The NBA season is right around the corner. That means that this enticing NBA offseason is officially over. A ton of teams made a lot of new additions during the offseason. Teams became more stacked and other teams became more depleted.

The west became extremely talented this offseason. They added a plethora of all-stars from the east and other teams from the west. It’s scary to think that the Warriors added new additions that can make them scarier this year than they were last year. They added Nick Young and Omri Casspi. They aren’t eye-popping players, but they made solid contributions to their respective teams last year. Expect the Warriors to make the finals for a fourth straight time this year, as no one is stopping this super team.

The Cleveland Cavaliers offseason was a crazy one. At first, people were criticizing them for not doing too much during this hectic offseason. Next thing you know they have traded away Kyrie Irving for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizec, and the Brooklyn Nets’ 2018 first-round draft pick. It was the biggest storyline of the offseason because Kyrie demanded a trade because he didn’t want to play with LeBron James anymore. They also signed Derrick Rose, and they reunited Dwyane Wade and LeBron James as well. Expect the Cavs to get back to the finals and play the Warriors for a fourth straight year.

The Boston Celtics had a solid offseason. They acquired Kyrie Irving for Isaiah Thomas, which was huge because they were heavily criticized for not have that “superstar” player on their team. They also signed Gordon Hayward to a max contract in the offseason as well. They only have one returning starter from last year that’s on this year’s team. The chemistry will be a little out of place at first, but the team will soon gell together. They also got one of the steals of the draft, by selecting Jayson Tatum with the third overall pick in this year’s draft. The Celtics won’t be as good as the Cavs this year but expect them to be good in the near future.

The Oklahoma City Thunder could be the most improved team in the NBA this season. They already have reigning MVP, Russell Westbrook, who broke the triple-double record last year. That record stood for over 60 years and was held by Oscar Robertson. The main reason why the Thunder didn’t go far last year was because Russell was basically the only one on the team. So, to help him get over the top, the Thunder added two top ten scorers in the league. They added Paul George and Carmelo Anthony via trade with the Pacers and Knicks respectively. With these scorers added to help Russell Westbrook, look for the Thunder to contend in the west this year.

“I expect the Thunder to contend this year because they now have a three-headed monster in George, Westbrook, and Melo,” said sophomore Justin Daniels.

The Philadelphia 76ers had a very interesting offseason. They inked Joel Embiid to a 5 year 148 million dollar contract even though he has played only 31 career games. They also traded for the first overall pick in this year’s draft and selected Markelle Fultz with it. They will also be getting back the number one overall pick from last year in Ben Simmons, who missed his rookie campaign with an injury. Expect the Sixers to contend in a relatively weak eastern conference.

The Timberwolves are a young team that is on the rise. They already have Karl-Anthony Towns, who is considered one of the best big men in the league. They also have Andrew Wiggins, who has posted at least 20 points per game the last two seasons. To add to these pieces, the Wolves traded for Jimmy Butler, who is a superstar in this league. They also had some underrated signings with Taj Gibson and Jeff Teague. Although they did trade away Ricky Rubio this offseason, expect more scoring from Teague, who was an all-star two years ago.

The Lakers had one of the most exciting offseasons in team history. They drafted the very hype Lonzo Ball with the second overall pick in the draft. His father, Lavar Ball, basically hyped how great Lonzo Ball was going to be this year. Lonzo sold out a summer league game, where he messed around and put up a triple-double. They also got one of the steals of the draft with Kyle Kuzma, in which they used the 28th pick in the draft on him. He averaged 21 points in summer league play. The Lakers still have the young Julius Randle, who is an absolute complete stud. They also have the young Brandon Ingram. He has grown to 6’11 during the offseason, which could be scary for opposing teams. Many people compare him to the next Kevin Durant. The Lakers have a very talented and young roster that is built to succeed in the near future.

This offseason was one of the most interesting up to date. Expect big things from new players on new teams this season. The season starts on October 17 and teams are anxious to get out onto the floor with their new teammates, It should be an enticing 2017-2018 NBA season.