West Notes: Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Rockets, Kevin Durant, Clippers

Thunder

The question, ESPN writes, wasn’t whether the Thunder would land at No. 1 in the long-term power rankings — it was just how they would rate historically.

Turns out, pretty high.

Based on a title-winning young core (no starter over 27) and the league’s best stockpile of extra draft picks, Oklahoma City owns the highest “future power rating” since the Kevin Durant-era Warriors.

With MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander secured on a supermax extension and rookie deals in place for Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, the Thunder are loaded.

The challenge will be retaining all the role players. Still, ESPN opines, no team is better positioned to replace them if they walk.

Rockets

Houston is proof of how quickly fortunes can flip. Per ESPN, the Rockets spent years in the bottom five of these rankings, never climbing higher than 22nd from 2021 through 2023. Now? They’ve vaulted into the top tier.

That leap started with the hire of coach Ime Udoka, continued with the rise of one of the league’s best young cores, and reached another level with the addition of Kevin Durant.

The Rockets now sit top-five in players (second), management (fourth) and draft assets (fifth), landing just behind Oklahoma City in the Western Conference hierarchy.

Clippers

A 15-spot jump from the last set of rankings puts the Clippers squarely in the mix, ESPN notes.

The team is essentially working on two timelines. On one hand, they’re a win-now group with Kawhi Leonard, James Harden and most of their roster under contract through 2026-27.

On the other, they’ve set themselves up for a major reset in 2027, when only Ivica Zubac is guaranteed money, leaving open as much as $140 million in cap space.

Of course, there’s one giant caveat. The Clippers remain under NBA investigation for alleged salary cap circumvention tied to Leonard’s Aspiration deal.

So ESPN stresses that any penalties could significantly alter where they stand in these rankings.