One week into an unusually glacial season of NBA free agency, there remains one non-negotiable truth: The Western Conference is intimidatingly good. While the wait continues for Denver to get involved in the business of adding players, we pause to rank the West from worst to best. Where do the Nuggets stand among the 15 teams?
15. Portland Trail Blazers
The only team in the conference that feels truly irrelevant right now, but still talented enough to be a pest.
14. Utah Jazz
Commanding attention thanks to looming trade interest in Lauri Markkanen. If he is moved this summer, the Jazz will probably have a worse 2024-25 season than Portland, but their pockets will also get even deeper with draft picks.
13. San Antonio Spurs
Tanking for two years with Victor Wembanyama might feel like a long time, but it’s really not. Alas, that doesn’t appear to be the Spurs’ plan. Instead of targeting the loaded 2025 draft class, they targeted Chris Paul and a 40-win season. It’ll be a fun duo to watch at least, so congrats to League Pass subscribers.
12. Houston Rockets
This is where the exercise suddenly gets difficult. The Rockets are said to be in win-now mode, and there’s a lot to like about the young roster they’ve assembled in the last few drafts. But it feels like everyone is waiting for the big move that completes their plan, rather than eagerly anticipating what the current version of their team will look like.
11. Los Angeles Lakers
So to recap: LeBron James was supposedly willing to take a pay cut in order for the Lakers to sign a new starter with the cap space. Forty-eight hours passed without a free agent acquisition. The Lakers quickly settled for a max contract agreement with James, limiting their options. And so on a team that hasn’t finished higher than seventh in the last four seasons, the only newcomers to the roster are draft picks Dalton Knecht and Bronny James. It’s probably naïve to exclude the Lakers from the postseason picture when it’s a foregone conclusion that they’ll lead the NBA in trips to the foul line. But their depth must prove itself to earn more respect in future rankings.
10. Los Angeles Clippers
Four of five starters will be back, including All-NBA wing Kawhi Leonard. Sixth Man of the Year candidate Norman Powell will be back. Derrick Jones Jr., who was a starter for an NBA Finals team last season, will slot into the lineup. Kris Dunn and Nicolas Batum will provide bench reinforcements. The new arena will be glorious. The Clippers get to enjoy a bountiful “get well soon” goodie basket this season. It’s almost enough to help them forget about Paul George.
9. Golden State Warriors
The Warriors swung and missed on George and lost Klay Thompson in the process. It’s a bad look. But they’ve actually managed to piece together an otherwise decent offseason in the background. De’Anthony Melton and Kyle Anderson probably aren’t good enough to maximize what’s left of Steph Curry’s prime, but they’re decent. (And if you’re questioning whether Curry is still in his prime: He shot 40.8% on a league-leading 876 3-point attempts last season. Only four players attempted within 400 of him at a higher percentage.) Maybe Buddy Hield can be a Diet Splash Brother.
8. Sacramento Kings
The teams ranked 11th through seventh on this list are practically interchangeable, and likely to change some more before October. Credit to the Kings for re-signing Malik Monk. Their summer has been quiet (so far — looking at you, Markkanen and DeMar DeRozan). But even if they don’t make a splash, their core has proven it has a high regular-season ceiling.
7. Memphis Grizzlies
Ja Morant is back, and so are the Grizzlies! Maybe. Or maybe not. They might be the biggest wild card in the West, a feeling only accentuated by the Zach Edey draft pick last month.
6. Phoenix Suns
The second apron is sending tremors through almost every front office in the NBA, except this one. The Suns accomplished pretty much the extent of what they were allowed to, signing Mason Plumlee at the minimum to replace Drew Eubanks. Their long-term future is in serious danger, and they might have to consider shipping Kevin Durant or Devin Booker if they’re not a contender at the 2025 trade deadline. But as Mat Ishbia sees it, by the time his 2032 and 2033 first-round picks freeze over due to the new rules, hell might have already.
5. New Orleans Pelicans
They have the high-ceiling star power necessary to compete for a title in Zion Williamson, whose talent started to peak through the clouds last season. They have the depth and defense to match up with any team in the league. They have the dynamic and smart trade acquisition that every fanbase wants every offseason, in Dejounte Murray. And they have the flexibility, in Brandon Ingram, to locate more well-fitting players (read: a center) and/or useful assets.
4. Minnesota Timberwolves
The same starting five and sixth man that toppled Denver to reach the Western Conference Finals, plus one year of development and maturity for Anthony Edwards. Minnesota’s only tangible roster changes have been on the back end of the rotation: Kyle Anderson and Monte Morris out, Joe Ingles and PJ Dozier in. Whether or not rookie Rob Dillingham pans out will be a critical storyline after Tim Connelly’s bold trade-up in the draft.
3. Denver Nuggets
Nikola Jokic earns the Nuggets the benefit of the doubt to some extent, even after losing to Minnesota in the second round. This core four is plenty capable of winning another title. But the reality remains that Denver has gotten worse on paper for the second consecutive offseason, while the best 2024 playoff team in the West and the best regular-season team in the West have both improved.
2. Dallas Mavericks
Lineup assembly might be a little awkward from a defensive standpoint with Klay Thompson presumably wanting to start, but there are worse problems a team could have when trying to defend a Western Conference crown. Adding one of the best catch-and-shoot players of all time to an offense that forces opponents to double-team the ball is a pretty safe bet for success. Naji Marshall was another solid signing at $9 million annually, and it feels as if Luka Doncic is knocking on Jokic’s MVP door.
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
The top seed in the West has made two perfect additions in Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein without trading a single draft pick from the league’s deepest war chest, somehow. Acquiring Caruso from Chicago was part of an escape hatch from Josh Giddey, but Caruso just so happens to be one of the three best perimeter defenders in the NBA and a 41% outside shooter. Hartenstein should help cure the Thunder’s Achilles heel (rebounding). Defending NBA Coach of the Year Mark Daigneault has lineup options to play with now. Will Chet Holmgren play the four? Will Hartenstein or Lu Dort come off the bench? It’s an embarrassment of riches. OKC should be the favorite to reach the NBA Finals.
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Originally Published: July 5, 2024 at 11:51 a.m.
