2026-2027 Western Conference Predictions

Christmas may have the most wonderful time of the year title on lock, but the start of the NBA season isn't too far behind in the minds of basketball fans all over the world. And now that we are just a little over a week away from Opening Night, Oklahoma City Thunder fans are starting to have visions of Shai plums dancing in their heads.

The NBA's newest and best rivalry helps tip off the new season as OKC hosts the San Antonio Spurs on 9:30PM on October 20th. Those two squads were the best in the West last season. Will the duo repeat at the top this year?

Before the season starts, it's time to make my official forecast for the Western Conference standings.

2026-2027 Western Conference Predictions

15. Sacramento Kings. So happy for Kings fans that Darius Acuff looks like a possible future star because the next couple of years, like most of the previous two decades, will be rough.

14. Memphis Grizzlies. The team is too young to be very good this year, but Memphis is stockpiling high upside talent. 

13. Los Angeles Clippers. This would be the ideal spot in the standings for Thunder fans rooting for the best possible outcome for the Clippers' 2027 1st Round pick swap.

12. New Orleans Pelicans. On paper, this is a talented roster. Unfortunately for Pelicans fans, the game is played on a court.

11. Golden State Warriors. It feels wrong to have a Steph Curry team outside of the play-in territory, but the injuries to Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody will make it difficult to qualify for the postseason in a deep West.

10. Phoenix Suns. One of the biggest surprises last season, but it's tough to see a repeat. While the Suns squeaked into the final playoff spot, the team should be roughly the same while others below them improved.

9. Dallas Mavericks. Maybe it's a hot take to have the Mavs making the play-in, but year 2 of Cooper Flagg plus the return of Kyrie Irving plus better health for the role players may be enough.

8. Utah Jazz. From four years of tanking to the playoffs. Too soon? Possibly. But the front office collected loads of talent during the tank.

7. Portland Trail Blazers. No idea how the return of franchise legend Damian Lillard and the arrival of polarizing star Ja Morant will affect the West's most pleasant surprise team from a year ago, but it will be must see TV.

6. Los Angeles Lakers. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves will have to provide all the offense. Walker Kessler must provide all the defense. 

5. Denver Nuggets. The embarrassing loss to the injury ravaged Timberwolves in the 1st Round of the playoffs still lingers but this roster still boasts Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon. 

4. Houston Rockets. This team sorely needed a capable playmaking guard last season. Enter a healthy Fred VanVleet. 

3. Minnesota Timberwolves. It'll be fascinating to find out whether swapping Julius Randle and Naz Reid for LaMelo ball makes this team better, worse or about the same.

2. San Antonio Spurs. Tobias Harris and another year of development for the young players will make the reigning West champs even better.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder. Full healthy, this is still the best team in the league.