Ranking 2025-26 Western Conference: Who could threaten the Oklahoma City Thunder?
Only a month remains until the 2025-26 regular season starts. That means a new six-month campaign will start as teams across the league figure out where they stand. With rosters mostly set, we have a good idea of how the competition will stack up against each other.
The Oklahoma City Thunder will enter as the consensus title favorite. The NBA champions had one of the greatest seasons ever and will run it back with mostly the same roster. They will sit on the throne as the other 14 teams in the Western Conference hope to usurp them.
To prepare, Thunder Wire will rank all 15 West teams and place them in one of five tiers. Let's look at where OKC stands and who its most formidable foes could be for the upcoming year as it hopes to be a rare repeat winner:
Tier 1: The favorite
Oklahoma City Thunder
After one of the most dominant seasons ever, the Thunder have earned their own tier. They destroyed teams left and right on their way to a historic 68-14 record. It'd be a surprise when a game didn't end in a blowout win. By the end of the season, it was obvious who the best team was. The scary part is that last year could be the beginning. The second-youngest NBA champion in league history signed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren to contract extensions this offseason. They'll remain in the title conversation for the foreseeable future. Until proven otherwise, OKC should be everybody's favorite to repeat next season.
Tier 2: Contenders
In their championship quest, the Nuggets proved to be OKC's toughest test. Three-time MVP winner Nikola Jokic is the ultimate equalizer. As long as he remains healthy, they will always be a contender. Even in a down season last year with a top-heavy squad, they almost pulled off an all-time upset. Now, they enter this upcoming season with some fresh faces. Cam Johnson, Jonas Valanciunas and Bruce Brown should fortify a rotation that lacked NBA talent. Paired with Jokic and the rest of Denver's starters, expect them to be a popular pick as a team that would dethrone OKC. He's that special of a player.
Lost in the Game 7 hype, the Rockets made the biggest offseason splash early. They acquired Kevin Durant from the Suns. That move alone should have the biggest impact this upcoming season. The 36-year-old is still one of the best scorers who could drop an efficient 25-plus points. They also added veterans Dorian Finney-Smith and Clint Capela. That's exactly what Houston needed. The continuing development of Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson has made them a popular most-improved team candidate. If they can repeat their defensive success, Durant should be able to be their bucket-getter late in games.
I know there are still a lot of questions about the Lakers' depth. Sure, they added new names in Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart, but both of those players arrive with their own baggage. It could be another season where unreliable depth could bite them in the end. There's also some off-court drama that could hang over them like a dark cloud. That said, it's really tough to bet against Luka Doncic and LeBron James. Even in 2025. Los Angeles had the chance to build its supporting cast around the former after being shockingly traded there last trade deadline. Now, with an offseason with his new squad, we all know how scary Doncic can be as a one-man show.
Tier 3: Everything must go right
I know, I know. This is taking this tier's name to the extreme. Before you roll your eyes at the possibility of the Mavericks being a contender, look at their roster. It looks pretty formidable. Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis have enough championship pedigree to garner some respect. If Cooper Flagg is as generational as most think he is, he could be the rare No. 1 pick rookie who contributes to wins. Along with plenty of veteran depth, Dallas has a pretty scary squad if everything goes right. And there's the catch. A lot of variables are up in there. We don't even know what Irving will look like when he returns from his torn ACL. But if they reach their ceiling, they could be scary.
LA Clippers
There are a lot of household names on the Clippers. That's good on the surface. But those names peaked in the 2010s. Age jokes aside, they have a solid squad. Kawhi Leonard is always an unknown, but James Harden and Ivica Zubac provide a safe basement. Those two led LA to being one of the better teams in the West last season. They then shook up their roster with the additions of John Collins and Bradley Beal. Of course, their experience comes with risk, as several players likely won't suit up for a healthy season. That said, their worst-case scenario should be a repeat of last season. This is a fun, competitive team that should be entertaining to watch.
Golden State Warriors
The clock is ticking for the Warriors. Stephen Curry only has a limited number of years left as an All-NBA player. Golden State understood that, as it acquired Jimmy Butler to be his final co-star of his contention window. There are worse ways for the Curry era to fade. They aren't the title favorite they were at one point, but they should be a competitive team. Maybe a couple more lucky breaks could result in a deeper playoff run. But in the end, this is who they will ride with. It's an older squad with little depth, which means their margin for error is razor-thin. But hey, they found a groove in the second half of last season. Let's see if they can replicate that for an entire year.
Minnesota Timberwolves
After two straight Western Conference Finals, the Timberwolves believe that Anthony Edwards can continue to ascend. He's gradually climbed the ladder the last two seasons, but the 24-year-old learned the hard way that there are levels to this. Nonetheless, you have to be happy if you're Minnesota. It's been their best years in forever and their commitment to Edwards has continued to pay off. The reason they're here instead of higher is a lack of regular-season success. Doubts surround last year's playoff run as merely a hot streak. As unfair as that might be. A lack of a textbook second star makes it easy to be skeptical.
Tier 4: Middle teams
After a frustrating season, the Grizzlies have hit the soft retool button this offseason. They traded away Desmond Bane. That marked Memphis officially welcoming a youth movement. While Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. are still their franchise players, this season will be more about strengthening their depth. Jaylen Wells and Zach Edey are some names they hope could take the next step. That said, they have enough of a baseline to still be a playoff contender. It's not what Grizzlies fans want to hear, but a semi-rebuild is for the best of their long-term health. We've learned over the last few years how unreliable Morant can be.
Portland Trail Blazers
After years of being in the basement, the Trail Blazers are ready to win. Even if it's not from their prospects. They have a unique setup where they don't have a true top option, but plenty of players who could pull their weight. Jrue Holiday and Deni Avdija provide some grown-ups in the locker room. Young players like Toumani Camara and Donovan Clingan could grow. Meanwhile, it'll be a now-or-never season for 2023 No. 3 pick Scoot Henderson. That might be the biggest storyline to follow. Meanwhile, Portland should be better next season and could be a playoff squad if everything goes right. It was one of the hottest teams after the All-Star break last year.
Sacramento Kings
Nobody truly knows the Kings' ambitions, but their roster has enough experience to at least compete for a playoff spot. Domantas Sabonis is a double-double machine. Meanwhile, DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine reunited last season from Chicago to Sacramento. Both players can still put up buckets, for better or worse. It has plenty of individual talent, but they likely won't be able to gel well. It's sad how they're back to square one, but their recent history suggests this is around the spot they usually are. Maybe they can reach 40 wins and win in the play-in tournament. But the Kings are back to being a directionless franchise that is happy to be competitive.
Tier 5: Rebuilds
Even though the Spurs are ready to make the jump, they're still relying on plenty of young talent. All of their hopes rely on Victor Wembanyama. If he can stay healthy, he's proven to be an All-NBA caliber player. And while De'Aaron Fox is a fine co-star, the rest of the roster is filled with projects. Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper are back-to-back top-four picks with some overlapping skills. How they fit next to each other is the million-dollar question as they hope to make the playoffs. But San Antonio should be in the conversation this season. As long as Wembanyama can play, he'll always dominate headlines and trends.
It's a new era for the Suns. After another miserable season, they decided to pull the plug. Durant and Beal were moved. Now, they're in this weird spot as they hope to rebuild around Devin Booker once again. This time, though, they might not have the luxury of patience. Phoenix will likely have another bad season. The roster lacks serious names. While Jalen Green is worth a flyer, he isn't somebody who will turn around their entire franchise. A lack of control over their future draft picks also put them in a tough spot. Don't really know where Phoenix goes from here, outside of a dreadful inevitability with one of the greatest players in its franchise history.
New Orleans Pelicans
A new front office means fresh changes. The Pelicans are in an awkward spot where they're in a rebuild but don't want to fully admit it. That about sums up their NBA existence as a franchise that gets forgotten about all the time. Of course, that's referring to Zion Williamson. It's been a frustrating career filled with disappointment and injuries. It's probably an open secret that a divorce with New Orleans will happen sooner rather than later. They hope they can at least fix some of his trade value before they make a decision. Meanwhile, Jeremiah Fears could be the first of several prospects they add in the coming years.
Utah Jazz
Credit to the Jazz, they fully committed to a tank job last season. They finished at the bottom of the standings. And even though they received some bad lottery luck, they'll do it again. Utah is the only team out of the entire West where you can truly say it'll tank and lose out games. They've added plenty of young prospects to their roster over the last two draft cycles. None has stood out yet, but there have been flashes. The next step is to trade away Lauri Markannen. He's likely on the move soon if he can improve his trade stock. It'll be a while before they have a competitive roster, but the small market has at least picked a direction.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Ranking 2025-26 Western Conference: Who could threaten OKC Thunder?
Category: Basketball
