What will the 2022-23 NBA season be remembered for? Some teams will look very similar, but the landscape of the league is never exactly the same two years in a row.
An offseason full of big trades and a handful of star players returning from injury is bound to shake up the NBA standings.
Utah’s deals that sent Rudy Gobert to Minnesota and Donovan Mitchell to Cleveland will likely drop the Jazz out of the playoff race, while the Timberwolves and Cavaliers will seek to take another step toward serious contention.
The Nets will look to reestablish themselves as title contenders. Kyrie Irving‘s vaccination status won’t hold him out of any home games this season, and Brooklyn will see how Ben Simmons fits into the lineup for the first time since trading for him in February.
And all eyes will be on LeBron James and the Lakers in another storyline-filled season in Los Angeles. James is projected to break the NBA scoring record and, alongside Russell Westbrook, will try to help the Lakers bounce back from a disappointing campaign.
Here’s a look at every team’s outlook for the upcoming season, including the most important offseason moves, big questions and which players could be facing a make-or-break 2022-23.
Note: Rankings are based on where members of our panel (ESPN’s Kendra Andrews, Tim Bontemps, Jamal Collier, Nick Friedell, Andrew Lopez, Tim MacMahon, Dave McMenamin, Kevin Pelton and Ohm Youngmisuk) think teams belong heading into this season. Title odds and win totals for 2022-23 by Caesars Sportsbook.
Jump to a team:
ATL | BOS | BKN | CHA | CHI | CLE
DAL | DEN | DET | GS | HOU | IND
LAC | LAL | MEM | MIA | MIL | MIN
NO | NY | OKC | ORL | PHI | PHX
POR | SAC | SA | TOR | UTAH | WAS
When we last saw them … the Warriors were hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy at center court inside Boston’s TD Garden. It was Golden State’s fourth title in eight years, and the sixth trip to the NBA Finals in that span.
Win-loss projections
Warriors in NBArank
Most impactful offseason move: Losing Gary Payton II and Otto Porter Jr.
The Warriors’ offseason saw more departures than they expected after winning the championship. The two biggest were Payton and Porter, who left for bigger paydays in Portland and Toronto, respectively, massively shrinking the champs’ veteran depth. Payton became the player the Warriors stuck on opponents’ best guard. He would take on assignments such as All-Stars Devin Booker, Luka Doncic and Ja Morant…
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