2016/2017 Fantasy Outlook: Pacific Division

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Throughout the month of October, theScore will examine the offseason moves and biggest fantasy storylines of each NBA team. This edition focuses on the Pacific Division.

Division Outlook
Atlantic | Central | Southeast
Pacific | Southwest | Northwest

Golden State Warriors

Big Picture: It doesn't get any bigger than adding the top free agent to a super-team that won 73 regular-season games and came within a win of the NBA title a season ago. Yet, while the addition of Kevin Durant will make the Warriors a more dangerous team, it also takes away from the fantasy value of Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and Durant himself.

Fantasy owners won't care much for the changes in Golden State's frontcourt, but it is worth mentioning that Zaza Pachulia was brought in to replace Andrew Bogut, and David West will work behind Green. Pachulia could see another spree of rebounding productivity with Golden State, like he had last season with Dallas, but the Warriors won't be running any offense through anyone other than their four-headed beast.

X-Factor: The only X-factor in the Bay Area will be how quickly and how well the Warriors mesh. The four superstars are each sure to see 30 or more minutes, but how Kerr rolls them out during games will be worth monitoring.

Because of Golden State's crowded starting five, fantasy owners should be dropping each member of the Warriors team down a few pegs. Curry and Durant remain first-round picks, but Green and Thompson become mid-second-round or early-third-round choices.

Los Angeles Clippers

Big Picture: Another year, another disappointing playoff exit for the Clippers. This time around, they were ousted by Portland in six games. With each playoff failure, the window continues to close for L.A.'s best team.

Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan will once again lead the Clippers. Paul is likely to average a double-double, Griffin should provide averages near 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists, and Jordan will pull down over 1,000 rebounds while bolstering his owners' FG percentage with dunk after dunk.

J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford will split SG minutes once again and both will provide their usual 15-20 points in 25-30 minutes. Either is capable of a nightly explosion, making them intriguing DFS plays. Backup PG Austin Rivers should see an increase to 25 minutes a game as he looks to provide stability behind Paul.

X-Factor: The biggest question for the Clippers will be the health of Griffin, who has missed a combined 62 games for the past two seasons. Assuming the well-rounded power forward keeps his cool, fantasy owners shouldn't be frightened by the past two seasons. Griffin's ability to fill a multitude of fantasy categories should make him a late second-round pick.

Los Angeles Lakers

Big Picture: This is not the Lakers that you once knew, and they haven't been for quite some time. The rebuilding process is obviously underway, but at least signs of progress are starting to take shape. The addition of SG/SF Brandon Ingram and veteran SF Luol Deng will provide scoring, while the exciting duo of D'Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson lead the backcourt.

Julius Randle and Timofey Mozgov comprise the frontcourt, with Randle a strong candidate to improve on his double-double average from last season. And let's not ignore former Laker Luke Walton taking over head coaching duties. His impact on the overall team shouldn't be too severe, though. The Lakers will struggle as a young squad in the tough Western Conference.

X-Factor: The implementation and usage of Ingram will be the dominant story in Los Angeles. The Duke product will be eased into his role behind Deng, who should guide the 19-year old through his first year in the Association. Though Ingram will be drafted in the later rounds of most fantasy drafts, he may not provide much fantasy value as he finds his bearings; he clearly merits mid-round selection in keeper formats.

The development and synchronicity of Russell and Clarkson should lead to fantasy value in La La Land. Both are strong secondary fantasy guards that should continue to improve their individual play.

Phoenix Suns

Big Picture: The Suns' starting lineup is rife with potential. The backcourt of Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight is one of the best in the league. Additionally, 19-year-old SG Devin Booker was strong when either was out with injury last season. He will nip at the heels of both for playing time. Should one of the starters go down, Booker will provide immediate fantasy value.

While the Suns have a strong young core, defense is a major weakness. Last year, they surrendered 107.6 points per game and were second-last in defensive rebounding percentage. Fantasy-wise, those inefficiencies breed a productive environment, as the Suns will often play up-tempo and from behind. Their weak defense is also something to take into account in DFS.

X-Factor: The future of the organization rests up front in the rookie duo of Marquese Chriss and Dragan Bender. Alex Len should also progress behind Tyson Chandler.​ How much playing time and opportunity will be handed out to Chriss and Bender? And what should be expected from the 7-foot Len?

The fifth overall pick in 2013 showed flashes of potential last season, averaging 15.3 points and 11.9 rebounds when afforded 30-to-39 minutes. Expect him to become a larger piece of Phoenix's gameplan this season. Chriss and Bender, however, are both teenagers and will most likely see their involvement carefully managed. Neither is worth rostering in all but the deepest leagues.

Sacramento Kings

Big Picture: The loss of Rajon Rondo is a significant one for the Kings, who finished 29-53 last season. PG Darren Collison will assume the starting duties and will be in charge of feeding DeMarcus Cousins. The volatile star will remain a top-flight fantasy option despite his (warranted) frustration with the team on the front of his jersey.

SF Rudy Gay is likely to be traded, leaving Cousins to play alongside Willie Cauley-Stein, Omri Casspi and Matt Barnes upfront. Unfortunately, none of the three are fantasy relevant in season-long formats until one separates himself from the pack in terms of playing time.

X-Factor: There isn't much of an X-factor in Sacramento. The chemistry between Collison and Cousins will be imperative to the moderate success of the Kings, while a certain offensive focus will fall on the 3-point shooting of Barnes and Casspi.

Casspi and Barnes are primarily DFS options in matchups against weak defensive teams or up-tempo opponents. Cauley-Stein, at this point, still isn't ready to provide much fantasy appeal; his offensive contributions are limited and hard to predict on a game-to-game basis.