What's next: Where the West's 1st-round outs go from here
Every year, 29 teams fall short of the ultimate goal, and every year, those 29 teams ask themselves how they can take the next step.
We've already looked at how the Eastern Conference's four eliminated teams may go about answering that question. Here's what's on tap for the first-round outs from the West.
Houston Rockets
The Rockets should feel as good as possible for a 2-seed that was bounced in the first round. They were a 22-win tire fire just two years ago. This season, they won 52 games in a loaded Western Conference, had the league's fourth-ranked defense, and pushed a pedigreed Warriors team led by three future Hall of Famers to a Game 7. While veterans Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, and Steven Adams had huge hands in Houston's success, the team was also powered by a talented youth brigade for whom the future looks very bright.
Big man Alperen Sengun was an All-Star at 22 and had a strong playoff showing despite struggling with his touch all year. Sophomore Amen Thompson, the most explosive athlete in the league outside of his twin brother Ausar, broke out as a two-way stud with legitimate superstar potential. Jabari Smith Jr., a versatile third-year forward who's even younger than Thompson, continued to establish himself as an ideal gap-filling role player. Tari Eason kept growing into one of the best defensive playmakers in the league.
That said, the Rockets' loss to Golden State - and their season as a whole - provided some obvious lessons they'll carry into a fascinating offseason. Above all, the offense needs to improve dramatically. They finished bottom 10 in shooting percentage from every quadrant on the floor: 21st from 3-point range, 23rd from long mid-range, 26th from floater range, and 22nd at the rim. And though their 22nd-ranked half-court offense was buoyed by the league's best offensive rebound rate and a top-10 transition attack, that wasn't enough to overcome a 92.4 offensive rating on first-shot possessions against a set Warriors defense.
The front office's big decision comes down to whether it believes the necessary improvements can come from within or whether the team has to look externally. Houston's biggest need is upgrading its off-the-dribble shot creation, and as good as Sengun and Thompson are - and can eventually become - the internal options seem unlikely to address that deficiency.
Jalen Green's place in the team's future feels particularly hazy as he enters the first year of a three-year extension. While he's innately talented and has made strides in the last couple years, his shot selection and overall decision-making remain far too erratic for him to be relied upon by a contending team. The Rockets wouldn't be wrong to exercise patience with the 23-year-old, but they'd also be justified in cutting bait if there's a market for his services.
This team looks ripe for a consolidation trade: Houston's got more intriguing young players than its rotation can currently accommodate (looking at you, Reed Sheppard and Cam Whitmore) and a bundle of surplus draft picks including three unprotected first-rounders from the beleaguered Suns and one from the even more beleaguered Mavericks. The possibility of trading those picks back to Phoenix makes the Rockets a sensible landing spot for Kevin Durant or (in a more ideal scenario) Devin Booker. Giannis Antetokounmpo could also be available this summer, and while he wouldn't fix their shooting woes, he'd still launch them into a different stratum of contention because he's Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The front office also has to decide whether to pick up VanVleet's $45-million team option after a regular season in which he shot under 38% from the field followed by a playoff series in which he was Houston's most important offensive player. The Rockets are already dangerously light on ball-handling and pull-up shooting, and they wouldn't be able to replace VanVleet's value via this barren free-agent class. But opening up cap space by renouncing him could allow them to absorb a star in a trade without having to send back matching salary. They could also just try to re-sign VanVleet to a longer-term deal with a lower average annual value.
Adams, who was instrumental in pushing the Warriors to seven and had the best individual net rating (plus-14.1) in the series, is a free agent as well. Smith and Eason are eligible for extensions. That's a lot of consequential decisions to make in a short amount of time, and while there aren't many bad choices for a team in Houston's position, this feels like a potential fork-in-the-road summer that could lead the team in any number of directions. - Joe Wolfond
Los Angeles Lakers
Although it can be hard to see the forest for the trees in the immediate, emotional aftermath of a disappointing postseason elimination, the Lakers are in great shape. Turning Anthony Davis into Luka Doncic brought immediate promise, but this team was always going to be incomplete in the short term, especially when Los Angeles' deadline-day deal for fragile Hornets center Mark Williams fell through.
The real work to build a genuine contender around Doncic and LeBron James begins now. Assuming James is back (the 40-year-old has a $52.6-million player option for next season), there are a couple ways the Lakers can go about this. First, they could run it back with a trio of Doncic, James, and Austin Reaves while filling their glaring hole at center and adding some quality depth. That's the more conservative path. Some might argue the Lakers should be more aggressive to maximize what could be James' last year or two, but they've also got a Doncic-led future to plan for. Plus, a team featuring Doncic, James, and Reaves with a more balanced supporting cast would enter next season as a fringe contender at worst.
The more aggressive option would be to dangle Reaves, salary filler, and draft picks on the trade market. In addition to swap rights in 2026, 2028, and 2030, the Lakers still have their 2031 first-rounder and will get access to their 2032 first-rounder once this year's draft is complete. That might not be enough to land another superstar, but the Lakers don't need one. It surely is enough to land an impact player - perhaps one who's a better fit between Doncic and James than Reaves. - Joseph Casciaro
LA Clippers
For the first time since Kawhi Leonard tore his ACL partway through the second round in 2021, things seemed to be lined up for the Clippers to make noise in the postseason. Leonard was healthy and operating near the peak of his powers, James Harden still had gas in the tank, and the surrounding roster was deep and versatile. They finished the regular season as the hottest team in the league, and their first-round opponent was a comparatively thin outfit that had fired its head coach two weeks earlier.
There's a reason the Clippers were one of the teams under the most pressure entering the playoffs. Because if not now, when? That's the question the Clippers and their fans have to ask themselves after a seven-game loss to the Denver Nuggets marked another early exit for a team that's won just three series since signing Leonard six years ago. For this, they stripped themselves of every shred of prospect capital and relinquished control of all their own first-round picks between now and 2030. That's going to make executing any kind of pivot very challenging. And it takes a measure of blind faith to believe this same team can come back and produce a better result next year.
Leonard will turn 34 this summer, and it's hard to imagine he has many kicks at the can left given his injury history. Harden will turn 36 with the ability to become a free agent by declining a $36-million player option. Another rough Game 7 notwithstanding, he produced an awesome season in which he played all but three games and kept the team's offense afloat with Leonard on the shelf for three months. Considering L.A. can ill afford to let another star walk for nothing, odds are he'll be able to negotiate another one-plus-one or two-plus-one type of deal. But at his age, can we expect even one more season like the one he just had?
It's a good thing Ivica Zubac and Norman Powell are locked up on team-friendly deals (it'll be interesting to see whether Powell's willing to extend his), because any upward mobility is contingent on those guys continuing to build on their late-career breakthroughs. Even then, L.A. will probably need youngish guys like Amir Coffey (if he re-signs), Jordan Miller, and Kobe Brown to make strides. And startlingly important 36-year-old Nic Batum to return for one last hurrah. But none of that even matters unless Leonard can stay healthy and Harden can sustain an All-Star level.
I've been wrong about the Clippers before, and this is a creative front office, but it really does feel like they've run out of cards to play. Let's see if they have one more up their sleeve. - Wolfond
Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies are one of the toughest teams to get a read on.
On one hand, Memphis is still one of the league's youngest teams, already has some valuable postseason experience, and boasts an enviable trio of Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr., the latter of whom is extension eligible this summer (Morant and Bane are under contract through 2028 and 2029, respectively). The Grizzlies also have an intriguing mix of youngsters that includes Zach Edey, Jaylen Wells, Scotty Pippen Jr., restricted free agent Santi Aldama, Vince Williams Jr., and GG Jackson. It's easy to argue that teams in this position should either ride the wave or make a consolidation trade to boost their immediate title hopes.
On the other hand, the Grizzlies feel more like a fading contender than a young team on the rise. Morant has gone from future face of the league to one of the league's most unreliable stars. A reported disconnect over offensive philosophies led general manager Zach Kleiman to fire head coach Taylor Jenkins mere weeks before the playoffs despite Memphis sitting fifth in the tough Western Conference. Is it possible new coach Tuomas Iisalo and some better injury luck create a resurgence that propels the Grizzlies back up the West hierarchy? Sure, but it feels like something has to give.
Don't be surprised if the Grizzlies shop Morant - or any member of the team's Big Three - more heavily than they shop the youngsters and picks. - Casciaro