Spurs, Thunder Top Western Conference Tiers — SkimNews
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- Spurs and Thunder form a tier of their own atop the West at +155 and +130 respectively, with the article declaring the rest of the conference 'a grab bag' after Wembanyama-led San Antonio ousted defending champion OKC in last year's Western Conference Finals.
- Victor Wembanyama at age 23 became the youngest first-team All-NBA player ever to reach the NBA Finals and the first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year in league history, anchoring a Spurs core that added De'Aaron Fox on a four-year, $221 million deal.
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's Thunder return with the two-time reigning MVP and the NBA's deepest supporting cast, replacing departed rotation pieces Lu Dort, Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins with Cason Wallace, Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain.
- LeBron James has left Los Angeles, and the Lakers reshaped the roster around Luka Doncic by acquiring Walker Kessler from Utah for two unprotected first-rounders and two pick swaps, then signing the injury-prone center to a four-year, $140 million extension.
- Minnesota shipped Julius Randle plus Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid, an unprotected first, pick swaps and second-rounders to Charlotte for LaMelo Ball—a move the author flatly states 'I hate it'—to give Anthony Edwards his first true point guard.
- Steph Curry signed a discounted two-year, $115 million extension keeping him in Golden State through his age-41 season, while Jimmy Butler recovers from an ACL injury and Draymond Green (36) and Al Horford (40) round out an aging core.
Why it matters: With Wembanyama at 23 and SGA at his MVP peak, the Spurs-Thunder axis likely owns the West for years, meaning Tier 2 contenders like Jokic's Nuggets and Durant's Rockets are effectively playing for one playoff slot—and the post-LeBron Lakers are gambling everything on a center (Kessler) who played only five games last season.
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