7. Dallas Mavericks
Losing Jalen Brunson moves the Dallas Mavericks down a few spots in the Western Conference hierarchy. Even though Luka Doncic is still on the roster, the Mavs will lose a key piece to a conference finals team. That matters.
The addition of Christian Wood should help, but I’m not exactly sold on the supposed plan that they have for him after the move. Nevertheless, the Mavs should still be in the playoff picture in the West.
Dallas also has Tim Hardaway Jr. coming back from injury and drafted an interesting project in Jaden Hardy. The Mavs, at the very least, will have some potential heading into the new season. It remains to be seen if that will translate to success.