The Western Conference hasn’t changed much since the Golden State Warriors trundled their way through it, and won the 2022 NBA Finals. On paper, it looks mostly the same.
There are some changes, for sure. The Utah Jazz shipping three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves turns the latter into a star-studded force (albeit one that still is a ways away, in my eyes), and pushes the former towards a rebuild. Jerami Grant’s trade to the Portland Trail Blazers — and the massive contacts doled out to keep Damian Lillard, Anfernee Simons, and Jusuf Nurkiu0107 — point towards the PNW still trying to compete.