Ladies and gentlemen, we have made it to the start of the 2023-24 NBA season. In an offseason that saw Damian Lillard, Bradley Beal, and Chris Paul on the move, we now face a season that will present even more change and insanely high competition across all 30 NBA franchises.
No matter if their team did well or struggled during the offseason, NBA fans across the country always have questions entering a new season. Who will win the NBA Finals? Can this team do better than that team? Which player is going to be traded next?
The NBA mailbag is filling up, so let's get right to it and address all of your burning questions with the 2023-24 season about to begin.
Who will win the 2024 NBA Finals? – Johnny C.
Well, Johnny wants to just get right to it! As is the case with the start of any new season in any professional sports, everyone always ponders the question of who is ultimately going to win it all. I mean, this is why we play 82 games, right?
As I sit here typing this and looking at where each team stands, these are the 10 teams that I see a scenario in which they could win the 2024 NBA Finals: Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Denver Nuggets.
This isn't to say that other teams have a zero percent chance of winning it all, but these 10 teams listed above are the ones with a roster capable of making a deep postseason run. Out of this group, though, the Celtics, Bucks, and Warriors are the ones that stick out the most. Yes, I know the Nuggets just won a championship and the Suns have arguably the best offensive trio in the league, but in the Western Conference, I think the Warriors are going to have an edge to them.
The Dubs now have Chris Paul, Jonathan Kuminga is going to take a massive leap in his third NBA season, and they actually have depth on their bench compared to last year. Health will play a big role in their chances of succeeding, but there seems to be this new, positive energy surrounding the Warriors, similar to what we saw during the 2021-22 season.
Pertaining to the big picture, the Bucks are the team to beat in the title race. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard are going to unlock new parts of their games alongside one another, and they still have the best defensive frontcourt in the league. The Boston Celtics are the only team that can stop Milwaukee in the East.
In my preseason media poll, the Bucks received 40 percent of the vote to win the NBA Finals. I am going to be siding with my colleagues on this one. Give me the Bucks to win it all, with the Warriors and Celtics right behind them.
Which teams win the Eastern and Western Conferences? – Joey T.
Let's build right off of the NBA Finals prediction. My mind says take the Celtics and Nuggets to win the East and West, respectively, but my gut is saying Bucks and Warriors.
Assuming all teams are healthy, which won't be the case late in the year, the Bucks and Warriors are the two teams who set themselves a part in the championship equation. Both organizations know what it takes to get to the NBA Finals, and Milwaukee has Giannis Antetokounmpo and Golden State has Stephen Curry. These are the two most jaw-dropping players in the league right now who carry their team to a victory every single year in the playoffs.
For the Bucks to win the East, they will need to lean on their depth with players like Cam Payne, MarJon Beauchamp, and Malik Beasley during the regular season. In doing so, Giannis, Dame, and the starters will be healthy for the playoffs.
On the flip side, for the Warriors to win the West, they just need to be the Warriors. Chris Paul's arrival will allow Golden State to get back to being the deadly catch-and-shoot three-point team they were in 2015, plus there is no drama surrounding this team entering the year.
A Bucks-Warriors showdown in the NBA Finals is what everyone everyone has been wanting to see over the years.
Which team will end up having a breakout year, possibly making it to the playoffs? – Zachary S.
There are definitely multiple answers to this one. The New Orleans Pelicans and Oklahoma City Thunder are only going to get better, plus the Atlanta Hawks are definitely a sneaky team that I believe will make it back to the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. However, if I have to go with a definitive breakout team for this season, it has to be the Indiana Pacers.
Rick Carlisle is one of the best coaches in the league and now has a young team that has really bought into his philosophy. I've heard nothing but good things about the Pacers' offseason programs. They are still a fairly young team, so it may not hurt to go out ahead of the trade deadline and add another experienced, impactful talent who can either start or supply them with 20-25 minutes off the bench.
Tyrese Haliburton is an absolute star and is going to enter this season as an All-NBA-caliber player following his time with Team USA. Bennedict Mathurin is poised for growth, Bruce Brown will make an instant impact on both ends of the floor, and keep an eye on Obi Toppin's impact at the power forward position. Spoiler alert, we are going to talk about him next!
What offseason move will be looked back at as the most impactful transaction? – Ally C.
Obviously Damian Lillard going to the Bucks and potentially winning a championship would be the most impactful transaction, but for the sake of not picking a superstar, blockbuster trade, I am going to go in a different direction here.
I look at this as a two-part question with the first relating to moves that were not made. By not making any trades, the Chicago Bulls have made it clear that they are giving their core of Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic one last chance. With these three guys healthy and Lonzo Ball on the court, the Bulls looked like a legit competiors in the Eastern Conference.
Now, Ball is not going to be playing once again this season and there are so many so question marks surrounding whether or not this group even wants to be together. The Bulls are not even flirting with being inside my top-five Eastern Conference teams right now, which is why it appears to be a matter of time before they tear things down to start over. By not making a significant move this offseason, Chicago has slight control over how the trade deadline will play out.
In terms of an impactful move relating to a transaction this offseason, Obi Toppin being traded to the Pacers for a box of Cracker Jack and a $5 off your purchase of $20 or more coupon at McDonald's was unbelievable. The Knicks actually got two second-round picks from Indiana in this trade, but what an absolute steal for the Pacers here. Toppin has been itching to play more minutes and was sensational when he started in New York with Julius Randle injured.
Expected to be featured in pick-and-roll scenarios with Haliburton and now able to truly unleash his athleticism on a team that can push the pace in transition, Toppin has a chance to really blossom into a star with the Pacers. Quite honestly, I would not be shocked if we are talking about him in reference to the Most Improved Player award at the end of the season.
Do you see James Harden being the first All-Star traded before the trade deadline in February? – Brandon J.
Let me ask you this Brandon: If you were a GM in the NBA, would you be interested in a player who has requested a trade and given up on his organization in three straight seasons?
Some fans may want James Harden on their team because he's still an All-Star-level talent and led the league in assists per game last year, but it is so hard to overlook the fact that he quits on his team if he doesn't get his way. Harden did so with the Houston Rockets, he did so with the Brooklyn Nets, and now he's doing so with the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Los Angeles Clippers are the only team that has expressed genuine interest in Harden, yet they aren't giving up two of their own first-round picks and Terance Mann for the star. In fact, they aren't giving up Mann at all and intend on having him in their starting lineup based on what head coach Ty Lue said recently.
At this point, there really is no good answer to this question because zero other teams are interested in Harden and the Sixers have made it clear that they aren't giving him up unless they get championship value in return.
Maybe the question we should be asking regarding Harden is if he will sit out the 2023-24 season because he no longer likes Daryl Morey or show up and fulfill the terms of his contract with the Sixers.
Is Klay Thompson leaving the Warriors more of a headline or a storyline at this point? – Tiffany H.
HEADLINE! I cannot stress this enough: Klay Thompson does not want to, is not thinking about, and has no intentions of leaving the Golden State Warriors. With that said, he could still end up as an unrestricted free agent next summer since he is in the final year of his contract.
Thompson is just one of those players you couldn't imagine wearing another jersey. Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Thompson are Warriors for life and GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. understands the significance of this core not just to the franchise, but the city of San Francisco. They will all have their jerseys retired, have statues built of them outside of Chase Center, and will enter the Hall of Fame with one another.
Klay is not going anywhere and, to be honest, I would expect an extension announcement before he even hits free agency.
What's your biggest 2023-24 season prediction? – Devin H.
I could go with a lot of things here.
The New York Knicks will make the Eastern Conference Finals. Joel Embiid asks for a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers. The Miami Heat miss the playoffs after making the NBA Finals last year. These are a few bold predictions that float around my mind when you ask this.
However, I look at the Western Conference and struggle to envision the Dallas Mavericks making the playoffs without avoiding the play-in tournament. To be perfectly honest, I don't have them being one of my eight teams fighting for a championship in the West. Out of the teams who did make the playoffs in the conference last season, who is falling out in favor of the Mavs?
There are some really strong teams in the West right now. Even the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs are going to be better than they were a season ago. The fact of the matter is that none of these teams regressed during the offseason.
With there still being questions about where the Mavs will receive production from outside of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, I'm just going to say it: “The Dallas Mavericks WILL NOT make the playoffs during the 2023-24 NBA season.”
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