After winning their second title in the last three years, the Golden State Warriors have created a frenzy out West.
Many basketball organizations hope to land other stars in order to take down the Bay Area's juggernaut.
On draft night the Timberwolves sent Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn, and this year's 7th pick for all-star, Jimmy Butler. Adding Butler should give the Wolves no excuse to miss the playoffs this year. With a young core such as Karl-Anthony Towns (KAT), Andrew Wiggins, and Jimmy Butler, the Wolves should be able to change the losing culture. Minnesota also met with free agent Jeff Teague recently and have reportedly agreed on a deal.
The Houston Rockets, who were a three seed this year, just added backcourt depth to its team. The Rockets traded Patrick Beverly, Sam Dekker, Lou Williams and a 2018 first round pick to the Clippers for Chris Paul. James Harden played point most of the season and had an MVP-type year. Both Paul and Harden are more than capable of playing off the ball. The Rockets may have elevated their roster on paper, but it will be interesting to see how two ball handlers and shot creators mesh together.
Once Kevin Durant left Oklahoma to chase a ring with the Dubs in the Bay, Russell Westbrook became the number one scoring option for the Oklahoma City's Thunder. Westbrook was able to secure this year's MVP award after recording a historic season. However, as good as Russ was, the Thunder didn't go to the playoffs due to a lack of scoring depth. This past week Oklahoma added some more of that. The Thunder traded Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis to the Pacers in exchange for Paul George. Russ is paired up with yet another two-way player but there are some complications. Before the draft, George said he wouldn't re-sign with the Pacers next summer and stressed his desire to play for the Lakers. Although the Thunder added another all-star in George, they have to consider that he will most likely leave after next season.
The off-season so far has seen multiple moves involving all-star players. However, how will these newly composed teams size up against the Warriors?
