Host Danny Leroux (@DannyLeroux), David Locke of the Utah Jazz and Locked on Podcast Network (@Lockedonsports) and Adam Mares of Denver Stiffs (@Adam_Mares) break down the Northwest Division.

They discuss how the Jazz, Nuggets, Thunder, Timberwolves and Trail Blazers fared in the off-season and predict the season to come, including projected finish, breakout players and rookies they are most excited to see.

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The Oklahoma City Thunder will sign Tyler Davis to a two-way contract.

Davis went undrafted out of Texas A&M.

Davis averaged 11.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in 17.8 minutes per game for the Nets in Summer League.

The Golden State Warriors will play the Sacramento Kings on Oct. 5 at KeyArena in Seattle.

The preseason game will be the NBA's first return to Seattle since the Sonics left for Oklahoma City in 2008.

Kevin Durant played his rookie season in Seattle with the Sonics.

“That would be amazing, hopefully that goes through,” Durant said in February of returning to Seattle for a preseason game, when the exhibition was in its planning stages. “I mean, the fans of Seattle definitely deserve basketball, and that would be amazing. So, I’m looking forward to that.”

Kevin Durant reportedly revealed to Chris Broussard that he was a phony when he was with the Oklahoma City Thunder and that he is now able to be more himself.

"He's a conflicted guy. There's a part of him that's religious. He has ministers come visit him and hang out with him during the season. Then there's a big part of him that's doing things that don't match up with his faith.

"He was engaged a few years ago. His fiancee broke up with him, she said he stopped living like a Christian. And I've talked to him about that. He's conficted in that regard with who he is in terms of that.

"And then on the court ... the guy we saw in Oklahoma City was not cursing all the time, was not being as aggressive in terms of arguing and maybe fighting with guys or getting technicals...

"Durant texted me and said 'the guy you see now is the real me. The guy in Oklahoma City was the phony -- I was just trying to please everybody and do what I thought everybody wanted me to do.'

"I'm gonna take him at his word."

The Indiana Pacers had "qualms" about signing Paul George to a supermax contract extension in 2017 had he made an All-NBA team to become eligible for one.

George didn't qualify and the Pacers traded him to the Oklahoma City Thunder when he requested a trade.

George re-signed with the Thunder in 2018.

Paul George privately decided to return to the Oklahoma City Thunder several weeks before free agency began. After telling the Indiana Pacers he planned on signing with the Los Angeles Lakers at the end of the 16-17 season, George never even met with the Lakers.

"It was absolutely tempting," George said. "Honestly, I wanted to come back home. But again, I got traded to Oklahoma. Loved the situation. Loved where I was at. I decided to stick around a little longer. ...

"I just wanted my free agency to be over with. In my heart, I felt great about Oklahoma and I wasn't going to prolong it if I felt good about it already."

George said he "felt most comfortable" with the Thunder.

"I felt when it came down to it and all the factors that played into it, deep down there was a nasty taste where we finished," George said. "I just felt I had more to offer. I had more to give. I just felt about where we were as a whole.

"I honestly went through the process and doing pros and cons throughout the whole [season]. I wouldn't say the whole [season] was a recruiting process. I was just trying to find the highs and lows and the good and bad. Ultimately, I just felt this was the road for me to win."

Ed Davis received interest from the Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Portland Trail Blazers before agreeing to a one-year, $4.4 million deal with the Brooklyn Nets.

“The main thing is they definitely came out aggressive when July 1 hit, so I definitely wanted to go to where I was wanted, so that had a lot to do with it,” Davis said on a conference call. “Then, I talked to Allen (Crabbe) and Jeremy (Lin) a little bit about the coaching staff and things like that and how the organization was run, and it was nothing but great things. Then, I think this team has potential definitely. We can try to make this push into the playoffs this year, and it’s going to be a challenge, but that’s one of the reasons why I’m here.”

Carmelo Anthony initially was resistant to the idea of a buyout to become a free agent.

"To get bought out, to get waived, you were looked at like, you're done," said Anthony. "Now, it's just almost like the norm. If something doesn't work, go ahead and get a buyout or go ahead and get traded. That's the new norm in our society in basketball. I had to get over that.

"I had a conversation with my wife and family. I said to them, I'm not taking no buyout. I'm not getting waived. And they said, at the end of the day, nobody is going to know that. You have to do what you have to do. It's going to be a blip on your radar. It's on to the next chapter. It took me a while to get to that point where I'm like, OK, I'm going to accept it."

Anthony said ultimately things didn't work out with the Oklahoma City Thunder because of timing.

"At the end of the day, it wasn't a good fit," he said. "I think last year -- and I haven't talked about this before -- everything was just so rushed, going to the team for media day and the day before training camp. Them guys already had something in place, and then I come along in the 25th hour like, oh s---, Melo just come on and join us. Like, you can figure it out since you've been around the game for a long time. That's why it was so inconsistent. At times, I had to figure it out on my own rather than somebody over there or people over there helping me."

Anthony is expected to sign with the Houston Rockets.

"I think winning, at the end of the day, rewrites everything," he said. "It settles everything. I also look back at this past year. When we were winning, the story was written already. When we started losing, the story is written. It's almost premeditated. I'm playing ball. I'm happy. I'm excited about what's to come, wherever that may be."

Hamidou Diallo has agreed to a three-year, $4 million deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Diallo was the 45th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft out of Kentucky.