NBA West Playoff Rankings: Rockets Rank High Post-Kevin Durant, Free Agency

It's a good thing that the Houston Rockets had perhaps the biggest jump in terms of acquiring talent. After a 52-30 season, they re-upped on offense, having the trade of the season and getting Kevin Durant in a historic seven-team trade.

The 36-year-old, although having spent the last two years on a pitiful Phoenix Suns team, is still one of the best scorers in the world, and fixes many of Houston's offensive woes. Not only that, the Rockets brought in key free agents Dorian Finney-Smith and Clint Capela.

Where do the Rockets rank in the West playoff race? In a conference that got even better, Houston will have tough competition, but the team is ready for it.

8. San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs could have been a Play-In Tournament team had Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox not gotten injured midway through the season. The duo will take the court for their first full year together, but with more supplementary pieces.

San Antonio drafted Dylan Harper and Carter Bryant, two of the most promising rookies in the draft who fit the team's identity. If they, along with Stephon Castle, Jeremy Sochan, and Devin Vassell, can showcase chemistry and improvement, this up-and-coming squad can do damage and sneak into the playoffs with a balance of offense and defensive intensity.

Yes, the Dallas Mavericks or Memphis Grizzlies could have been in this spot, but if Wembanyama and the Spurs continue on their trajectory, they should be in the playoffs this year.

7. Golden State Warriors

Many underestimate that the Warriors went 23-8 since acquiring Jimmy Butler. The aging star has shown no signs of slowing down since joining Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. Not to play to the 'what if' game, but had Curry been healthy in Golden State's round-two series, the team could have gone farther in this year's playoffs.

While the second half of last season indicates a strong 2026 campaign, the problem is that Golden State has been dead silent in the offseason. Kevon Looney left for the New Orleans Pelicans, while Jonathan Kuminga remains a restricted agent with no signs of the Warriors making progress to improve center depth. Al Horford remains a strong possibility.

6. Los Angeles Lakers

This might be one of the weirdest seasons in Lakers history, given the narratives that have surfaced in the offseason. LeBron James' future with the team has been as uncertain as ever, with reports indicating a potential departure on the horizon.

After losing Finney-Smith, Los Angeles was underwhelming in revamping the rotation. Deandre Ayton is solid on paper, but doesn't quite fit the team's needs at center. Jake LaRavia is a solid shooter, but is he a difference maker? There are so many questions even after all of these moves.

5. Minnesota Timberwolves

No new names were brought to the Timberwolves, but Nickeil Alexander-Walker leaving for the Atlanta Hawks does more damage than people think. Minnesota was heavily involved in Durant trade talks, but ultimately extended Julius Randle and Naz Reid without making a massive splash.

Minnesota didn't get that much worse, but it certainly didn't get better. Anthony Edwards continues to galvanize the league, but how much juice does his team have after unexpected back-to-back Western Conference Finals appearances? Unless something truly clicks, the Timberwolves should be just outside of the conference's pantheon.

4. LA Clippers

Just a year or two ago, the Clippers were one of the league's biggest question marks. Now, they're finding answers. They swapped out Norman Powell and Drew Eubanks for John Collins and Brook Lopez, bolstering their depth to what could be a nine-man rotation.

LA was 21-9 across its last 30 games of the regular season, including an eight-game winning streak heading into the playoffs. Much of this was due to Kawhi Leonard's return and his clicking with James Harden during his own All-Star season. The Clippers have a great system with viable role players to back up their star duo. Can they recreate their second-half magic and break through?

3. Denver Nuggets

Denver was one game from taking down the eventual champions with a shot at a trip back to the NBA Finals, but many just remember the blowout Game 7 loss. The Nuggets still have one of the best systems in the league, led by Nikola Jokic, and revamped their bench to adapt to the NBA's meta.

David Adelman will have new weapons in his first full season as Denver's head coach. The front office swapped out Michael Porter Jr. for Cam Johnson, a much better fit, and added Jonas Valanciunas, Bruce Brown, and Tim Hardaway Jr.

The Nuggets will go from a team that barely saw seven guys take the floor to a rotation that runs nine men deep, assuming Adelman instills the same trust in Julian Strawther that he did in the second round of the playoffs. The Jokic-Jamal Murray pick-and-roll duo remains deadly, but this time, Denver has even more shooters to back them up.

2. Houston Rockets

On paper, the Rockets are a top-five, potentially top-three team in the NBA after adding Durant. They went 52-30 despite finding immense struggles from the three-point line, lacking an efficient shot creator. With one of the greatest scorers ever, Houston has legitimate title hopes for the first time since James Harden was at the helm.

It's not just Durant that makes the Rockets so dangerous. In fact, he's just a piece of a large puzzle. Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., and many other young names highlight the core that GM Rafael Stone was able to retain, instead giving up Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and picks.

Factor this in with Finney-Smith and Capela adding to the defensive prowess, and you have the most intense defensive team in the league, with offense no longer holding this team back. The Rockets aren't 100% solidified as the second-best team in the conference, but only one team is head-and-shoulders above them.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder

No surprise here. The Thunder didn't lose a single rotation player, and instead doubled down on their trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren. All three received lucrative contract extensions, along with Jaylin Williams and Ajay Mitchell.

Many question how the apron rules of the new CBA will affect this championship core, but the truth is, it shouldn't. Oklahoma City has its core for the foreseeable future, and can instead rotate out supplementary talent as the salary cap rises.

Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and Holmgren will stay for years to come, while GM Sam Presti should look to figure out how to replicate Isaiah Hartenstein, Alex Caruso, and Lu Dort when their times inevitably come to an end. By the way, the Thunder have 10 potential first-round picks from 2026 to 2030.