Reassessing the Western Conference After Donovan Mitchell's Exit
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The Western Conference is undoubtedly going to be a grueling one. But did Donovan Mitchell’s departure from Utah cause Western conference ripples?
The answer to that question is almost assuredly, no.
Mitchell and the Jazz were a regular season force in the past few seasons, but one that had ran its course. It’s likely most teams were already gearing up for a season without a competitive Utah squad.
Losing the contending Jazz squads of old certainly isn't a small loss for the West, but the addition of even more makes up for it.
Even crossing the Jazz off the list, Golden State, Dallas, Minnesota, New Orleans, Memphis, Portland, Denver, both Los Angeles teams and even Sacramento are gearing up to make a run at the coveted NBA Finals.
[Alonzo Adams]
While the Thunder have certainly added more talent this offseason, the Western Conference may take care of some hard decisions for general manager Sam Presti.
In the past two seasons, general manager Sam Presti has done a fine job of positioning himself just right in order to land premier draft picks: No. 6 in the 2021 Draft and No. 2 in 2022.
But with added lottery picks and the natural developmental boost coming for a host of Thunder players, it looked as if Oklahoma City might actually fare better than year’s past in the 2022-23 season.
Oklahoma City will now need to cut a few more players in order to get to the regulation 15-man roster for the regular season.
The Thunder season kicks off on Oct. 19 with a game against the new-look Timberwolves at 7 p.m.
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