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)
Back and forth: The biggest moves the NBA champions made this offseason were 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, however, then suffered a torn ACL that would 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 debut this season.
Numbers to analyze: The Thunder dominated their opponents with an NBA record 1,055 points last season. Only 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 Preview: After winning the franchise’s first championship since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder look to become the first team to repeat since the 2017-18 Golden State Warriors.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander returns after winning the NBA Most Valuable Player a year ago by averaging 32.7 points, 6.4 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals. It’s not hard to imagine the growth of third-year center Chet Holmgren, who averaged 16.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in his first two seasons, or All-Star Jalen Williams, who averaged 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 have been very active this offseason, with perhaps the biggest acquisition being the addition of veteran 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 percent 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 rejoined the Kings this week, and DeAndre Jordan also did not return.
Numbers to analyze: Nikola Jokic became the first player (since per-game statistics began to be 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 Preview: After pushing the eventual champion Thunder to seven games in the Western Conference semifinals, the Nuggets retooled their roster for the playoffs.
Ben Tenzer and Jon Wallace, who together run the Nuggets front office, added several key pieces intended to give superstar Nikola Jokic a deeper supporting cast around him.
One of the biggest pieces was Bruce Brown, who helped Denver win the 2023 title.
The Nuggets were voted to have the third-best offseason in the NBA’s annual general managers’ survey and were picked to finish second in the West.
While the additions appear to help, Denver will also continue to rely heavily on Jamal Murray, who averaged 21.4 points per game last season, and Aaron Gordon to help the Nuggets move closer to the conference top after two straight second-round exits.
3. Minnesota Wolves
2024-25 record: 49-33, third in the Northwest
Head Coach: Chris Finch, sixth season with Timberwolves (209-160 record)
Coming and going: The only big move Minnesota made this offseason was losing Nickeil Alexander-Walker in a trade to the Atlanta Hawks. The Timberwolves opted to re-sign 2023-24 NBA Sixth Man of the Year winner Naz Reid and Julius Randle instead of retaining Alexander-Walker.
Numbers to analyze: Minnesota’s 5.0 net rating last season was fourth-best in the NBA behind only Oklahoma City, Boston and Cleveland.
Season Preview: Coming off a second straight five-game loss in the Western Conference Finals, the Timberwolves will head into the 2025-2026 season with largely the same rotation as last season.
The core of Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle gives 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 a 39.5% success rate from beyond the arc. But he struggled in the playoff loss 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 the additions of 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 during 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 lost Deandre Ayton this offseason after Ayton and the team reached a buyout agreement.
Numbers to analyze: After going 13-28 in the first half of last season, Portland has improved considerably, going 23-18 in the first half of the season.
Season Preview: Portland is looking for its first playoff appearance since 2021 after winning 36 games a season ago.
The Blazers’ second-half surge last season was mainly due to their work on the defensive end. During the second half of the season, Portland posted a defensive rating of 110.0 – third best in the NBA during that span, behind only Toronto and Portland.
If the Blazers want to end this playoff drought, they will likely 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 as good as he was in his prime. With Holiday and Toumani Camara, Portland has a chance to maintain its 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)
Back and forth: The Jazz dealt Collin Sexton to Charlotte for Jusuf Nurkic and waived Jordan Clarkson in the offseason to free up more room for what new president of basketball operations Austin Ainge hopes will be the young core that will return Utah to the top half of the Western Conference. The Jazz made waves by drafting forward Ace Bailey with the No. 5 pick after the Rutgers freshman had an unconventional preparation for the draft. Utah also added Georges Niang, Kevin Love and Kyle Anderson during the offseason.
Numbers to analyze: Utah’s 119.4 defensive rating – points allowed per 100 possessions – was a slog in the NBA last season. The Jazz also add the worst assist ratio in the league, at 1.48.
Season preview: After posting the worst record in the league last season, the Jazz are likely back for more of the same after missing out on coveted prizes — Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper — at the top of the 2025 draft.
Utah doesn’t seem close to competing.
If the Jazz’s 2026 first-round pick falls outside the top eight, Oklahoma City inherits that asset, limiting Utah’s incentive to chase a sportsbook-projected ceiling in the 35-win range.
But there are some reasons to be optimistic.
Utah’s draft, consisting of Bailey with the No. 5 overall pick and Walter Clayton Jr. with the No. 18 overall pick, could each give the Jazz a little more punch.
Bailey was one of the most intriguing prospects in the draft, although his unusual handling of the process attracted just as much attention.
Clayton figures to have plenty of opportunities to play up front after Clarkson and Sexton move.
