Pacific Division

Los Angeles Clippers

Key additions: Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Maurice Harkless

Key subtractions: Danilo Gallinari , Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Draft: Mfiondu Kabengele (No. 27), Terrance Mann (No. 48)

Everyone knows about Kawhi Leonard (N.B.A. champion, defensive maestro) and Paul George (perennial All-Star, defensive maestro), and there is no question that their joint arrival in Los Angeles this summer instantly vaulted the Clippers into the realm of bona fide contenders.

More often overlooked is that the Clippers did not need to trade away half their roster — cough, Lakers, cough — to attain their two new stars. Consider the players who are returning from the team that went to the playoffs last season, and even pushed the Warriors to six games in a first-round series: Lou Williams, Patrick Beverley, Montrezl Harrell, Landry Shamet.

That is a decent core to build around. George will miss the early part of the schedule as he continues to recover from shoulder surgery, and there are always chemistry questions when new players come to town. But Leonard and George fit the blue-collar, roll-up-your-sleeves attitude that the team came to embrace last season, and it would be a huge surprise if the Clippers do not position themselves as one of the teams to beat in the Western Conference. SCOTT CACCIOLA