Over the last five seasons, the Phoenix Suns lead the Pacific Division in total wins by 11 games. Despite their recent success, due to a failed Big Three experiment and poor asset management, the Valley is projected to win the least amount of games in their division according to FanDuel Sportsbook, with a lot of that being contributed to how they operated this offseason.
While it was a hectic and eventful offseason in Phoenix, here’s how the rest of their division behaved this offseason:
Los Angeles Lakers
Biggest Move:
Extending Luka Dončić
Most Controversial Move: Signing Deandre Ayton
Biggest Loss: Dorian Finney-Smith
By extending Dončić and preventing him from hitting unrestricted free agency a year from now, the Lakers solidified their spot as a perennial playoff contender by employing one of the league’s best shot creators and play makers long term. While tensions with LeBron James appeared to be high earlier in the offseason, those have seemed to fizzle down. Los Angeles beefed their center position by signing the former Sun in Ayton, questions continue to hover around if he is the right person to play alongside Dončić and Reaves because of his motor and defensive impact.
Golden State Warriors
Biggest Move: N/A
Most Controversial Move: N/A
Biggest Loss: Kevon Looney
Yep, that’s right. The Golden State Warriors have done absolutely nothing this free agency period. Outside of their two second round selections, Golden State has had one of the quietest off-seasons in NBA history, all due to their standoff with restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga. If the Warriors sign other free agents, it could hard cap them to sign Kuminga, so they’re expected to fill out their roster once a solution with him is finalized. A resolution is expected soon, but as of right now, nothing has changed.
Los Angeles Clippers
Biggest Move: Trading for John Collins
Most Controversial Move: Signing Bradley Beal
Biggest Loss: Norman Powell
The Clippers were one of the most active teams this offseason. Slated to have one of the oldest teams in NBA history, Lob City projects to be one of the deepest teams in the NBA. Signing Brook Lopez and swapping Norman Powell for John Collins, they upgraded their size and have multiple floor spacing bigs. Signing Chris Paul and Bradley Beal add ball handling that they lost with Powell, but with both of their injury histories, it is yet to be seen how consistent of contributors they will be.
Sacramento Kings
Biggest move: Signing Dennis Schröder
Most Controversial Move: Hiring Doug Christie as head coach
Biggest Loss: Jonas Valunčiūnas
The Kings had a generally quiet offseason. Hiring Christie once they were eliminated from the play-in tournament, the Kings are bringing most of their roster back from a season ago, but now have the biggest replacement for De’Aaron Fox since they traded him back in February with Schröder. Expect 7’1” rookie Maxine Raynaud to replace Valunćiūnas at backup center, providing them with more youth in their rotation.
All told, the Pacific Division reshaped itself in distinct ways. The Lakers secured Luka Dončić while gambling on Deandre Ayton’s consistency. The Warriors practically stood still, their silence louder than any move. The Clippers doubled down on veteran depth, trading youth for experience and rolling the dice on injury-prone stars. The Kings, meanwhile, leaned on continuity, putting Doug Christie in charge and handing the keys of stability to Dennis Schröder.
Each path signals a different vision for contention. Which of these offseason shifts do you believe will echo the loudest once the games begin?
