California’s two flagship NBA franchises took sharply different paths during the offseason.
The Lakers reshaped their supporting cast around Luka Dončić, bringing in Walker Kessler, Collin Sexton, Quentin Grimes, Matisse Thybulle, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Ziaire Williams, Jaden Hardy and Cameron Carr.
Golden State, by contrast, made few meaningful changes and largely returned the same group.
Still, the two rivals shared one notable offseason disappointment.
Neither landed LeBron James, who departed the Lakers following eight seasons and signed with the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency.
After winning their first title in a decade in 2020, the Lakers are aiming to return to the NBA’s summit. Their hopes now rest heavily on Dončić, acquired in a blockbuster trade in February 2025.
The Warriors, meanwhile, are attempting to extend the relevance of their modern dynasty. Having captured four championships in an eight-year span from 2015 through 2022, Golden State is focused on giving Steph Curry meaningful games as his career enters its later stages and the NBA grows younger, quicker and increasingly difficult to keep up with.
With the Western Conference as deep as ever, where do the Lakers and Warriors stand heading into next season?
Here are our predictions:
Lakers: No. 3
The Thunder and Spurs sit clearly ahead of the Lakers.
Those teams have no obvious weaknesses. They have youth. They have superstars. They have depth. They have incredible defense. And they’ve proven they have the chemistry and mental fortitude to go deep in the playoffs.
After revamping their team to get younger and deeper, the Lakers are on their way to being able to compete with the creme de la creme of the West, but they’re not there yet.
They need an elite perimeter defender. They need time to jell. They’re a few tweaks away from being considered real contenders.
Could the Lakers finish higher than Nikola Jokic and his Nuggets? Yes. The Nuggets had a disappointing offseason following a first-round playoff exit in April, including losing Peyton Watson, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bruce Brown.
ALSO READ: Congress Spotlights Menopause Care in This Week’s Health News
As for the Timberwolves? They could give the Lakers fits behind perennial All-Star Anthony Edwards and four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert. The Timberwolves added LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga to their roster and could be a fringe contender.
The Rockets are also a team to watch. Sure, the Lakers jumped to a 3-0 series lead over them last postseason without Doncic and Austin Reaves, but both teams are going to look completely different in October. Kevin Durant is expected to be healthy, and Fred VanVleet is returning from injury. As for the Lakers, they’re only returning two starters from last season in Doncic and Reaves.
If the Lakers finish third in the West over the Timberwolves and Rockets that would be an incredible showing for Doncic, who’s eager to prove he can be the Lakers’ next superstar. He wants to win his first championship. He wants to prove his detractors wrong. And now he’s backed by a 17-time championship organization that views anything short of a title as a failure.
Here’s to betting Doncic is able to carry the Lakers to a third-place finish in the highly competitive West.
Warriors: No. 8
We held our breath when the Warriors were pursuing Giannis Antetokounmpo. Bust.
We were on the edge of our seat when they were pursuing James in an attempt to pair him with the team he faced in four straight NBA Finals from 2015-2018. Slump.
The league is more fun when the Warriors are good. Curry is the greatest shooter ever. Draymond Green is a fiery defender who’s endlessly exciting to watch. Warriors coach Steve Kerr is brilliant.
But alas, all of the Warriors’ attempts to become contenders flatlined.
So, as of now, the Warriors are a fringe playoff team. It’s a shame for Curry, who’s turning 39 next season and is still one of the NBA’s top players. Last season, he became the oldest point guard in NBA history to be named a starter on the All-Star team.
The Warriors are expected to try to work some magic ahead of the trade deadline to breathe some life into Curry’s 18th season.
But until then, with Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody set to miss the start of the season due to injuries, the Warriors aren’t expected to make much noise.
That said, if Curry, Green and Kristaps Porzingis are healthy, this team can’t be counted out. Remember what they did in their first play-in game against the Clippers, when Curry went unconscious finishing with 35 points (27 of which he scored in the second half), Green bottled up Kawhi Leonard (holding him to just two points in the fourth quarter) and Porzingis had 20 points, five rebounds and five assists.
If you add Butler and Moody to that mix, the Warriors could be tough.
But as of now, too many questions surround their health and durability and too many teams with fresh legs are looking to sprint past them, including the Thunder, Spurs, Lakers, Timberwolves, Rockets, Nuggets and Mavericks.