Overview

• Fresh off their first title, Oklahoma City kept its core together with extensions for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, entering the season with the league’s best odds.
• Rookie first-rounder Thomas Sorber tore his ACL on Sept. 4 during a workout and is expected to miss the entire season.
• Denver reworked its roster to fix depth and spacing by acquiring Cameron Johnson and adding Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jonas Valanciunas to solidify shooting and backup center minutes.
• Aaron Gordon voiced confidence in the upgrades and said the Nuggets are “coming right back around,” with a projected starting five of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Gordon, Johnson and Christian Braun as Tim Hardaway Jr. competes for the shooting guard role.
• Trade chatter remains speculative, with writers linking Denver to Royce O’Neale, T. J. McConnell, Devin Carter and a hypothetical Josh Hart deal, while ESPN’s Zach Lowe said a 70-win Thunder season is conceivable but unlikely.