Re-ranking the Western Conference after trade deadline insanity

The NBA trade deadline has passed and holy moly was it a crazy five days. The Minnesota Timberwolves didn't make a single move, rendering them as one of the few teams that didn't pull the trigger on a trade. Is that a bad thing?

Remember 15 years ago when "do the opposite" was all the rage in fantasy football? While your friends loaded up on running backs in the draft, the opposite strategy was to let them fight over running backs while you loaded up on wide receivers. It worked wonders in fantasy, and you could argue that Minnesota not making a trade is the opposite of what most teams did before Thursday's 2 p.m. CT trade deadline.

Of the 12 teams legitimately in the playoff conversation in the Western Conference, the Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets were the only two that didn't make a trade. The Oklahoma City Thunder, Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors were all active. Here's what those 10 teams pulled off during a wild week:

*Players added are in bold*

Thunder: Acquired Daniel Theis from the New Orleans Pelicans for cash considerations, though they will reportedly be waiving him. They also activated Chet Holmgren from the injured list.

Grizzlies: Traded Marcus Smart and a 2025 first-round pick to the Washington Wizards and got two second-round picks in return. The move helped clear cap space for roster flexibility.

Rockets: Acquired guard Jaden Springer and a 2030 second-round pick from the Boston Celtics for a 2031 second-round pick (top-55 protected). Also acquired Cody Zeller and a 2028 second-round pick from the Atlanta Hawks. Houston will reportedly be waiving Springer.

Lakers: Acquired Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a future first-round pick. Also traded Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2031 unprotected first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap to the Charlotte Hornets for Mark Williams.

Clippers: Got Bogdan Bogdanovic and three second-round picks from the Hawks for Terrance Mann and Bones Hyland. Also dealt Mo Bamba, P.J. Tucker and a future second-round pick to the Utah Jazz for Drew Eubanks and Patty Mills. In a third trade, they acquired MarJon Beauchamp from the Milwaukee Bucks for Kevin Porter Jr.

Mavericks: Received Anthony Davis and Max Christie in the Doncic trade. Also traded Quentin Grimes and draft considerations to the Philadelphia 76ers for Caleb Martin.

Suns: Acquired Cody Martin, Vasilije Micic and a 2026 second-round pick from Charlotte for Jusuf Nurkic and a 2026 first-round pick.

Kings: Acquired Zach LaVine from the Chicago Bulls in the three-team blockbuster that sent Fox to San Antonio. Also traded with Washington for Jonas Valanciunas. Then they got Jake LaRavia from the Grizzlies in the three-team deal that sent Smart to the Wizards. The Kings gave Memphis a 2028 second-round pick while sending Colby Jones and Alex Len to the Wizards. They lost Fox, Kevin Huerter, Jordan McLaughlin, Sidy Cissoko, Jones and Len.

Spurs: Received De'Aaron Fox from the Kings. Also traded with the Bucks for Patrick Baldwin Jr.

Warriors: Traded with the Miami Heat for Jimmy Butler. They lost Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, Dennis Schroder and a 2025 protected first-round pick in the deal.

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Re-ranking the Western Conference after the trades

The last five days have been pure chaos. We're left with 10 teams in the West that now have to learn how to play together over the final 30-plus games of the regular season and then enter the playoffs with hopes of firing on all cylinders. The Wolves and Nuggets won't have to go through growing pains. Minnesota, in fact, spent the first 30 games of the season learning how to play with Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. Once they get healthy (Randle and DiVincenzo are injured), they could be rolling while the rest of the West is crawling before learning to walk and run.

All that said, let's re-rank the West now that the trade deadline has passed.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder

Already dominant, they're getting Chet Holmgren back from a hip injury that has sidelined him since early November. This is a team that didn't need to retool at the deadline.

2. Memphis Grizzlies

They didn't add anyone, but they did trade Smart and LaRavia without receiving NBA talent in return. They still have a great lineup with Ja Morant cooking, and the size of Jaren Jackson Jr. and Zach Edey could pose problems for opponents in the playoffs.

3. Minnesota Timberwolves

Biased? Maybe a little, but there's truth that Minnesota has played like a top-10 offensive and defensive team for more than a month. Randle and DiVincenzo could both be back after the All-Star break, at which point Minnesota could be extremely dangerous. Anthony Edwards is playing at an MVP level, Naz Reid has hit 56% of his 3-pointers since Jan. 1 and Jaden McDaniels has upped his game on both ends of the floor.

4. Denver Nuggets

Like Minnesota, Denver already knows how to play together, and anything is possible with Nikola Jokic leading the way. A big key will be Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. giving Denver consistent scoring to take the pressure off Jokic and Jamal Murray. Depth with this team is still a concern.

5. Houston Rockets

The Rockets have lost four straight entering play Thursday, but they still hold the third seed in the West. Amen Thompson is blossoming into a superstar while Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Alperen Sengun and Fred VanVleet round out an elite starting five. Jabari Smith Jr. should return soon from a broken bone in his hand. They might have to take their lumps as a young group in the playoffs, but they're legit.

6. Dallas Mavericks

There will be a learning curve in Dallas with Kyrie Irving and Davis, but the Mavericks should be one of the best defensive teams in the league when fully healthy. Davis is a monster, and the addition of Martin is good on both ends of the floor. P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford and Derrick Lively II (if he returns from his foot injury) make them a dangerous squad if they find synergy.

7. Los Angeles Lakers

There's a lot of buzz about how good Williams is going to be with LeBron James and Doncic, but let's not count the chickens before they hatch. These Lakers have a ton of work to do to learn how to play together and they're not exactly the deepest team in the league. If it all works out, they are a title contender come April.

8. Los Angeles Clippers

The addition of Bogdanovic is a really good move for a Clippers team that already had three lethal scorers in James Harden, Kawhi Leonard and Norman Powell. Age, injuries and synergy could slow them down, but if all goes well they could be tough.

9. Phoenix Suns

They traded away Nurkic while keeping the core of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. They're without a doubt a menacing team when all things go well, but they've been trying to figure out how to play together all season and it remains a work in progress. That's a bit concerning considering the talent with the big three and the likes of Tyus Jones, Grayson Allen, Royce O'Neal, Ryan Dunn, Nick Richards and Mason Plumlee.

10. San Antonio Spurs

Love the 1-2 punch with Fox and Victor Wembanyama. Could see them rapidly rising up the West standings. They have star power and tremendous talent around the big two with Chris Paul, Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, Harrison Barnes, Jeremy Sochan and Stephon Castle. This might not be their year, but they could be a top-four seed for years to come.

11. Sacramento Kings

They might score 125 per game while giving up 130, but the Kings will be fun to watch. They have five guys who can light it up on any given night — Malik Monk, LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Keegan Murray and Domantas Sabonis — but who's going to play defense? The additions of Valanciunas and LaRavia are nice, but it's hard to see them doing a whole lot without an ability to stop opponents.

12. Golden State Warriors

Butler is a winner when he's not destroying a team with his antics. Now that he's likely happier with a fresh start, look out for Steph Curry and Butler to carry the Warriors as long as they're healthy. Of course, they'll have to defeat Father Time and lean on Brandin Podzienski and Moses Moodey to carry them off the bench. A lack of depth could kill them.

13-15: The non-contenders

Portland has won nine of 10, but let's just try to be serious for a moment and recognize that the dream is going to die sooner than later. If it doesn't, color us shocked. As for the Pelicans and Jazz, start planning a party for the Cooper Flagg lottery sweepstakes in May.