Warriors Outside the Top Five in 2020 Western Conference Playoff Odds

• The Golden State Warriors are at -350 to make the playoffs next season
• The Jazz, Clippers, Lakers, Rockets and Nuggets are the top-five teams in terms of odds to make the playoffs
• The Dallas Mavericks are a good bet to miss the playoffs

Oddsmakers have posted props for the Western Conference teams to make or miss the playoffs next season. While the Golden State Warriors have been to five straight NBA Finals, they’re not even in the top five of the teams deemed most-likely to make the playoffs in 2020. Are they a value play?

2020 Western Conference Playoff Odds

Warriors Experience Big Roster Turnover

We knew the day was coming when the Warriors dynasty would come to an end, but as of right now, we’re not sure just how far they’ve fallen. They lost a lot as Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala, DeMarcus Cousins, Quinn Cook and Jordan Bell are all gone. And don’t forget that Klay Thompson will be out a while with a torn ACL.

At the same time, they did a good job of retooling on the fly as they brought in All-Star D’Angelo Russell and found some value with guys like Willie Cauley-Stein and Glenn Robinson III. They also managed to retain Kevon Looney.

The issue is how the lineup with Steph Curry and Russell will look. Jacob Evans moves into the starting lineup while Draymond Green and Kevon Looney will round out the starting five. Once Thompson is back, this team should be playoff-caliber. There’s value with this prop.

West Is Weak At The Bottom

The perception is that the Western Conference is quite strong and that’s true … at the top. Houston, Utah, the two Los Angeles teams, Denver and Portland are playoff teams. San Antonio is probably in again, but who else is there beyond that?

The Sacramento Kings are just OK; New Orleans could surprise; Dallas is talented but still lacking. So who takes the final playoff spot in the West? Golden State is as good as San Antonio or any of the other teams mentioned.

Dallas Mavericks Won’t Make Playoffs

The Mavs are still rebuilding as Kristaps Porzingis makes his way back. Will this be a perennial playoff contender in the years to come when Porzingis is healthy and Luka Doncic has a couple of years under his belt? Sure. Are they there now? I would say not yet.

Porzingis and Doncic make a nice one-two punch but there isn’t much around them. Delon Wright is a decent piece and Seth Curry is a quality bench player. The lineup looks like Dwight Powell, Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr., Doncic and Wright. That’s not a playoff team in the challenging Western Conference.

The odds are way off with them too as they’re +150 to make the playoffs and -170 to miss. Their odds to make the playoffs should be much longer than that. I’d bet on ‘no’.