Last summer saw a flurry of blockbuster trades and signings that shook up the NBA landscape going forward. Particularly in the Western Conference, where a plethora of teams made bold moves to challenge the Golden State Warriors, who had just captured their second championship in three seasons.
The Warriors went on to re-sign Kevin Durant and retooled their bench depth to complement an existing trio of All-Stars in Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson. But rival teams weren’t intimidated by Golden State’s stronghold on the conference.
The Houston Rockets countered with a stunning sign-and-trade with the Los Angeles Clippers that netted Chris Paul to pair him with MVP candidate James Harden in the backcourt.