An Era of Contenders Rising!

Conley, Jimmy Butler, Harris, Nowitzki, Embiid.

That was a standard five-star lineup!

Cuban knew that Nowitzki did not have many years left in his career.

If last season's roster was not good enough, then he would spend more money and build a better one!

That was true love!

With that starting lineup, the Mavericks truly had the strength to challenge the Rockets, Pelicans, and Warriors in the West.

Warriors, Pelicans, Rockets, Mavericks—the West was really about to become a hellish battleground.

The Spurs were not willing to fall behind either. Before officially signing Ginobili and Gasol, they traded a heavily protected Second Round Pick to the Warriors for Bogut!

With Duncan retired and Boban signed away by the Pelicans, the Spurs were thin in the paint. But after acquiring Bogut, all their problems were solved.

The Spurs had kept up with the arms race among the Western powerhouses and secured their place in the West's top tier once again.

The Warriors had not sent Bogut to the Trail Blazers or Mavericks, as had been previously reported, for a very simple reason.

The Spurs and Pelicans had their own history. Strengthening the Spurs meant that the enemy of their enemy was their friend—and the Spurs could hurt a direct competitor!

With five championship favorites in the West, it was foreseeable that the new season would be even more fiercely contested than the last.

Whichever team ultimately broke through from the West would absolutely be a team of tremendous caliber.

Teams in the East had made relatively limited additions, and it still looked like the Cavaliers stood head and shoulders above the rest.

But last season's defeat had kept them from standing still.

After extensive negotiations, Hassan Whiteside ultimately chose to join the Cavaliers.

They finally reached a sign-and-trade agreement with the