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After Melo trade, the West looks completely different
USA TODAY Sports

After Carmelo Anthony trade, the Western Conference looks completely different

On September 25, the New York Knicks ended their relationship with Carmelo Anthony by trading him to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott and a 2018 second-round draft pick. The trade marked the end of a fantastic summer for Thunder GM Sam Presti, who just one year ago, saw Kevin Durant bolt in free agency for the Golden State Warriors. Earlier in the offseason, Presti was able to trade for Paul George, and now with Anthony in the fold just in time for training camp, the Thunder are a markedly different team than they were three months ago in a Western Conference that is markedly different than it was three months ago.

The Thunder were far from the only team looking to keep up with the Warriors this offseason, and the Warriors didn’t stand pat, either. While the defending champions roster changes were minimal – adding Nick Young and Omri Casspi to bolster their bench – the rest of the conference got much deeper.

Houston added Chris Paul. Minnesota added Jeff Teague and Jimmy Butler. Utah added Ricky Rubio. Sacramento added George Hill and Zach Randolph. New Orleans added Rajon Rondo and Tony Allen. The Lakers and Mavericks drafted phenomenal point guards while Phoenix just drafted who might be the most versatile player in the 2017 class. The good teams have become borderline great, and the bad teams got better.

The Spurs and Clippers were probably hurt the most by this offseason. The Spurs just because everyone under them improved and the Clippers because they lost Chris Paul in free agency. However, even the Spurs still have all-world Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge leading their team with Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili coming back and the Clippers still have Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan in their frontcourt.

So what does the new Western Conference mean for the NBA? That depends on which franchise is trying to answer that question. Let’s begin at the top, with the Warriors seeing how the conference is responding to their success over the last three years. If nothing else, there are going to be fewer easy nights for the Warriors, but they’ll still exist. While there have been a number of blockbuster deals, nothing is going to shake the Warriors confidence as the top dogs. In fact, the rest of the conference slugging it out for the No. 2 seed could make things easier on the Warriors come the postseason as their limitless depth will allow their stars plenty of time to rest during the regular season.


Oklahoma still needs Russell Westbrook to sign an extension.  Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

For Oklahoma City, the new West is gambling today for a better tomorrow. The Thunder, still waiting on Russell Westbrook to sign an extension, aren’t just hoping to contend for a title this year, but also hoping to retain one of its original superstars in Russell Westbrook. Bringing in George and Anthony is a step toward ensuring that Westbrook is a part of their future. To do this, they took a risk on George, who is an unrestricted free agent this summer. Betting on new players is always a gamble, but Presti and Co. are taking on a crazy amount of risk, and if they fail, they’ll not only lose Westbrook and George next season but will see Anthony play another year of the end of his prime on a team with no help and a foot out of the door in the final year of his deal.

In Houston, the new West is about pushing the limits of what is possible. Mike D’Antoni and James Harden are about as perfect as a player-coach tandem could be, but with the addition of fellow magician Chris Paul, D’Antoni has yet another weapon and another variable to throw into an offense that, in a sense, led to the Warriors we see today. Paul bridges the gap between the past and current atmosphere of how offenses are run like no other point guard in the league, and Harden has shown that he has the ability to mold into whatever his team needs. The Rockets will be the most fun team to dissect this season, and if D’Antoni has his way, they’ll have the most success against teams like the Warriors.

In Minnesota, Jimmy Butler and Jeff Teague are leading the kids into hoops maturity. Teague has made a number of deep runs into the postseason and Butler is the defensive stalwart that the Baby Wolves just haven’t had to follow on the court. Tom Thibodeau is a demanding coach is has every right to expect the most from such a young, talented team. Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns should be expected to make the next step while Taj Gibson is an underrated, undersized big with limitless energy and the know-how to help a team make a leap. While they’re still a year away from being a year away, the aforementioned additions and Jamal Crawford coming off the bench makes Minnesota the last 7th or 8th seed any team is going to want to see.

The Spurs, somehow, will maintain the status quo. Even with 13 of the 15 teams in the conference improving, at least on paper, no one is willing to move San Antonio outside of the top-four out West.

It’s a whole new conference with the same ol' top dog. This is going to be a year where even the league’s elite will struggle with the bottom-feeders. The conference youth are going to learn how to play in the world’s top league the hard way and the veterans are going to have to reinvent themselves to gain an edge. Just in terms of conference play, this could be the most anticipated regular season in a decade because of the depth of the league that is both top heavy and talented throughout. Anthony could be the biggest signing of the offseason, but he is just the last in a summer of change. And with Dwyane Wade’s contract now bought out by Chicago, one of these teams could continue the trend one last time before the start of the season.


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