Many talented NBA players were on the move in the most exciting NBA offseason of all time. With about 6 weeks until the NBA season officially kicks off, it’s time to investigate how the 2017 offseason affects the 2018 playoff picture in both the Eastern and Western Conferences.

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Let’s start by looking at the Eastern Conference. The East had a lot of shakeups including the official gutting of the Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls, the Kyrie Irving and Paul George trades, and the emergence of the Philadelphia 76ers as a potential playoff team. This may be the lesser of the two conferences, but all the unexpected shakeups and movement has allowed for a few new playoff teams to emerge.

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The Boston Celtics are my pick to be the number one overall seed. The Celtics added Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, and Jason Tatum this offseason, which makes them a serious threat to win the East. The Cavaliers are my pick at the 2 seed. Led by LeBron James, the Cavs have a lot of great pieces, and could potentially add more including Dwyane Wade or Demarcus Cousins. With Isaiah Thomas out until about February, I expect the Cavs to struggle at point guard in the regular season, but not enough to knock them as anything lower than the two seed. My number three seed goes to the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors were able to keep Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka, and with Demar Derozan’s emergence the last few seasons, it is easy to see why this team is able to keep steady as one of the best teams in the East. The Washington Wizards as the 4 seed is what I’m going with. The Wizards have one of the best guard duos in the NBA in Bradley Beal and John Wall. They also have a lot of role players who help the team scrap and get big wins. The Wizards were able to resign Otto Porter Jr., but this is about the only move they made to help them. The Milwaukee Bucks is who I anticipate to be the 5th seed. The Bucks will struggle to find offense sometimes outside of Greek Freak, but the size and athleticism will bother teams and help them win a lot of games. When Jabari Parker returns around the All-Star Break, the team will improve dramatically and be better on the offensive side. The Miami Heat are my pick at the 6 seed. The Heat were incredible in the second half of the season and almost made their way into the playoffs after a miserable first half. Whiteside, Dragic, and Waiters are experienced and ready to lead them to a playoff spot this season. The Charlotte Hornets added Dwight Howard this offseason, which I think can help them remain more consistent in the 2017-2018 season and possibly be the 7th seed. The Hornets need to stay healthy and consistent over all 82 games this coming year, and there is no doubt that with Kemba Walker, Nicolas Batum, Dwight Howard, and company that they can fight their way into the Eastern playoffs. The 8th seed will be represented by the young Philadelphia 76ers. The inexperience and injuries will bother this team this year, but they are too talented to miss out this year. Adding J.J. Reddick as a shooter will help this team as well. The Eastern Conference is set, now for the much more interesting Western Conference.

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The first seed will undoubtedly go to the Golden State Warriors. Having 4 of the top 20 players in the league is almost unfair. The Warriors will win close to 70 games again while resting their stars periodically as well. The San Antonio Spurs are my pick to be the 2 seed. The Spurs are so steady and fundamental. They have Kawhi Leonard who is the best two way player in the league and also Gregg Popovich, who always gets the best out of every player. Even with the emergence of Houston and OKC, I still like the Spurs to squeak out the 2 seed again this year. The Houston Rockets are my pick at 3. They added Chris Paul to an already explosive offense, but how will having Harden and CP3 work when they are both facilitators who need the ball? This has yet to be determined, but the talent is too good for them to not get the third seed. The Oklahoma City Thunder are my pick at 4. By adding Paul George, the Thunder have immediately improved on both ends of the floor. George’s versatility also allows for the Thunder to mix and match their lineups better, which is key in today's NBA. The Minnesota Timberwolves are my pick to get the 5 seed. Adding Jimmy Butler to one of the most athletic teams in the league will certainly help their cause. Butler is the leader the T-Wolves needed last season. He will motivate them to play better on both sides and also be a great mentor to young athletic players like Andrew Wiggins and Shabazz Muhammad. Adding Jeff Teague, Taj Gibson, and Jamal Crawford also will help this team land a playoff spot for the first time in over a decade. The Denver Nuggets are who I’m rolling with at 6. Adding Paul Millsap will help them a lot, especially on the boards and on defense. Nikola Jokic was a breakout star last season, and the Nuggets have a lot of role players with great experience who will help them grind out wins. The Los Angeles Clippers will lock up the 7 seed. The Clippers lost their three best guards in Paul, Reddick, and Crawford, but adding Patrick Beverley will help their defense on the perimeter; Danilo Gallinari will also help them score the ball when they need it. Griffin and Jordan will continue to be huge on the inside for the Clippers, but the guard play is not good enough for the Clippers to be a relevant contender. My last playoff team in the West is a tough choice. The Blazers and Jazz are tough to pick between. I am going to give the advantage to the Portland Trail Blazers because of their elite guard play. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum tried to get the Blazers to land Carmelo Anthony, but it looks like they will have to settle with the same team they have had the last few years. The Blazers win games by outscoring teams, not on the defensive end. It will be a battle out West for the final 3 spots.

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The 2017-2018 NBA Regular Season is almost here! It is going to be great to see some familiar teams in the playoffs again, but it will also be bittersweet for some new teams to get a chance to contend after years of frustration. The Timberwolves and 76ers are the NBA’s teams of the future, and fans better be ready to see them in the playoffs for the next several seasons. With about 6 weeks to go, who knows what moves could happen that could shakeup the NBA even more! WIll D-Wade and Carmelo be on the move? I cannot wait to find out and see how it plays out in the upcoming season!