Portland Trail Blazers
Projected wins: 43
Western Conference standings: 8th
The Portland Trail Blazers had a chaotic offseason. They fired head coach Terry Stotts and replaced him with Chauncy Billups, a decision that swiftly became fraught when rape allegations from early in his career resurfaced. Blazers star Damian Lillard has since expressed frustration at the organization but has stopped short of demanding anything close to a trade. That could be just a matter of time, though, because loyalty only goes so far in the NBA (in most cases). Still, CJ McCollum is likely the trade chip that could get the ball rolling, in spite of his good relationship with Lillard.
Sacramento Kings
Projected wins: 32
Western Conference standings: 11th
The Sacramento Kings have been mired in mediocrity for what seems like an eternity, and there’s really no reason to expect that to change next season. They’ll have largely the same cast of characters with no major changes, and the Kangz will remain the Kangz as usual. We may find that head coach Luke Walton’s time on the sideline may be drawing to an end in the coming season, but there isn’t much else to be particularly excited about with this team next season.