By Hank Bartholomew, Ahmad Shaur, and Jack Stewart
- Milwaukee Bucks
Ever since Damian Lillard’s groundbreaking trade, the Milwaukee Bucks are the clear favorite for the NBA title. While completely out of left field, the trade–in which shooting guard Grayson Allen and point guard Jrue Holiday were lost for Lillard–has given the Bucks an all-star guard to compliment center Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Bucks were one of the first to fall to the Miami Heat during their Cinderella-story run last year, but this team now adds veteran experience with the addition of Lillard, who, after being stuck in Portland for over a decade, finally has the tools to win an NBA championship. A reinvigorated Lillard may very well have one of the best seasons of his career.
- Phoenix Suns
The Suns have been an excellent team for a few years now, but seem to always struggle in the postseason. They lost Chris Paul over the offseason, but gained all-pro Bradley Beal from the Washington Wizards. With Duke product Devin Booker, veteran Kevin Durant, and the newly added Beal, this team has the tools to win. This is a formidable team, but Phoenix’s bench is remarkably desolate. A deep playoff run will center almost entirely on the team’s big three, and in a competitive West Conference, Durant, Booker, and Beal will have their hands full. This team has the pieces to win a championship, but assembling them will be difficult.
- Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are coming off of an NBA title, carried by Nikola Jokic. Jokic won back to back MVP awards in 2021 and 2022 and is arguably the best player in the NBA as of now. Overall, the Nuggets have a really good team, and will likely make a very deep playoff run this year. Although they have been pretty quiet and inactive this offseason, they have a good lineup and a deep bench which will allow them to make this a good season.
- Boston Celtics
The Celtics had one of the busiest offseasons of any team this year, but whether or not they are a better team because of this activity remains to be seen. The Celtics acquired power forward Kristaps Porzingis during the break, but mainly made a splash by acquiring guard Jrue Holiday from Portland. However, they lost Malcom Brogden, who may very well be the best sixth-man in the league, averaging 14.9 points and 7.5 rebounds off the bench last season. Additionally, center Robert Williams, as well as two first round picks, were given up for Holiday. The depth of the Celtics’s bench has helped to make them such a formidable team for the last few seasons, and much of that depth, as well as future picks, have now been lost. The Celtics have gone all in on a championship this year, but they may very well have lost just what made them such a great team. Nonetheless, this team still has Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, the newly added Holiday, and Porzingis, who has been putting up excellent numbers in the preseason. Brown had a huge contract expansion over the offseason, and will be in Boston for a while, as will Tatum. This is a talented group of players, but Boston’s front office may have overreached here, and lost what made them so formidable.
- Miami Heat
The Miami Heat had a historic season last year. They beat all odds and made it to the finals as the 8 seed. In the first round of the playoffs, they beat the first seed Bucks and beat the second seed Celtics in the conference finals. Although the Heat undoubtedly got worse this off season with the loss of Gabe Vincent, they still look promising. Players like Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler will make this a good season for Miami.
- Oklahoma City Thunder
Over the past decade, Thunder GM Sam Prseti has created a strong young core through a series of trades and draft picks. With All-Star Shai Gilgeous Alexander and promising talent Chet Holmgreen and Josh Giddey, the Oklahoma City Thunder look to be a competitive team, even in an incredibly strong Western Conference.
7. Golden State Warriors
Over the past decade, the Golden State Warriors owned the NBA. Winning four championships in the last eight years, Steph Curry has proved to be an all time great. The Warriors had a pretty decent season last year, losing to Lebron and the Lakers in the second round. Over the offseason, the Warriors made the controversial move of sending Jordan Poole to the Wizards in return for 38 year old star, Chris Paul; however, Chris Paul is nowhere near as good of a player as he once was, and people don’t like the fact that the Warriors traded their young talent for him. However, Steph Curry had one of his career’s best seasons last year, and he does not seem to be slowing down. Overall, the Warriors are a pretty solid team who could make a deep playoff push if all goes well.
8. Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers had a great bounce back playoff run, and they look to build upon that performance. The Lakers are anchored by two of the greatest players in the league right now, Center Anthony Davis and Small Forward Lebron James who both averaged over 25 PPG last year. The Lakers also have arguably the best bench in the entire league, and their depth along with their great starters make them one of the better teams in the Western Conference. Injuries are a concern but if their stars stay healthy, the Lakers are a dangerous team.
9. Cleveland Cavaliers
Ever since Lebron James left the team in 2018, the Cleveland Cavaliers have struggled finding a new identity in his absence. However, after some recent off season additions over the last two years, the Cavs have found their footing with Guard Donovan Mitchell leading the team. This offseason, they added Max Strus from the Miami Heat, and Strus, Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarret Allen make up one of the strongest cores in the East.
10. Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings have been a poverty franchise for nearly their entire history, but after a historic 2022 season, they look to be a strong contender in the Western Conference. De’Aaron Fox and Damontis Sabonis make up one of the best duos in basketball, and with their young core looking to develop more, they look to just get better over the next decade.
