NBA Power Rankings: The West is loaded again! Here’s how all 15 teams stack up after offseason upgrades

Sports

add

We have already provided you with power rankings for the NBA’s Eastern Conference, and you could not wait for more. You thought, Geez, they placed all 15 East teams in absolutely perfect order; they can’t possibly do it for both conferences. Guess again. Your inarguable Western Conference power rankings are below.

The West is stacked once again. The 68-win reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder are back — with reinforcements. The No. 2 seed Houston Rockets added Kevin Durant. The Denver Nuggets retooled around Nikola Jokić. Rising superstar Anthony Edwards looks to take his next step for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Three veteran-led teams still reside in California’s two biggest cities. And good teams will miss the playoffs. Only one team is truly tanking. There is a lot to get to. Let us get to it.

• In: Ace Bailey, Walter Clayton Jr., Jusuf Nurkić, Kevin Love, Kyle Anderson

• Out: John Collins, Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson, Johnny Juzang

Advertisement

The Jazz are not trying to win now. They rid their roster of just about every veteran but Lauri Markkanen, who may be the next star on the move, by trading John Collins and Collin Sexton for little more than a few players who may never see the light of day in Utah. This is, for better or worse, Ace Bailey’s team, and that is a scary thought — one that should guarantee them another high-end lottery pick in 2026.

• In: Jordan Poole, Saddiq Bey, Jeremiah Fears, Derik Queen, Kevon Looney

• Out: CJ McCollum, Kelly Olynyk, Brandon Boston Jr., Elfrid Payton

The Pelicans traded their unprotected 2026 first-round draft selection for the right to draft Derik Queen. Queen plays the same position as Zion Williamson, who has been injured and out of shape for most of his six-year career. They also handed the keys to their offense to Jordan Poole, since starting point guard Dejounte Murray is injured. How incoming executive Joe Dumars thought these decisions, plus the addition of reserve center Kevon Looney, would make this a playoff team is beyond anyone’s imagination.

• In: Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Khaman Maluach, Mark Williams, Rasheer Fleming

• Out: Kevin Durant, Vasilije Micić, Tyus Jones, Mason Plumlee

Advertisement

The Suns, who won 36 games last season, traded Kevin Durant, acquiring Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and Khaman Maluach in return — a decent haul in exchange for a 36-year-old, even if that 36-year-old is a future Hall of Famer. It will not make them better right now. Nor will buying out Bradley Beal, which they reportedly plan to do, leaving a massive hole in their salary cap for years to come. They are a team in transition. What exactly they are transitioning into could be something worse. Pray for Devin Booker.

• In: Dennis Schröder, Nique Clifford, Dario Šarić

• Out: Jonas Valančiūnas, Jake LaRavia

What was Sacramento’s plan this offseason? The Kings acquired Dennis Schröder and Dario Šarić, two veterans who do little to elevate their ceiling. They already did much of their work last season, trading De’Aaron Fox in a three-team deal that returned Zach LaVine. He reunited with DeMar DeRozan in a tandem that perennially challenged for a play-in bid in the weaker Eastern Conference. Now they are in the West, teamed with Domantas Sabonis, on a roster that already failed to make last season’s playoffs.

• In: Jrue Holiday, Hansen Yang

• Out: Deandre Ayton, Anfernee Simons

Advertisement

The Blazers came on strong at the end of last season, briefly challenging for a play-in bid, and another year of development for their young core should push them further toward a return to the playoffs. Whether they make it there is dependent on more talented West teams reaching their potential.

Even if it took on more money by swapping Anfernee Simons for Jrue Holiday, Portland leaned into what it did best, turning one of the league’s lowest-rated defensive guards into one of its best. The acquisition of Hansen Yang was a boom-or-bust first-round draft pick, and the Blazers’ improvement will rely more heavily on how much further their existing young core develops under head coach Chauncey Billups.

• In: Cooper Flagg, D’Angelo Russell

• Out: Spencer Dinwiddie

The Mavericks traded Luka Dončić for Anthony Davis last season in one of the dumbest deals in NBA history. The 2024 Western Conference champions failed to make the playoffs, and then lucked into the No. 1 overall pick, who happened to be Cooper Flagg, another generational talent. Now we have to wonder if Dallas would do it all over again, essentially swapping Dončić for both Davis and Flagg.

They are somehow the foundation of another playoff contender, but their starting point guard, Kyrie Irving, is rehabbing a torn ACL, and they replaced him with D’Angelo Russell. That is a surefire way to steer your roster toward another lottery, though their success will largely hinge on the development of a rookie — a potentially game-changing rookie, but a rookie nonetheless. This is a team building for 2026-27 and beyond, even if general manager Nico Harrison believes otherwise. Which is another problem.

• In: Ty Jerome, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cedric Coward, Jock Landale

• Out: Desmond Bane, Luke Kennard, Jay Huff, Marvin Bagley III

Advertisement

Trading Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic made the Grizzlies worse in the short-term, but the return for him, which included a handful of first-round draft picks, should better position them for the future.

Meanwhile, Memphis continued to make a number of smart moves on the margins. It added Ty Jerome, a Sixth Man of the Year candidate on the Cleveland Cavaliers last season, on short money. The return of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the Bane deal makes up some of what they lost, especially on the defensive end. And they identified Cedric Coward as someone worthy of trading up for in the draft.

And they still have Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr., the foundation of a solid team.

• In: Dylan Harper, Luke Kornet, Carter Bryant, Kelly Olynyk

• Out: Sandro Mamukelashvili, Chris Paul

Advertisement

The Spurs did most of their work last season, adding All-Star De’Aaron Fox at the trade deadline to a team that features 21-year-old phenom Victor Wembanyama. They further bolstered both the point guard and center positions this summer, respectively adding Dylan Harper with the No. 2 overall pick and signing Luke Kornet, an underrated 7-footer who can play either alongside Wembanyama or behind him.

The wing positions are what should concern the Spurs. They have a lot of good wings and none of them is great, which is why they were rumored to be interested in every potentially available star, including Kevin Durant and Jaylen Brown. Nobody proved to be an answer. One or more of their existing talents could prove worthy of playoff minutes, but more likely San Antonio is biding its time for another move.

• In: Deandre Ayton, Jake LaRavia

• Out: Dorian Finney-Smith

The Lakers needed at least a center and a shooter in free agency, and they theoretically addressed both concerns, adding Deandre Ayton and Jake LaRavia. But look from where they came. The 36-win Blazers bought out the final year of Ayton’s maximum contract, paying a 26-year-old former No. 1 overall pick not to play for them. Likewise, the Grizzlies threw LaRavia into a separate salary dump at the trade deadline, and the Kings made no effort to keep a 23-year-old from joining the Lakers.

Making matters worse, Dorian Finney-Smith left the Lakers for the Houston Rockets in free agency.

Advertisement

Nothing the Lakers have done has addressed the defensive issues that surround a team led by LeBron James, Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves. In fact, James publicly took issue with the Lakers’ lack of moves in the offseason, as he picked up his $52.6 million option to play for them this season. There are a lot of unanswered questions in L.A., and there could be more if the Lakers get off to a slow start.

• In: Brook Lopez, John Collins, Yanic Konan Niederhauser

• Out: Norman Powell, Drew Eubanks, Patty Mills

The Clippers won 50 games last season while Kawhi Leonard played only 37 games. Assuming Leonard stays healthy, and that is a monumental assumption, the Clippers should be better just by standing pat.

But they did not stand pat. They added Brook Lopez, who, when paired with Ivica Zubac, gives the Clippers as good a 1-2 center punch as most any other team. They moved Norman Powell and returned John Collins in a three-team trade, which seems like a vote of confidence in Leonard’s health. Powell is the more talented player; Collins, a floor-spacing forward, might be the better fit. And the Clippers are not done working the phones, reportedly trying to land Bradley Beal in a buyout from the Suns.

• In: Alex Toohey, Will Richard

• Out: Kevon Looney

Advertisement

The Warriors, starring 37-year-old Stephen Curry, 35-year-old Jimmy Butler and 35-year-old Draymond Green, are old by NBA standards. They were also awesome as a triumvirate last season, only losing in the playoffs once Curry suffered a hamstring injury. They lost little from last season’s team, other than Kevon Looney, a fan favorite who played 76 games last season, averaging 4.5 points and 6.1 rebounds a night.

They also did not gain much in the offseason except a pair of late second-round draft picks. Something tells us Golden State is not done maneuvering, and that something is the unsettled status of 22-year-old Jonathan Kuminga, a restricted free agent who has run out of options on the open market, and 39-year-old Al Horford, who has been rumored as a target for Golden State since the start of free agency.

• In: Joan Beringer, Rocco Zikarsky

• Out: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Luka Garza, Josh Minott

The Timberwolves, who are staring down the salary cap’s second apron, facilitated Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s exit in a sign-and-trade deal with the Atlanta Hawks. It made them a little bit worse, limiting their depth in the backcourt, at least until second-year guard Rob Dillingham is ready to contribute.

Advertisement

However, the Wolves did manage to retain both Julius Randle and Naz Reid on reasonable contracts, a status quo in the frontcourt that was no guarantee entering the summer. That, along with the continued ascent of 23-year-old superstar Anthony Edwards, is enough to believe Minnesota should vie for a spot in the Western Conference finals for a third straight season. And the Wolves may have more moves left in them.

• In: Kevin Durant, Dorian Finney-Smith, Clint Capela

• Out: Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Jock Landale

The Rockets captured the West’s No. 2 seed last season and lost in the first round of the playoffs to the veteran-laden Warriors. Both were indications of a young team that had enough talent to capture a home playoff seed in a stacked conference but was not yet sure how to leverage it into playoff success.

Mainly, they needed someone who could create a bucket when it was necessary, so they traded 23-year-old Jalen Green for 36-year-old Kevin Durant, who remains one of the greatest scorers in NBA history. He is theoretically a hand-in-glove fit, though theory does not always meet reality on a Durant-led team.

Advertisement

Regardless, Durant, when healthy, is a massive upgrade from Green who instantly makes the Rockets a more serious championship contender, as do the acquisitions of Dorian Finney-Smith and Clint Capela, who respectively bolster Houston’s already formidable depth at the wing and center positions.

• In: Cam Johnson, Tim Hardaway Jr., Bruce Brown, Jonas Valančiūnas

• Out: Michael Porter Jr., Dario Šarić, Russell Westbrook, DeAndre Jordan

The Nuggets took the eventual champion Thunder to seven games of the Western Conference semifinals last season. That was despite being severely hobbled, as Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr., their third- and fourth-best players, were limited to one leg and one arm, respectively, for the series-deciding game.

Denver did not need to take a big swing and instead pounded out some singles. They upgraded from Porter to Cam Johnson, a more reliable player who also does more with the ball in or out of his hands. They re-signed old friend Bruce Brown, who helped them to the 2023 title, and added Tim Hardaway Jr.’s shooting on a veteran’s minimum contract. And they turned Dario Šarić into Jonas Valančiūnas, who, if he does not return to Europe, should be the best backup center with whom Nikola Jokić has ever played.

Advertisement

We should probably mention: Jokić remains the best player in the world, and when you have him, you have a chance, especially now that they have surrounded him with a deeper playoff-caliber rotation.

• In: Thomas Sorber

• Out: Dillon Jones

The Thunder won 68 games last season and survived two seven-game playoff series to win the title, becoming the second-youngest champion in league history. Just about everyone, including young stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, should return as good or better than they were last season. They needed to do little in July but rely on the development of their existing roster.

Advertisement

They took care of their guys, handing Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren maximum contract extensions worth more than half a billion dollars. Williams is owed one, too. The Thunder will eventually feel the crunch of the second apron, as their three best players are scheduled to make a combined $150 million in the 2027-28 season, but that is a problem for another day, when the raises for Holmgren and Williams kick in. For now they are concerned with becoming the NBA’s first back-to-back champions since 2018.

And remember: The Thunder own draft picks upon draft picks. Courtesy of the Miami Heat, Oklahoma City controlled the No. 15 selection in this year’s draft, adding Georgetown freshman center Thomas Sorber, who could be their eventual Isaiah Hartenstein replacement. They should also return healthy last year’s No. 12 overall pick, Serbian point guard Nikola Topić, who suffered a torn ACL in July 2024.

There is every reason to believe the Thunder should be an even more formidable team next season.

This news was originally published on this post .

Share on

email

Previous

trending_flat

Nine Canucks offseason thoughts: The risk in Thatcher Demko’s extension, and what comes next?

Sports

Next

Belinda Bencic, Iga Swiatek reach Wimbledon semifinals

Sports