Western Conference 8th seed: Houston Rockets
Houston is in a weird place right now. Fred VanVleet was out all last season with an injury, costing them their main point guard. He should be back this season. Marcus Smart is on the roster, but it's hard to see how he fits in. Their top player is an aging Kevin Durant who is going into his 20th season in the league. And that's assuming they don't trade him before 2026-2027 even starts.
Beyond that, the Rockets have made a series of small-scale moves and did okay in the draft. The reality is that nothing much has changed that would improve their performance over the 2025-2026 season. So far, at least. There's still plenty of time for the front office to make some big moves before the next season starts, and they really should.
The Western Conference is incredibly competitive, even with LeBron James moving to the East. Houston is not keeping up with the arms race happening all around them in recent seasons. After going through the Play-In, the Rockets will find their way back to the playoffs this season as the eighth seed. Just expect another first-round ejection if they go in with this roster.
Western Conference 7th seed: Portland Trail Blazers
Considering all of the big names making moves this offseason, it's understandable that what's going on in Portland might have slipped under some people's radars. That being said, the Blazers have the potential to be a serious thorn in the side of the Western Conference in 2026-2027.
They have a new head coach in Micah Nori, who is poised to make a lot of noise. Damian Lillard is ready for his comeback after a full year on the bench. The Blazers traded for Ja Morant, a contentious but talented point guard who has needed a change in scenery for a while now.
Let's not forget that Portland already has a roster of young stars who have been waiting for both a bench boss and a court leader to coalesce around. That could easily be the combination of Nori and Lillard. Plus, Morant making insane plays always gets the bench going.
Like the Hornets, this is a young team on the rise. They'll make the Play-In, then the playoffs, a stepping stone on the way to being a real spoiler in the West. This iteration of the Blazers might not be contenders yet, but they could easily knock out any team who doesn't take them seriously.
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