The 2024-25 NBA season is right around the corner and both the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings have high expectations for the upcoming campaign.
The Warriors lost franchise icon Klay Thompson and veteran point guard Chris Paul in free agency but added valuable rotation pieces such as De'Anthony Melton, Buddy Hield and Kyle Anderson. The Kings, meanwhile, re-signed guard Malik Monk and added star guard DeMar DeRozan to create a formidable trio with De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis.
Did the Warriors and Kings improve this offseason? Where do they stand in a loaded Western Conference? ESPN experts predicted both teams' records, broken down by tiers, and where they will finish the 2024-25 season.
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The contenders
- Oklahoma City Thunder: 57-25
- Minnesota Timberwolves: 54-28
- Dallas Mavericks: 52-30
- Denver Nuggets: 52-30
- Phoenix Suns: 49-33
- Sacramento Kings: 47-35
"Rounding out the top six are two teams who will have new looks in 2024-25 -- for different reasons," ESPN Staff wrote. "The Suns will hope for improved health from their big three of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, who shared the court for just 41 games last season. The Kings, meanwhile, added All-Star DeMar DeRozan, who joins guard De'Aaron Fox to create one of the most clutch backcourts in the league."
The play-in group
- New Orleans Pelicans: 46-36
- Golden State Warriors: 45-37
- Memphis Grizzlies: 44-38
- Houston Rockets: 44-38
"The Grizzlies will hope for a full season from Ja Morant but are staring at a play-in spot amid a tough Western Conference race," ESPN Staff wrote. "Joining Memphis could be a Pelicans side who'd rather avoid the play-in tournament after three straight seasons. The Warriors, bounced in the play-in tournament last season, signed several players to lessen the blow of losing Thompson but that may not be enough to get Stephen Curry and Co. back into the playoffs."
The bottom five
- Los Angeles Lakers: 44-38
- LA Clippers: 43-39
- San Antonio Spurs: 35-47
- Utah Jazz: 26-56
- Portland Trail Blazers: 22-60
ESPN predicts the Warriors (45-37) will finish the 2024-25 season with one fewer win than last season's record of 46-36 but with the Western Conference's No. 8 seed after securing the 10th seed and final NBA Play-In Tournament spot last season.
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The Kings finished the 2023-24 season with the same 46-36 record as the Warriors, but held a seeding tiebreaker over their Northern California rival and secured the conference's No. 9 seed. The ESPN experts predict Sacramento (47-35) will win one more game this upcoming season and will climb three spots in the standings, avoiding the play-in tournament by one game.