Where Warriors, Kings fit in Western Conference tiers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Slowly but surely, the NBA offseason is winding down.
Kevin Durant will remain with the Brooklyn Nets. Donovan Mitchell just might stay with the Utah Jazz. Patrick Beverley is … a Laker?
With the summer drama behind us (for now), it’s time to list the different tiers in the Western Conference, from the basement all the way up to guaranteed contenders.
Even with 10 of 15 teams making at least the play-in tournament, there is little room for error in the West.
Tier 7: The cellar
Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs
If this is Gregg Popovich’s swan song on the bench, it’s not going to boost the winning percentage on his eventual Hall of Fame plaque. The Spurs are in full rebuild mode after trading Dejounte Murray to the Atlanta Hawks for a trio of first-round picks.
Like most bottom-tier teams, Houston’s highlight of the offseason was the draft, where they selected Jabari Smith Jr. with the third pick. The Rockets can spend most of their season hoping the Durant-Nets reconciliation doesn’t last long as owners of Brooklyn’s first-round picks til 2027.
Oklahoma City was handed devastating news Thursday morning, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that No. 2 overall pick Chet Holmgren would miss the entire 2022-23 season.
We’ll have to wait a whole year before watching the “Slim Towers” of Holmgren and Aleksej Pokusevski in action.
Tier 6: What’s going on in …
Utah Jazz
Insert your Brian Windhorst memes here. Utah is in a strange position heading into the season.
The Jazz parted ways with half of their 1-2 punch of Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, sending the 7-foot-1 big man to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the biggest trade of the offseason.
New York Knicks fans believe they will land just about every star who hints at his availability (remember Kevin Durant?). And for a while, it appeared Mitchell was destined for the Empire State. But The Athletic’s Tony Jones reported Thursday that the Knicks and Jazz are not close to reaching a deal.
We’ll see if that lasts past the trade deadline.
Tier 5: The playoff starved
Sacramento Kings, Portland Trail Blazers
The Kings infamously have missed the playoffs for 16 years. Damian Lillard and the Trail Blazers fell short of the 2021-22 postseason for the first time in eight years.
Both teams are desperate to make the bracket.
Lillard will be healthy again. The Trail Blazers re-upped Anfernee…