When the clock strikes 2 p.m. CT Thursday the NBA trade deadline will have passed, and with it will come a bit of a new beginning as the push for the playoffs heats up with star players donning new uniforms.

Just weeks ago the view from experts around the league was that it would be a quiet trade deadline as luxury tax thresholds would make trading difficult for some of the true contenders. But after blockbuster trades that saw the Mavericks deal Luka Doncic to the Lakers for Anthony Davis, and the Spurs, Kings and Bulls rearrange rosters with De’Aaron Fox going to San Antonio and Zach Lavine heading to Sacramento, the NBA is as far from quiet as it can get.

Will the Timberwolves do anything before Thursday’s deadline? All reports leading up up to the league-shattering trades have suggested Minnesota is looking within for answers.

Is Jimmy Butler still going to end up in Phoenix or somewhere in the West before the deadline?

With parts still falling into place, let’s re-rank the Western Conference entering play Monday.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder

Still the best in the West with a roster headlined by MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. They’re elite on offense and defense and they have one of the most clutch players in the game in SGA. What makes them especially scary is that they’ve raced to the top record in the West (38-9) without Chet Holmgren, whose two-way prowess will make them even more dangerous once he returns from injury.

2. Memphis Grizzlies

At 32-16, they’re tied with Houston for the second-best record in the conference. Ja Morant is in pristine form and leading the NBA’s highest-scoring offense. Come playoff time, the big duo of Jaren Jackson Jr. and Zach Edey could cause a lot of problems for opponents.

3. Houston Rockets

Nobody seems to believe the young Rockets are going to transition into the postseason, but they deserve respect for rising to near the top of the West. Fred VanVleet is the veteran stability in the backcourt while Jalen Green offers shades of Anthony Edwards and Alperen Sengun quietly has put himself on the map as one of the best offensive bigs in the NBA. Add in Dillon Brooks’ edge and these guys are no joke.

4. Denver Nuggets

Nikola Jokic can’t do it all by himself and there are reasons to be worried about the Nuggets, who enter play Monday in fourth place with a 30-19 record. Can Jamal Murray stay healthy? Can Aaron Gordon supply enough offensive support to make him a high-end two-way player again? Russell Westbrook seems rejuvinated but will it last? Where’s the depth?

5. Minnesota Timberwolves

It would’ve been pretty easy to put Minnesota in the top four based on the way they routed the Nuggets and Suns in the past week, but injuries have caught up to them. Julius Randle’s groin strain has no timeline for a return and Donte DiVincenzo remains out with a nasty big toe sprain. Naz Reid now has a sprained finger and Mike Conley sprained his thumb. Add in the illness making its way through the locker room and the Timberwolves have some unfortunate challenges offsetting a solid sample size of being one of the most efficient offensive and defensive teams in the league since the calendar flipped to 2025.

6. Dallas Mavericks

Kyrie Irving and Doncic were the best 1-2 punch in the West before Doncic suffered a calf strain on Christmas Day. They were one of the favorites in the West under the assumption that Doncic would return to form upon returning to the lineup, but the mega trade has presented new challenges in Dallas. How quickly Irving and Davis can sync will be the ultimate test, but there’s no doubt that they’ll be a scary 1-2 punch while the foursome of Davis, Derrick Lively II, Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington will be a defensive powerhouse come playoff time.

7. Los Angeles Lakers

Doncic has to prove his calf strain won’t slow him down once he returns and LeBron James has to continue to prove that he can evade Father Time. If healthy, the Lakers are a scary offensive team but trading Davis made them much worse defensively. Barring more moves before the deadline, the Lakers look like they’re taking a brief step backward before possibly making giant leaps forward.

8. San Antonio Spurs

Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox is suddenly a frightening combination to deal with in the West. With toughness from Chris Paul, Harrison Barnes and Jeremy Sochan, and the rapid rise of rookie Stephon Castle, the Spurs could quickly become a legit threat to win a postseason series. No team is going to want to face them in April.

9. Phoenix Suns

Snubbing Devin Booker from the All-Star Game was probably a bad idea because he’s likely going to take it very personal and light up the league down the stretch. Kevin Durant is still a monster and if they can find a way to add Jimmy Butler, the Suns will easily be one of the top contenders to represent the West in the NBA Finals.

10. Sacramento Kings

They lost Fox but gained Zach Lavine, which is pretty much a wash when it comes to impacting winning and losing. Without Fox, Malik Monk becomes the every day starting point guard, and that might not be a bad thing. Depth is a bit of an issue, but the starting five with Monk, Lavine, DeMar DeRozan, Keegan Murray and Domantas Sabonis is legit.

11. Los Angeles Clippers

These guys are always going to be dangerous if Kawhi Leonard and James Harden are in vintage form, but what are the odds of both playing at a high level when it matters most?

12. Golden State Warriors

How does one not feel bad for Steph Curry? He’s single-handedly tasked with keeping the aging Warriors relevant. Will the front office pull off a trade to give him help or will the Warriors fade in the difficult West over the next couple months?

13. The rest…

Sorry, but the Trail Blazers, Pelicans and Jazz are too far back to be taken seriously right now.