As a result, after spending 34 years in the Pacific Division (their first three years were in the Western "Division"), the Sonics will be moving to the newly-formed Northwest Division, taking with them from the old Pacific only their I-5 rival Portland Trail Blazers. The Sonics and Blazers will be joined in the Northwest - the largest of the league's six divisions in geographic size - by three castoffs from the Midwest Division, the Denver Nuggets, the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Utah Jazz.

With training camp drawing near, here's an early look at the Sonics competition for the first Northwest Division title.

Denver Nuggets

2003-04 record: 43-39
Key Additions: F Kenyon Martin
Key Losses: C Chris Andersen, C Michael Doleac
Starting Five: G Andre Miller, G Voshon Lenard, F Carmelo Anthony, Martin, C Marcus Camby

Kenyon Martin. Garrett W. Elwood/NBAE/Getty

Summer: The Nuggets pulled off one of the largest single-season turnarounds in NBA history last season, going from a last-place 17-65 to 43-39 and a playoff spot. Now, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein, Denver had the league's best off-season. Yikes. That might be going too far. Stein is giving the Nuggets a lot of credit for re-signing Camby, a good move given the load of incentives in his new contract but still not one that will improve Denver, since they already had Camby (and had him playing one of the best years of his career). The biggest move is obviously adding Martin in a sign-and-trade with Denver giving up only future first-round picks which Nuggets GM Kiki Vandeweghe stockpiled during the team's rebuilding process. (Denver had enough room under the cap to sign Martin outright, which is why they didn't have to give up any salary in the deal, but surrendered the picks to keep New Jersey from potentially matching their offer to Martin, a restricted free agent.) Vandeweghe seems confident enough in his team's young core that, in addition to dealing the future picks, he also traded 2004 first-round pick Jameer Nelson to Orlando for a future pick. This is the core of the Denver team for the foreseeable future, and there is some serious talent. The worst news of the summer was that starting shooting guard Lenard underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, though he's expected to be ready for training camp. The Nuggets are expected to complete their off-season by signing swingman Greg Buckner after he was waived by the 76ers.

Outlook: Last year, Denver established itself as a playoff team. This year, the Nuggets could really make some noise. There may be no team in the NBA with more talent players 3-7, as the addition of Martin likely pushes talented Brazilian forward/center Nenê to the bench (with the potential to step in for Camby in the middle if (when?) the injury-prone big man goes down). Nenê and point guard Earl Boykins might just be the best 1-2 punch off the bench in the league. Over the last three years, Buckner's shooting percentage has gone from 52.5% to 46.5% to 37.7%; if he can turn that trend around, he gives Denver another quality reserve. Still, much will depend on the maturation of Anthony, who has given some observers pause with occasional immature outbursts. Anthony became the first rookie to lead a playoff team in scoring since David Robinson, but still could stand to take steps forward by improving his field-goal percentage (42.6%) and cutting down on his three-plus turnovers per game. (Also, for all the talk during the Olympics of Anthony being a quality shooter, he hit just 32.2% from downtown as a rookie.) If Anthony can avoid the Sophomore Slump, the Nuggets are in good shape.

Minnesota Timberwolves

2003-04 record: 58-24
Key Additions: G Blake Stepp
Key Losses: G Darrick Martin
Starting Five: G Sam Cassell, G Trenton Hassell, F Latrell Sprewell, F Kevin Garnett, C Michael Olowokandi

Kevin Garnett. Stephen Dunn/NBAE/Getty

Summer: Is that the sound of crickets chirping? Minnesota wasn't exactly as active as last summer, when they added three starters and two of their top three players. The Timberwolves chose to basically stand pat, spending their summer re-signing starter Hassell and reserve guards Troy Hudson and Fred Hoiberg. The only addition likely to make the team at this point is second-round pick Blake Stepp from Gonzaga, the 60th player taken, who will likely become the third point guard.

Outlook: In modern pro sports, standing pat isn't always the best idea. Think back to the 2003 Anaheim Angels, who had just one new player on their Opening Day roster after winning the World Series in 2002 … and promptly finished 77-85. In Minnesota's case, age could take a toll on Cassell (who turns 35 early in the season) and Sprewell (34). Having Hudson and Wally Szczerbiak healthy strengthens the Timberwolves bench, but center remains a question mark after Olowokandi failed to live up to expectations as a free-agent pickup. The duo of Cassell and MVP Garnett, which was as good as any east of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal a year ago, should continue to lead the Timberwolves to 50 wins, but a repeat of the top regular-season record in the Western Conference will be challenging.

Portland Trail Blazers

2003-04 record: 41-41
Key Additions: F/G Richie Frahm, G/F Viktor Khryapa, G Sebastian Telfair, G Nick Van Exel
Key Losses: C Dale Davis
Starting Five: G Damon Stoudamire, G Derek Anderson, F Darius Miles, F Zach Randolph, C Theo Ratliff

Zach Randolph. Sam Forencich/NBAE/Getty

Summer: After acquiring Miles, Ratliff and Shareef Abdur-Rahim mid-season, the Trail Blazers were left with a relatively quiet off-season. That doesn't count a trio of first-round picks, two of whom - Khryapa and Telfair - are expected to be in Blazers uniforms this season, though it's doubtful either player will be a major contributor. With Ratliff taking over at center, the Blazers were able to deal veteran Davis to Golden State for Van Exel, who gives them another option in the backcourt and is expected to play both guard positions. Frahm, who could not re-sign with the Sonics after being selected by Charlotte in the Expansion Draft as a restricted free agent, provides the Blazers the shooter they lacked after trading Wesley Person to Atlanta. The Blazers may not be done yet, as rumors have swirled all summer about Portland trading one of its two quality power forwards, Abdur-Rahim and Randolph. The recent speculation has the Blazers sending Abdur-Rahim to New Jersey for Jason Kidd.

Outlook: After starting poorly, the Blazers came on strong after last season's trades and nearly worked their way back into the playoffs. With a full training camp for the new lineup to gel, Portland could be improved this season. Still, as is typically the case with the Blazers, there are plenty of question marks. Can Stoudamire and Van Exel co-exist in the backcourt? Will Abdur-Rahim, who has threatened to hold out, be content coming off the bench if the Blazers can't swing a deal? Is Randolph capable of seeing regular action at center if Vladimir Stepania and Joel Przybilla don't cut it as Ratliff's backups? In the East, the Blazers might be a contender; in the West, in all likelihood, they'll be fighting for one of the last playoff spots.

Utah Jazz

2003-04 record: 42-40
Key Additions: F Carlos Boozer, F Kris Humphries, C Mehmet Okur, G/F Kirk Snyder
Key Losses: F Tom Gugliotta, C Greg Ostertag, G Aleksandar Pavlovic, F Michael Ruffin, G Maurice Williams
Starting Five: G Carlos Arroyo, G Gordan Giricek, F Andrei Kirilenko, F Boozer, C Okur

Carlos Boozer. Jennifer Potheiser/NBAE/Getty

Summer: While the Jazz didn't make a last place to the playoffs run like the Nuggets, their 2003-04 performance was equally improbable. Widely panned as the worst team in the NBA - ESPN.com columnist Frank Hughes even went so far as to suggest the Jazz might fall short of the 72-73 Philadelphia 76ers record-low nine wins. Utah only beat that by a mere 33 games, finishing two games out of the playoffs - despite having its second-best player, forward Matt Harpring, missing 51 games because of knee surgery. Now the Jazz should almost certainly be even better. Stein's former ESPN.com colleague, David Aldridge, picked the Jazz as his top team of the off-season. Taking advantage of immense cap space, the Jazz addressed its needs up front, signing restricted free agents Boozer and Okur. Utah also had two top 20 picks, used on Humphries and Snyder. Lastly, the Jazz re-signed free agents Arroyo (who you might have seen directing the USA's first Olympics loss using professionals at the helm of Puerto Rico) and Giricek. As a result, CNNSI.com's John Hollinger concluded that the Jazz was "free agency's undisputed winner".

Outlook: Amazing as it sounds, the Jazz might just be good enough to win the Northwest Division. Boozer is one of the league's most underrated players, consistently putting up 15 and 10 and shooting 52.3% from the field while LeBron James got the hype (and deservedly so). Given that power forward was a black hole for the Jazz after Harpring's injury (Gugliotta shot 37.5%, Ruffin 32.5%), Boozer might add 10 wins all by himself. Okur never fit into Larry Brown's system in Detroit, but he's proven himself to be a quality NBA center. Along with the coaching of Jerry Sloan, the key reason Utah was competitive last year was the remarkable Kirilenko, an All-Defensive Second Teamer whose 16.5 points per game don't come close to telling the story of his contributions at both ends of the court. Arroyo and Giricek form a solid backcourt, and if Harpring is healthy, the bench might be the best in the NBA.