OKC Thunder Remain Leader of West, Despite Massive NBA Shakeup

The confusion, shock and discourse surrounding the Luka Doncic trade hasn't waned since the news that floored the NBA world came out Saturday night.

It's an unprecedented move that no person on the outside could've expected. At the age of just 25, Doncic has practically been an MVP candidate since he first came into the league with the Dallas Mavericks in 2018. The guard led them to the NBA Finals last season, and though it didn't seem like that path would happen twice in a row, he certainly would've kept them in contention for the next decade.

So, when Doncic suddenly got dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers with no warning — for an aging Anthony Davis as the centerpiece. no less — there was a reason why the news was instantly unbelievable. One of the most talented players the NBA has seen in decades, on the cusp of his prime? Most franchises would never even consider the thought.

A trade of such magnitude is bound to shake up the landscape of the league, and particularly the Western Conference. The timeline of the Lakers had seemed to be reaching its conclusion with the end of LeBron James' career approaching, but a new cornerstone fell into their laps. For the time that Los Angeles will get it, the duo of Doncic and James on paper is unmatched by any other.

Dallas isn't all of the sudden a bad team, either. As seemingly of a terrible mistake to trade Doncic as it is, Davis and Kyrie Irving will keep them in the playoffs for the next couple of years. It has lots of talented role players as its disposal, and will still be competing for one of the lower seeds in the Play-In Tournament.

The West has undergone a shakeup that will not only change the conference now, but for the next several seasons. Though, the move hasn't changed the team that remains in the driver's seat at the top of the ladder: it's still the Oklahoma City Thunder.

With a six-game lead at the No. 1 seed, there hasn't been a team in the West that has really come close to the Thunder. Its defense is in the same realm as the greatest in NBA history even with little availability of Chet Holmgren, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is most likely taking home the MVP award.

Los Angeles likely improved, and the Mavericks shouldn't drop off much for the remainder of the year, but neither side is getting a big enough boost to truly threaten Oklahoma City in the playoffs. In terms of star power, sure there's competition. But as an entire team and thought-out system, the Thunder is above and beyond the rest of the pack.

Dallas was one of the teams most concerning for the Thunder this season. It took Oklahoma City down in the semifinals a year ago, and won this season's series 3-1. All of the challenges the Mavericks pose won't go away immediately, but Doncic being eliminated from the equation is going to make them less of an "Achilles heel" moving forward.

That's not to say the Thunder isn't going to face tough opponents during its search for a coveted NBA Finals win, but it still remains the favorite to get out of the West by a wide margin. The Doncic trade will be a hot topic right into the playoffs, but it won't change Oklahoma City's position.

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