NBA Pacific Division futures: Lots of great options out West

Last and least is Sacramento. They might be last in any division they played, but in this group, it is especially challenging.

Here is a look at the Pacific Division futures market.

NBA Pacific Division Futures 

Golden State Warriors +190

The Warriors return all of their starters from an NBA title run last year. Sure, the core is a year older which is why regular season success is harder to predict. The depth players beyond guard Jordan Poole still need to establish themselves but there is a lot of excitement about the young trio of James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga, and Moses Moody. After last season's success, they are definitely not going to manage the season as smartly as possible.

Futures Take: Bet against the Warriors at your peril but I think they are past seeing a division title as a milestone worth fighting for. 

Los Angeles Clippers +195

For the Clippers, it is all about health. Leonard and George are Top 10 players when healthy but that is not always a given, especially with Leonard, who missed all of last season. The last time he did that (mostly) he won a title with Toronto. The lineup has great versatility, but I am not sure they can expect much from point guard John Wall, who was their primary off-season acquisition. Their top 8 or 9 is as good as anyone in the league.

Futures Take: The outlook is kind of like the Warriors above but without the recent championship pedigree. They want to get to the postseason in good health, regardless of their seeding. 

Phoenix Suns +200

The Suns have been making recent headlines due to their ownership, and that is never a good sign for a team that is looking to get over the hump. They are mostly running back with the same group they had last year even though there was a lot of speculation they might cut bait on big man Deandre Ayton. We have seen over the last 2 years how good this team can be in the regular so as long as they are in good health there is no reason to doubt them.

Futures Take: The Suns have a slightly better payoff than the teams above. They are not tinkering much so more regular season success can be expected. They are probably the best bet because you get a little more bang for your buck than with the teams above. 

Los Angeles Lakers +950

James and Davis are a great foundation but the Russell Westbrook thing is still hanging over the Lakers and there is not much depth. They are going to actually be relying on Dennis Schroeder to give them scoring and that may not be a good thing. They are going to have to manage James and Davis during the season to avoid the injuries they have experienced. That makes it tough to make a division push, even if the supporting cast was good enough. Having a first-time head coach does not help matters either.

Futures Take: You don't want to bet against LeBron but even a spot in the playoffs is a 50/50 proposition at best for the Lakers. 

Sacramento Kings +24000

There are some things to like about this team but I am not fond of the game of lead guard De'Aaron Fox, and he has the ball in his hands so much. Point guards that can't shoot rarely lead their teams to exceed expectations. Rookie Keegan Murray is a nice Rookie of the Year candidate and Domantas Sabonis can post good numbers inside for the Kings. It is just hard to see how this team is progressing in any real way.

Futures Take: Even if they show modest improvement on the court, banking more wins and making a push is very difficult to envision in this division.