The start of the 2017-18 NBA season is only weeks away, with plenty of intriguing questions and storylines. Given the bevy of high-profile moves this offseason, questions abound all across the league. Have the newest "super-teams" done enough to knock off the Warriors? How will Kyrie Irving fit in his new home, and can LeBron James get back to the NBA Finals yet again with Dwyane Wade once more in tow?
Here are the 25 biggest questions heading into the year.
The reigning champs return with the same core looking to win their third championship in four years. With 4/7 odds to win it all, Vegas doesn't love the chances of someone else stopping them.
Westbrook averaged a triple-double en route to winning MVP last season without Kevin Durant. Now he has help from both Paul George and Carmelo Anthony, taking the pressure off of him. While the new faces should help the Thunder, it remains to be seen what will happen to Westbrook's stats and MVP prospects, not to mention the team's performance.
James has a player option following this season, and it's certainly possible that he will exercise it. That would be another sad scenario for Cleveland fans, but at least he's already fulfilled his quest for a championship.
Speaking of Cleveland, the Cavs have high hopes again to challenge the Warriors. They have 4/1 odds to win it all, according to Vegas, and have made significant offseason additions like Dwyane Wade and Isaiah Thomas to take Kyrie Irving's place.
The Suns finished in the cellar of the competitive Western Conference last season, but Booker was a major bright spot. He averaged 22 points per game at age 20 and could help Phoenix ascend with a thinner conference this year.
Minnesota won only 31 games last season, but there's certainly reason for excitement heading into 2017-18. Butler joins young stars Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns, and the team has also added Jeff Teague at point guard at Taj Gibson at forward. The expectations are sky high.
Howard simply isn't the player he was before a major knee injury, but he's still an asset. He has time to revitalize his career, turning 32 in December, and will be featured in Charlotte.
Ball has been the talk of the preseason and seems to be a perfect fit for the Lakers. His father, Lonzo, has remained relatively quiet recently but took much of the attention over the last year while endorsing his sons — and himself.
The Clippers will notably be without Chris Paul and J.J. Redick this season, but they still have plenty of talent. Notably, the Clippers added Danilo Gallinari and Lou Williams to Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. It should be an interesting year for L.A.'s other team.
The Rockets made waves when they acquired Paul from the Clippers during the offseason. Houston attempted more than 40 three-pointers per game last season. While it's likely the team will continue to seek the three-point shot, Paul should open up other easy shots for them.
Harden had a career year last season, setting career marks in points, assists and rebounds. It's hard to imagine him building on that campaign after averaging 29.1 points per game, but Paul could have that type of impact.
The state of the Nets franchise has been dire for several years with a combined 41 wins over the last two seasons. They've been further set back with some bad trades, but new additions D'Angelo Russell, Timofey Mozgov, DeMarre Carroll and Allen Crabbe do give the team a new look.
Saying that the Knicks were the best in New York last season really isn't saying much with only 31 wins. Now after trading Carmelo Anthony, the team's chances at competitiveness look even more dire this season. Kristaps Porzingis becomes the face of the team, but hoping for last year's win total could even be a reach.
It's time for the 76ers to deliver on the promise. They added Markelle Fultz in the draft and signed J.J. Redick to a loaded roster that includes Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Dario Saric.
There has been some turnover in Denver, but the addition of Millsap in the offseason was regarded by some as the best free agent signing of them all. Denver finished only one game out of the playoffs in the Western Conference last season and hopes to punch its ticket to the playoffs this year.
Irving demanded a trade out of Cleveland to get out of LeBron's shadow. He joins a Celtics team also loaded with talent, replacing Isaiah Thomas. A step forward will be credited to Irving, but so will the blame if Boston doesn't match last season.
The Spurs' consistency over the last several years is remarkable, with Kawhi Leonard now the face of the team. However, Gregg Popovich's team isn't often mentioned anymore with the NBA super-teams, and the Spurs have only the fifth best odds to win the NBA Finals.
Every NBA draft brings with it some pleasant, late surprises. This year's draft in particular has some late potential with names like Justin Patton, Harry Giles, Caleb Swanigan, Frank Mason III and Dwayne Bacon. Only time will tell how this year's draft grades out in a few years.
The process in Philadelphia was painful for fans, but it looks like it could be worth the wait. Losing for a better draft spot is a much debated issue in the NBA, and rules were recently enacted to prevent intentionally losing. However, the new rule, which decreases the odds of the three worst teams getting the No. 1 overall pick from 25 percent to 14 percent, won't start until 2019.
The Wizards made a huge jump last season as star John Wall established himself as elite. Often, teams that make a big jump in one season regress the following year, but Washington has the talent, led by Wall, Bradley Beal and Otto Porter Jr., to get even better.
Every season has a team that surprises. Minnesota is an obvious candidate after adding Jimmy Butler, while Milwaukee, Denver, New Orleans and Philadelphia are also often mentioned as teams that could surprise this season.
It was a tough but not unexpected offseason for the Jazz, as Hayward went to Boston. Utah's team now revolves around Rudy Gobert, and the Jazz added rookie Donovan Mitchell and point guard Ricky Rubio.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has grown with each NBA season, peaking last year with 22.9 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. He still only turns 23 in December, so there's reason to believe that he can continue to grow and turn the Bucks into serious contenders down the line.
It's sad to see the Mavericks in rebuilding mode, though Nowitzki remained productive at age 38 last season averaging more than 14 points per game. However, he played only 54 games and is certainly approaching the end of his Hall of Fame career.
There's isn't a more imposing big man combo than Cousins and Davis, but they didn't exactly win much after uniting late last season. The NBA has become a three-point shooting league, and the Pelicans ranked in the bottom half of the league shooting 35 percent. This pairing is certainly entertaining, but it remains to be seen if it will lead to more consistent wins.
Seth Trachtman is a fantasy sports expert and diehard Kansas City Chiefs fan. He doesn't often Tweet, but when he does, you can find him on Twitter @sethroto.
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