As the 2018 NBA offseason comes to a close, we breakdown a new-look Western Conference where the Golden State Warriors continue to reign supreme
Once again, the best sports league in the world provided an offseason full of fireworks and unexpected turns. Some teams are shooting for the stars, others are collecting future assets, and some have no idea what they’re doing, but one thing is clear in the NBA’s Western Conference: The Golden State Warriors are in charge.
With the addition of one of the best big men in basketball on a bargain contract to add to their ridiculously talented core, the Warriors proved once again that they’re light years ahead of the rest of the league. They’ve won the West each of the last four years and seemingly continue to get deeper each year. If there’s an end in sight to their run, the only hope may be that an upcoming historic tax bill breaks up their core.
But until that moment, everyone out West (and league wide) will be gunning for them. They are quite possibly in the middle of the greatest five-year stretch of team basketball in NBA history. They have set the bar incredibly high; they are the standard the rest of the NBA must hold themselves to.
I have sorted the Western Conference by tiers and their likelihood of beating the Warriors in a playoff series if both teams were completely healthy. I took into account offseason transactions, historical track record, and player development moving forward.
This is not an indication of how I project each team’s overall strength, rather their formidability against the defending champs. I only saw it as fitting since the West runs through Golden State.
Without further ado, the NBA’s Western Conference.
(note: I have stated in parentheses how each player was acquired or let go throughout the offseason. “FA” is short for free agency.)