1. Oklahoma City Thunder
2024-25 record: 68-14, first in the Northwest
Head coach: Mark Daigneault, sixth season with the Thunder (211-189 record)
Coming and going: The biggest moves the NBA Champions made this offseason was locking down stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams to long-term extensions. They also re-signed Ajay Mitchell and extended Jaylin Williams. The only offseason departure was Dillon Jones, who was traded to Washington to free up a roster spot for 15th-overall pick Thomas Sorber. Sorber, though, later suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament that will keep him out for the season. Nikola Topic, who missed last season with a torn ACL after being the 12th overall pick in 2024, will make his debut this season.
Numbers to crunch: The Thunder outscored opponents by an NBA-record 1,055 points last season. Just 15 of their 68 wins were decided by fewer than 10 points and Oklahoma City finished 16 games ahead of Houston, the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.
Season snapshot: After winning the franchise’s first championship since moving to Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder are looking to become the first team to repeat since the 2017-18 Golden State Warriors.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander returns after winning NBA Most Valuable Player honors a year ago when he averaged 32.7 points, 6.4 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals. It’s not hard to imagine growth from third-year center Chet Holmgren, who has averaged 16.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in his first two seasons, or All-Star Jalen Williams, who averaged a career-high 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.1 assists last season.
2. Denver Nuggets
2024-25 record: 50-32, second in the Northwest
Head coach: David Adelman, first full season with the Nuggets (3-0 record)
Coming and going: The Nuggets were very active in the offseason, with perhaps the biggest acquisition being the addition of veteran power forward Cam Johnson in a trade with the Nets that sent Michael Porter Jr. to Brooklyn. Johnson averaged 18.8 points per game and shot 47.5% from the field last season, both career highs. They also traded Dario Saric to Sacramento for center Jonas Valancuinas, and signed Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bruce Brown. Russell Westbrook, who tagged in with the Kings this week, and DeAndre Jordan also didn’t return.
Numbers to crunch: Nikola Jokic became the first player (since per-game statistics began being recognized in 1969-70) to finish in the top three in points per game, rebounds per game and assists per game in the same season. Jokic averaged 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds and 10.2 assists last season.
Season snapshot: After pushing the eventual champion Thunder to seven games in the Western Conference semifinals, the Nuggets retooled their roster with an eye toward the postseason.
Ben Tenzer and Jon Wallace, who together head the Nuggets’ front office, added several key pieces designed to give superstar Nikola Jokic a deeper cast around him.
One of the biggest of those pieces was Bruce Brown, who helped Denver win the 2023 title.
The Nuggets were voted to have the third-best offseason in the annual NBA GM Survey and were picked to finish second in the West.
While the additions figure to help, Denver will also continue to lean heavily on Jamal Murray, who averaged a career-high 21.4 points per game last season, and Aaron Gordon to help the Nuggets compete near the top of the conference after back-to-back second-round exits.
3. Minnesota Timberwolves
2024-25 record: 49-33, third in the Northwest
Head coach: Chris Finch, sixth season with the Timberwolves (209-160 record)
Coming and going: The only significant move Minnesota made in the offseason was losing Nickeil Alexander-Walker in a sign-and-trade to the Atlanta Hawks. The Timberwolves chose to re-sign Naz Reid, the 2023-24 NBA Sixth Man of the Year winner, and Julius Randle instead of holding onto Alexander-Walker.
Numbers to crunch: Minnesota’s 5.0 net rating last season was fourth-best in the NBA behind only Oklahoma City, Boston and Cleveland.
Season snapshot: After a second consecutive five-game loss in the Western Conference Finals, the Timberwolves will head into the 2025-26 with largely the same rotation as they had last season.
The core group of Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle give Minnesota a trio capable of competing with the best in the West, but do they have enough depth to take the next step?
Edwards took a step forward last season, averaging 27.6 points and shooting 39.5% from beyond the arc. But he struggled in the playoff defeat to Oklahoma City, averaging 23 points and shooting just 28.2 from distance.
4. Portland Trail Blazers
2024-25 record: 36-46, fourth in the Northwest
Head coach: Chauncey Billups, fifth season with the Trail Blazers (117-211 record)
Coming and going: The Trail Blazers’ two biggest offseason moves were adding 35-year-old former All-Stars Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard. Lillard, who was waived by the Bucks before signing with the franchise where he spent the first 11 seasons of his career, will miss the season after suffering a torn Achilles in last season’s playoffs. Holiday was acquired in a trade that sent Anfernee Simons to Boston. Portland traded for Chinese center Yang Hansen, the 16th pick, on draft night. In addition to Simmons, the Blazers also lose Deandre Ayton in the offseason after Ayton and the team reached a buyout agreement.
Numbers to crunch: After going 13-28 in the first half of last season, Portland improved significantly, going 23-18 in the season half.
Season snapshot: Portland is searching for its first playoff appearance since 2021 after winning 36 games a season ago.
The Blazers’ second-half surge last season was primarily due to its work on the defensive end. During the second half of the season, Portland posted a 110.0 defensive rating – third-best in the NBA during that span behind only Toronto and Portland.
If the Blazers are to snap that playoff drought, they’re likely to need significant production from the aging Jrue Holiday. Holiday averaged 11.1 points and 3.9 assists for Boston last season , his worst numbers in those categories since his rookie season in 2009-10.
Holiday is still a plus defender, even if he’s not quite as good as he was in his prime. With Holiday and Toumani Camara, Portland has a chance to sustain their defensive improvement from last season.
5. Utah Jazz
2024-25 record: 17-65, fifth in the Northwest
Head coach: Will Hardy, fourth season with the Jazz (85-161 record)
Coming and going: The Jazz dealt Collin Sexton to Charlotte for Jusuf Nurkic and waived Jordan Clarkson in the offseason to clear more room for what new president of basketball operations Austin Ainge hopes will be the young core that lifts Utah back into the top half of the Western Conference. The Jazz made waves drafting forward Ace Bailey with the No. 5 pick after the Rutgers freshman had an unconventional lead-up to the draft. Utah also added Georges Niang, Kevin Love and Kyle Anderson in the offseason.
Numbers to crunch: Utah’s 119.4 defensive rating – points allowed per 100 possessions – was work in the NBA last season. The Jazz also add the league’s worst assist-to-turnover ration at 1.48.
Season snapshot: After posting a league-worst record last season, the Jazz are likely back for more of the same after missing out on the coveted prizes — Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper — at the top of the 2025 draft.
Utah doesn’t appear close to contending.
If the Jazz 2026 first-round pick falls outside the top eight, Oklahoma City inherits that asset, limiting the incentive for Utah to chase a ceiling projected by sportsbooks in the 35-win range.
But there are some reasons for optimism.
Utah’s draft haul of Bailey with the No. 5 overall pick and Walter Clayton Jr. with the No. 18 overall pick, could each give the Jazz some added punch.
Bailey was one of the most intriguing prospects in the draft, though his unusual handling of the process drew just as much attention.
Clayton figures to get plenty of opportunity to play off the bat after Clarkson and Sexton relocated.
–Field Level Media
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