Every team in the Western Conference was involved in at least one trade prior to last week’s deadline. With so much activity and the standings so jumbled together (except at the top and bottom), now is a good time to take stock of where things currently stand out West for the teams that have a chance at making the postseason.
- Nuggets, 40-18 (28-11 vs. West)
- In: Thomas Bryant, Reggie Jackson (free agent addition after buyout)
- Out: Bones Hyland, Davon Reed
- Grizzlies, 34-22 (16-16)
- In: Luke Kennard
- Out: Danny Green
- Kings, 32-25 (20-13)
- In: Kessler Edwards (had an open roster spot)
- Suns, 32-27 (21-14)
- In: Kevin Durant, T.J. Warren, Darius Bazley, Terrence Ross (free agent addition after buyout)
- Out: Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Jae Crowder (wasn’t playing), Dario Saric
- Clippers, 32-28 (18-16)
- In: Eric Gordon, Mason Plumlee, Bones Hyland
- Out: Luke Kennard, Reggie Jackson, John Wall
- Mavericks, 31-28 (23-15)
- In: Kyrie Irving, Markieff Morris, Justin Holiday (free agent addition after buyout)
- Out: Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith
- Pelicans, 30-28 (19-14)
- In: Josh Richardson
- Out: Devonte’ Graham
- Timberwolves, 31-29 (22-19)
- In: Mike Conley, Nickeil Alexander-Walker
- Out: D’Angelo Russell, Bryn Forbes (waived)
- Warriors, 29-29 (17-14)
- In: Gary Payton II (injured)
- Out: James Wiseman
- Jazz, 29-30 (19-17)
- In: Russell Westbrook (away from team), Damian Jones, Juan Toscano-Anderson
- Out: Mike Conley, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt
- Trail Blazers, 28-30 (20-16)
- In: Cam Reddish, Matisse Thybulle, Ryan Arcidiacono, Kevin Knox
- Out: Josh Hart, Gary Payton II
- Thunder, 27-29 (14-17)
- In: Dario Saric, Eugene Omoruyi (promoted from two-way deal)
- Out: Darius Bazley, Mike Muscala
- Lakers, 26-32 (13-20)
- In: Rui Hachimura, Davon Reed, D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Mohamed Bamba
- Out: Kendrick Nunn, Russell Westbrook, Damian Jones, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Thomas Bryant, Patrick Beverley
Phoenix made the biggest splash, trading for superstar forward Durant (MCL sprain), who won’t make his Suns debut until after the All-Star break. The Mavericks got a second star to pair with Luka Doncic in Irving, though he can be mercurial. The Clippers bolstered their guard depth and added a traditional backup center in Plumlee.
Golden State dealt away its former second overall pick and brought back a familiar face to try and defend its title, but discovered that Payton was injured and will miss a significant amount of time. The Wolves swapped out point guards, preferring Conley’s veteran leadership and additional year of team control to Russell’s expiring deal.
The Lakers completely reshaped their roster, but with only 24 games remaining, they’re running out of time to make up ground in the standings. The Jazz were a seller, but they have exceeded expectations all season and hold a half-game lead on the Blazers and Thunder for the final spot in the play-in tournament.
The top three seeds were all relatively quiet at the deadline, particularly the Kings, who only made one very minor trade. It’s understandable why the Nuggets and Grizzlies were confident in their teams, given their respective places in the standings.
After starting the season 14-10, the Nuggets have gone 26-8 over their past 34 games. They hold a five-game lead over Memphis for the top seed in the West and currently have a 26-4 home record in 2022/23 — home court advantage could be a big deal for Denver in the playoffs.
We want to know what you think. Which team will represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals?
Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section to weigh in with your predictions.