[Editor’s note: This is the first piece in our annual six part preview series. Stay tuned throughout the coming weeks for the other previews. A lot has changed this season.] 

Denver Nuggets

Additions: Jerami Grant (trade with Thunder), Bol Bol (draft, no. 44 pick)

Subtractions: Isaiah Thomas (signed with Wizards), Trey Lyles (signed with Spurs), Tyler Lydon (signed with Kings)

Outlook: The Nuggets stayed put for the most part this offseason adding only Grant. Grant is an above average big man defender of multiple positions who can run the floor, block shots, and hit 3s. He went 39.2% from deep on 3.7 attempts a night last season.

Mike Malone took the Nuggets to the semi-finals in the West last year and lost in seven to the Blazers in a final game that came down to the last few plays. The team truly competed for the first time in the Nikola Jokic era; they want to run it back. Gary Harris, and Jamal Murray both had solid first time playoff outings too. And, the team is 12 deep with Michael Porter Jr., small-forward-shoulda-been-number-one-pick-if-injuries-weren’t-an-issue, coming back.

The Nuggets are hoping for internal growth, and that’s respectable in an era when teams try to arm themselves through free agency. This team is the anti-player-movement team that has built themselves organically and around a European center that does it all. Can that work in this day and age? Philly is the only recent team that tried to build this organically, and they turned into a flip-it-for-more team in just one season.

(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

What Success Looks Like: The Nuggets want the Finals. That would be the ultimate success obviously, but another deep run and solid Porter showing would be great. Jokic, Murray, Harris, Torrey Craig, and Malik Beasley played good for first timers in the playoffs; they’ll need to play better though. Paul Millsap and Will Barton were both very capable as vets. If this team continues its player development and misses a deep run, they’ll have the proper players to go out this coming offseason and get another vet to pair with their budding stars. They are set to be relevant for a long time.

Cavalier Theft Target: If the Nuggets toss continuity out, they may want Kevin Love. He’d bring deep playoff experience, but what would the Cavs get in return is the problem? Paul Millsap is the only straight up person the Cavs could trade for, otherwise the Nuggets would have to part with a bunch of young players, like half the team, to make the contracts match.

Preseason Grade: O, The Nuggets get an “O” for an organic offseason. They’re betting on organic in-house growth this year. They just need to hope their team isn’t full of some Whole Foods apples that are full of promise one day and speckled with little brown inedible spots originating from the inside out after a little time passes.

Record Prediction: 55-27 The Nuggets will grab the number one seed in the Western Conference while the rest of the teams in the conference figure out how to use their new parts.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Additions: Treveon Graham (trade with Warriors), Jake Layman (trade with Trail Blazers), Shabazz Napier (trade with Warriors), Noah Vonleh (signed), Tyrone Wallace (claimed off waivers), Jordan Bell (signed), Naz Reid (signed), Jarrett Culver (draft, no. 6 pick), Jaylen Nolen (draft, no. 43 pick)

Subtractions: Taj Gibson (signed with Knicks), Tyus Jones (signed with Grizzlies), Cameron Reynolds (waived), Derrick Rose (signed with Pistons), Dario Saric (trade with Suns), Anthony Tolliver (signed with Trail Blazers)

Outlook: The Wolves did absolutely nothing to improve their team in the offseason. They probably got worse just by virtue of losing two solid vets in Gibson and Saric. So, this team is looking for some internal growth and a great season by the rookie Jarrett Culver, who shot just 30.4% from deep in college and weighs less than 200 pounds. Culver is going to struggle early on learning how to play against bigger and faster guys.

And, Andrew Wiggins is the man who has defied growth. He has plateaued as a max player that is completely forgettable. I thought nothing about Wiggins when I first started writing about the Wolves until I started researching the team to try and figure out what exactly they were doing for the past four months.

Karl-Anthony Towns may develop more, but he can only really improve on the defensive end. He shoots 40% from deep. He gets over 12 boards a game and 20 points. He got 3.4 assists per game last year. The Wolves have this man, and they only made the playoffs when Jimmy Butler was on the team. Towns may be the next Boogie Cousins, amazing individual player that is stuck on a terrible team for the best part of his career and can’t get his team to the playoffs.

What Success Looks Like: The only way this group succeeds is if they make the playoffs and actually win a series. It’s going to take a breakout rookie year from Culver or Wiggins somehow becoming better than Robert Covington, who it must be noted, makes nearly half of the money Wiggins does.

Cavalier Theft Targets: The Wolves would be able to use Kevin Love. The issue is they don’t have anything the Cavs want aside from their draft pick. The Cavs could live with getting Robert Covington, Gorgui Dieng, and the Wolves’ draft pick though. That trade is what sustained mediocrity is made from.

Preseason Grade: K, The Wolves get a “K” this offseason for turning into the next Sacramento Kings. They’re the franchise with a legitimate star at center that is bound to just be in the lottery forever.

Record: 35-47

Oklahoma City Thunder

Additions: Chris Paul (trade with Rockets), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (trade with Clippers), Danilo Gallinari (trade with Clippers), Mike Muscala (free agent), Darius Bazley (draft, no. 23 pick)

Subtractions: Paul George (trade with Clippers), Russell Westbrook (trade with Rockets), Jerami Grant (trade with Nuggets), Markieff Morris (trade with Pistons), Raymond Felton

Outlook: The Thunder blew it up. They traded Mr. Triple Double. Mr. OKC for Life. Mr. Russell Westrbrook, the Loyalest Man In The Game, and, the team is happier. Westbrook is probably happier too. The Westbrook Thunder finally ran their course.

The Thunder pulled off the weird trade-away-the-stars, did I mention they traded away Paul George too, move where the fan base can’t be sad. The Thunder are going to be fun. They’re not the team a small market necessarily wants, but coming from a Cavs lifer and small market aficionado, they’re the team a small market needs. They have a crafty veteran in Chris Paul that can say the right things while teaching young blood SGA how to win. And, the Thunder actually have just enough players to win. Danilo Gallinari is a legit combo forward of the European sort. He does everything on the offensive end competently and slowly. He put up 19.8 last season with the Clippers and has built in synergy with SGA, whom he shared the floor with last year.

The Thunder also picked up Darius Bazley in the draft who is a lengthy small forward that skipped college to intern at New Balance and work out. Yup, he skipped playing competitive basketball for a year….He’s tall and can defend though according to his high school game footage.

This team will win enough games to remain entertaining. They aren’t exactly tanking yet, and they aren’t exactly competing. They’re the perfect small market paradigm.

What Success Looks Like: The Thunder will have a great season if they are able to get anything for their vets, specifically Chris Paul. They need to trade him to a crummy team that is trying to unload some contracts that are worse and longer than his because he wants to be on a real contender. Here’s the issue though: The perpetually playoff injured out of shape at the beginning of the season age 34 Paul is owed $124,076,442 over the next three seasons. Did I mention that the last season of his contract is a player option.

Their other contracts aren’t much better. Steven Adams is making over $25 million for the next two years…Okay, okay, this team is going to be a success if they are just supremely fun to watch because I’m not sure they have any contracts to pair together that are going to net them the draft picks they desperately need to really rebuild.

Cavalier Theft Targets: These two teams aren’t doing business this year. The Thunder don’t want Kevin Love, and the Cavs aren’t going to send them any picks. In a dream world, the Cavs would end up with Hamidou Diallo. He dunks the ball real hard, which I’ll take this year, since nothing much else is going to happen with the Cavs.

Preseason Grade: M & M,  The Thunder made moves this offseason. The team is different and probably going nowhere, but at least they made moves early enough to end up with a team that isn’t hopelessly boring this season.

Prediction: 40-44, The Clippers won 48 games last year with some of the same guys. The only missing player of significance is Lou Williams. He’s worth about eight games, right?

Portland Trail Blazers

Additions: Hassan Whiteside (trade with 76ers, Blazers, and Clippers) , Kent Bazemore (trade with Hawks), Mario Hezonja (signed), Anthony Tolliver (signed), Pau Gasol (signed), Nassir Little (draft, no. 25 pick)

Subratctions: Al-Farouq Aminu (signed with Magic), Enes Kanter (signed with Celtics), Seth Curry (signed with Mavericks), Evan Turner (trade with Hawks), Maurice Harkless (trade with Clippers), Jake Layman (trade with Timberwolves), Meyers Leonard (trade with Heat)

Outlook: The Blazers made it to the Western Conference Finals last year after an epic seven game series against the Nuggets that showed the world Damian Lillard is a true stud. His scoring power with the combo-guard skills of CJ McCollum creates arguably the best backcourt in the NBA currently. The added defensive presence of Kent Bazemore, who can cover whoever Dame and CJ can’t handle, along with the edition of a true stretch four in Anthony Tolliver make this team ready to compete again for a title shot. If Jusuf Nurkic comes back just as strong as he was last year after suffering a fracture in his leg and being an All-Star caliber player, this team should be one of the favorites to win the West.

The Blazers even safe guarded themselves from Jusuf’s absense early in the season by getting Hassan Whiteside from the Heat. Yea, Hassan is a headcase. Yea, he often struggles from dumb man syndrome on defense (being supremely gifted physically, but being gullie enough to hunt every single block and fall for the slightest of slight ball fakes). Okay, they have Pau Gasol too just in case Hassan can’t get it together under Dame’s guidance. Nassir Little might even impress with his athleticism off the bench. He will be able to get them easy buckets in transition and blow-by drives.

What Success Looks Like: The Blazers are in it to win with the Wrst sort of being up in the air. This could be their year. While teams like the Lakers and the Clippers made big moves to become contenders, the Blazers made smaller fringe moves to help an already established core. They’re betting on an infusion of talent, but don’t necessarily need it to work to be their best.

Cavalier Theft Targets: I have the perfect trade. The Cavs need to get Canton man CJ back to Ohio, and they have a piece the Blazers need, even if they don’t know it: Kevin Love! I mean, they went out and got stretch man Tolliver; he is a quarter of the player Love is. Did I mention the one weakness on the Blazers is not having a guy that can pass the ball when Lillard is trapped? After December fifteenth, CJ just signed his extension, this trade can happen. I can only hope.

Preseason Grade: T, The Blazers were thoughtful this offseason. They didn’t just stay put with what they have because it works. They made some slight moves to upgrade on the defensive end, and to protect against having to rely on Jusuf too much when he comes back from his injury.

Record: 54-28 The Blazers should be in the top of their conference because they don’t have much to figure out. They added role players, and Dame is a strong enough leader to ensure guys fit in quickly. While LeBron is trying to figure out what shoulder slump will let Anthony Davis know just how much he is disappointing him, Dame and CJ will be burying absurd jumpers in fourth quarters every couple of nights.

Utah Jazz

Additions: Mike Conley (trade with Grizzlies),  Bojan Bogdanovic (signed), Ed Davis (signed), Jeff Green (signed), Emmanuel Mudiay (signed), William Howard (signed), Stanton Kidd (signed), Jarrell Brantley (draft, no. 50 pick), Justin Wright-Foreman (draft, no. 53 pick), Miye Oni (draft, no. 58 pick)

Subtractions: Derrick Favors (trade with Pelicans), Kyle Korver (trade with Grizzlies), Ricky Rubio (signed with Suns), Raul Neto (signed with 76ers)

Outlook: Put on your limited Jordans. Put on your color block tee. Put on your trendy Starter coat. When you watch this team this year, you will be seeing Hipster NBA Stat Blogger gold on the court. The Jazz did what amounts to a mini-rebuild. They traded away long time player Derrick Favors in one trade and got Mike Conley, who would be an All-Star in nearly any other era of basketball besides this one, in another one. They also added stat darling big man Ed Davis, who will be able to play solid reserve center minutes without ever needing to the touch the ball.

The pick up of Bojan is also big. He can be a starter or a very over qualified sixth man that can create and score. And, why not get the other white forward, besides Joe Ingles, who actually has a shot covering LeBron (remember that Cavs-Pacers series during the 2017 playoffs where Bojan sorta outplayed LeBron in the sense that he just went off for unexpected points because the King can’t be bothered to try on defense against a non-star)? The pick up of Emmanuel Mudiay added another long versatile defender, even though he has yet to show the ability to play point, much like current Jazz guard Dante Exum. The Jazz basically added some depth that mirrors what worked for them last year. Donovan Mitchell no longer has to carry the team constantly or bring them back after sitting, because the bench is extra deep.

What Success Looks Like: The Jazz want to win fifty games again this season and get out of the first round of the playoffs after getting bounced by the Rockets. They should be able to do at least that. In the playoffs last year, sophomore player Donovan Mitchell had to do it all;  he messed up Quin Snyder’s beautiful plodding offense. The motion died as Donovan held onto the ball when things got tight. Mike Conley will stop the hero ball and allow Mitchell to work more in motion. Conley can guide the Jazz’s pace and make Snyder’s offense look less mechanical. Let’s not forget Bojan can guide the offense too. And, they still have Rudy Gobert who is defense personified.

Cavalier Theft Targets: The Jazz are out as trade partners. They don’t have draft picks heading into this year. The moves they made this offseason showed they aren’t trying to unload salary. The one weak spot on their team is the depth at the center spot. Perhaps, they make an offer for Tristan Thompson, but it’d be hard to pull off. Their only mid-priced contract is Joe Ingles at just under $12 million this year. Everyone else is pricey or an end of the bench prospect making the minimum.

Preseason Grade: A+, The Jazz had the biggest offseason of any team outside of LA. The addition of Conley is huge, and they sacrificed nearly nothing to do it. Don’t let the Bojan addition go forgotten either. He’s a do it all small forward who averaged 18 points, 5.8 boards, and 2.8 assists during the playoffs for the Pacers last year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b78WV2StOkk

Record:51-31