After being swept in the first-round of the 2017 playoffs by Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans, the Portland Trail Blazers found themselves in the drivers seat of the West last season.

However, their historic playoff run that took them to the Western Conference Finals in 2018, ended in four games to the juggernaut Warriors, who lost to the eventual champs, the Toronto Raptors, in the NBA Finals.

The West got stronger this offseason. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are officially Clippers, Los Angeles made big moves to add Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins, and the Jazz bolstered its roster acquiring Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic.

As NBC Sports NBA Insider Tom Haberstroh mentioned in his latest column, the Trail Blazers got better too. Portland added Kent Bazemore and Hassan Whiteside, among others, and according to Haberstroh, the Blazers are still in the mix to win a title in 2019.

Read more here about Portland’s bright future, as well as the possibility of a blockbuster trade involving Kevin Love, should the Blazers choose that route.