EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- A lot has happened in the West in the five weeks since the Los Angeles Lakers were swept out of the conference finals.
The Denver Nuggets, who eliminated L.A., proved it had a championship-ready group already by beating the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. The Phoenix Suns traded Chris Paul to the Washington Wizards in a deal for Bradley Beal. The Golden State Warriors then traded Jordan Poole to Washington for Paul. The Memphis Grizzlies received news of Ja Morant's 25-game suspension and dealt Tyus Jones as part of a three-team trade to land Marcus Smart from the Boston Celtics.