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The Los Angeles Lakers finished as the third seed in 2024-25. They followed that up by improving their record in 2025-26, and maintaining a top-four spot in the Western Conference. For all the hoopla about the 2026 offseason, there is no shot the Lakers slip much worse than a top-six position. That has as much to do with Los Angeles as it does with the teams around them. Despite all the changes, the Lakers have more than maintained a competitive team. Most importantly, they kept together their primary duo of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, which helped the team perform at a 60-win pace last regular season. Even if one were to concede that Los Angeles will be slightly worse than their 53-win total from 2025-26, is there really anyone around them due to be significantly better? The San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder can be chalked up as safe bets for the 2026-27 regular season. Beyond those two? No one else truly stands out as that much better than the Lakers. There are certainly not four additional teams who would join the Spurs and Thunder as obvious picks to outperform Los Angeles in the Western Conference. The West has not done enough to push the Lakers down the pecking order Having the Spurs and Thunder above the Lakers in the regular season standings for 2026-27 has already been granted. Who else? The Denver Nuggets have largely stayed stagnant, and could still lose Peyton Watson before the end of the offseason. The Minnesota Timberwolves added LaMelo Ball, which should give Anthony Edwards the best point guard he has ever played with. Ball is also a sizable injury risk, plus there are other roster holes that still need to be addressed. Houston Rockets? Should be slightly better than they were last season with a returning Fred VanVleet and the addition of Marcus Smart. Once more, who else? The Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers will be pesky outs, but not a true threat. The Golden State Warriors' offseason has made them a laughing stock. The Los Angeles Clippers are trending in the other directiion. The Dallas Mavericks could be resurgent, but not beyond a Play-In team. New Orleans Pelicans? Sacramento Kings? Memphis Grizzlies? Utah Jazz? Varying degrees of nope. Even if the most generous of arguments grants that Los Angeles is slightly worse than last season, no one has truly seized the opportunity to fully overtake them beyond doubt. The Lakers have very little to worry about. If there is a tumble, it will be to no worse than sixth.