The NBA offseason has been absolutely insane. I can’t think of another time in my sports-watching career where this amount of big moves happened. It seems like overnight the power balance of the NBA flipped more time than a quarter in a Las Vegas back alley. Several teams came from nothing to be contenders. A few others entered rebuild seasons and some did basically nothing. I wanted to take some time to examine a few of the teams and make my hot takes on what this all means for the coming season.

Of course, we’re not done yet. There are still changes to be made. With a potential Westbrook trade on the horizon and a Rockets pair that hate each other, some wild moves could still shake out. This is a look at what the West looks like after the initial madness. A chance to take a breather and assess.

The Warriors

I’ll be honest, I’m struggling to understand what this team is doing. This is, obviously, a dynasty with a great coach and a front office that seems to always make the right moves, so I have no doubt that they have some plan in place that I can’t see. And I’ve been assured over and over that I’m wrong, but I can’t see the Warriors being good next year. They’ll make the playoffs, but I think they’ll be a lower seed and have to fight for it.

They lost KD, their best player. Klay Thompson, who signed a monster deal, will be injured for probably the whole season. They lost Demarcus Cousins. Last I heard Andrew Bogut is going back to Australia. They traded Iggy to Memphis for basically nothing.

But, despite all of that, they got D’Angelo Russell. Russell is a great player, don’t get me wrong, but they used a lot of cap space to get him and I can’t see how he fits in their system. He’ll fit while Klay is out, but when Klay comes back? What’s that going to look like? Do they not plan on keeping him and plan to trade him away for something else? I totally get wanting something out of the KD situation, has to hurt to lose him, but D’Angelo doesn’t make sense to me. He’s a Klay replacement that can’t play defense.

With Klay out, no Iggy, and no KD, Draymond is going to have to guard everyone on defense. D’Angelo sucks at defense. Steph isn’t great. They have to outscore everyone because they won’t win off of defense. Also, do they even have a center on the roster right now? With Cousins and Bogut gone…what are their options down low? They also don’t have a lot of depth anymore and very little wiggle room to sign more.

I don’t get what this team is doing, but I’m sure they’re going to prove me wrong.

The Lakers

In a post like this, I can’t not talk about the Lakers. I won’t lie, I fully believe this team is overhyped. With the first blockbuster trade of the offseason, they got Anthony Davis, but they traded away basically their entire depth chart to get him.

Lebron, although still one of the best players in the game, isn’t as good as he once was. That’s a hard fact to admit, but it’s true. Prime Lebron would have willed his team into the playoffs last year. We’re talking about the man who beat the 73-9 Warriors with basically only Kyrie to help. We’re talking about the man who carried a team that consisted of a mop bucket, two chili dogs, and a turtle to the NBA Finals. That same man couldn’t even make the playoffs with a semi-decent team. He’s slipping, as much as I hate to say it. He can’t do it alone anymore. He needs help. Is Anthony Davis the man to give him that help?

I’m just not so sure. I haven’t fully bought into the Anthony Davis hype. I don’t know how great he actually is. Maybe I’m biased because I’ve been watching the best center in the game (#JokicforMVP), but there’s something about him that I’m not sold on. But having both him and Demarcus Cousins (for the 40 games that Boogie will be healthy for) together is terrifying.

I’m most interested in seeing what Kuzma and Danny Green can add. They are the perfect duo to support Lebron. Both capable of getting buckets, but not going to be the primary playmaker. It’s the Klay Thompson role. The better JR Smith. And that’s exactly what Lebron needs. He needs someone who can score consistently without stealing his thunder and that’s just what those guys can offer.

This team desperately needs a PG. with Westbrook or CP3 potentially on the move, that’s scary. I have no idea if they have the cap space (or anyone left to trade) to get them, but if they can land a mid-to-great level PG, this team would be my favorite to win the Championship. As it stands now, I don’t know. They don’t have any depth to speak of and they don’t have a point guard. Any significant injury and this team is once again fighting for a playoff spot. I don’t know if that’s the position you want to be in when the NBA season is this long.

 

The Clippers

 

Might as well get all of the California teams out of the way at the start and talk about the Clippers now. The Clippers were by far the most shocking turn of events for me this offseason. I didn’t see them landing Kawhi and I definitely had no idea they were in for Paul George. As shocking as this was, was it enough to propel them to championship contention?

I’ll say this: I’ll never write off a team that Kawhi is on. I’ve made that mistake in the past, I’ve learned my lesson, I repent of that sin. As long as Kawhi is on the floor, his team has the potential to win. I don’t know how he does it and I haven’t written off witchcraft, but there’s something about him that wins.

-Can we talk about how amazing it is that he didn’t go to the Lakers? That would have been such a boring season, and now we’re staring down the barrel of the most exciting NBA season we’ve seen in a long time. God bless you, Kawhi. Doin’ it for the people.-

Paul George, to me, isn’t a superstar. He’s great, sure. He’s a star. But he isn’t the Kawhi or the KD or the Lebron caliber of player. But Kawhi has shown that he doesn’t need someone of the same caliber as him to win.

All of this Kawhi praise has to come with a caveat. The Toronto championship has to have a MASSIVE asterisk on it, as much as I hate to say it. Injuries are a part of the game and you have to play the hand you’re dealt, but beating a Warriors team without Klay and without KD is not like beating a Warriors team. They got incredibly lucky. If those two players were healthy, the Warriors would have swept the series.

I still think this team has a lot of glaring weaknesses. Namely, anyone not named Kawhi or Paul George. Do they have enough to get them over the hump to win it all? I’m just not sure. But Kawhi and PG are two of the better defensive players in the game. Adding Patrick Beverley to this team makes them dangerous. I like what they were able to do and I’m excited to see what they can make out of it.

Utah Jazz

The Jazz are out here quietly having one of the best offseasons of any team in the NBA. They didn’t get any of the high-profile players. No players who names are easily acronym-able (No KD’s or PG’s), but they made some MASSIVE plays to improve their offense by adding Mike Conley and Bogdanovic.

This is a team that has been way better than any small-market team should be and now they are for more balanced. This offseason was the best Jazz fans could hope for and they are in a great position now.

There are a few “pump the brakes” issues though. Bogdanovic, who is a Twitter favorite, is coming off the best season of his career. One where he wasn’t exactly a superstar. So, at 30 years old, was his best season ever a fluke or was it a sign of how under the radar he has been? Can he replicate what he did last season or was that lucky?

Consistency will be the key to the Jazz’s season. Can Donovan Mitchell take his game to that next level and sustain it? Can Gobert stay healthy, since they just traded away their most valuable backup for him?

The Jazz is a team to key an eye on for sure.

 

Way Too Early West Playoff Picture

So what does all this mean for the Western Conference? Who is in the driver’s seat and what teams can make a run for the championship?

It’s obviously far too early to make any of these claims, but that’s the fun of the offseason: incessant hot takes and far-too-soon predictions. So here is mine.

The Nuggets win the number one seed. The Nuggets have made only one move this offseason, so far, and it is a move that massively improved their one glaring weakness: wing defending. They traded a first-round pick to the Thunder for Jerami Grant, who is coming off the most productive season of his career. He fits the team perfectly and gives them exactly what they are looking for. The Nuggets were patient and realized they have something great going. They didn’t get lost in the craziness that is this offseason. They didn’t gamble away their young, excellent core for a chance at one of these moving stars. They knew that they had something good and took the opportunity to build on it. With Milsap coming back, Jamal Murray having the full confidence of the front office, a superstar Pg/center, and a potentially health Michael Porter JR, the Nuggets are lethal.

It’s really hard for me to rate the rest of these teams. I think the Jazz will ultimately win the Western Conference Championship. I think the Trailblazers will be in the discussion with a healthy Nurkic.

I have no idea what to do with the Lakers. There is so much talent on that team, but they have glaring inadequacies. There is a huge lack of role players on that team and very few available on the board. They don’t have much else to trade. They didn’t land Kawhi. They have no depth. I can see them fizzling out.

The Clippers will be really good. I think it’s between them and the Jazz to make it to the Finals.

 

That’s my take on the outcome of this rollercoaster offseason for the Western Conference. In a few days, I’ll give my take on the East.