in the East. They have been extremely successful the past two seasons and that was with key players being injured. With everyone healthy, the new additions, and growth from young players, the Bulls could easily contenders in the East.
Washington Wizards
The Wizards were one of the biggest surprises last season as they took advantage of a weak Eastern Conference. This year they should be even better as Bradley Beal and John Wall should continue to grow. While neither player made it through the first round of cuts for Team USA, it may end up being a blessing in disguise as now they can focus on the upcoming season.
Beal showed great improvement from year one to year two and should be even better in his third year. His potential really flashed in the playoffs as he lit up the box score in a few games. With a lack of star shooting guards in the league, Beal has the opportunity to make the leap to all-star caliber. Wall meanwhile showed why he is one of the elite point guards in the NBA. While he may not be a potent shooter, his distributing and defensive skills are exceptional.
With a front court combination of Marcin Gortat and Nene Hilario, the Wizards have an exceptionally talented and experienced front court. The loss of Trevor Ariza will certainly sting, as he provided stout perimeter defense and three point range. The signing of Paul Pierce will do much to compensate for the loss of Ariza. The improvements Glen Rice Jr. and Otto Porter Jr showed this off-season will also help alleviate the burden to replace the production.
Western Conferences
San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs dominated the regular season and playoffs on their way to a routing of the Miami Heat. While people seem to doubt the age of the Spurs stars, they are consistently one of the best teams in the NBA. The Spurs return nearly every key contributor from last years Finals run and have added addition pieces. With the 30th pick in the 2014 draft the Spurs selected the very versatile Kyle Anderson. Standing at 6'9”, Anderson possesses the rebounding ability and size of a forward but the offensive skills of a point guard.
He is the ideal player for Popovich to mold and his game in reminiscent of Boris Diaw. After a Finals MVP performance, many expect Kawhi Leonard to up his level of play for the expected season. While its likely he will improve, even if he doesn’t, the Spurs appear in great shape. The ever ageless Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili once again appear ready to make another run for the finals.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Last year the Thunder were one of the best teams in the NBA, and that was without Russell Westbrook for nearly half the season. With Westbrook healthy, and the addition of Mitch McGary, the Thunder once again appear ready to contend in the West. While depth may be an issue, the expected growth of Steven Adams, Reggie Jackson and Jeremy Lamb should all help offer support to Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
Much like last year, the success of the Thunder will depend on their young role players ability to produce along side Durant and Westbrook. If McGary and Adams can offer support to the front court, and Jackson and Lamb can produce in the back court, the Thunder could once again find themselves competing for a Finals appearance.
Los Angeles Clippers
There are many talented teams in the Western Conference, however; the Clippers have the potential to take the Western crown. The talent level is certainly there for the Clippers, as they are led by Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and Jamal Crawford on offense and have DeAndre Jordan as an enforcer on the inside. Paul missed 20 games due to injury last season, yet the Clippers still excelled without him. With Paul healthy the Clippers appear to be one of the top teams in the West.
The biggest issue the Clippers will face is the big question mark on the wing. The Clippers have a lack of quality talent at the small forward position and will need someone to step into that role if they really hope to unseat the Spurs. The Clippers are loaded with talent at nearly every other position and have the star players and depth to dominate the West.