A beginning to the arms race
The last five years have been dominated by the Warriors, but with all of the player movement over the last few weeks, it seems like it was years ago that the Warriors winning five or six championships felt inevitable. Kevin Durant’s injury and departure from Golden State were the first dominos to fall in an offseason that has completely reset the NBA, and it’s not even done yet.
The league now projects to be as open as it’s been in decades so teams all over the league are making trades and free-agent signings to go all-in on the 2019-20 season. The Bucks, Sixers, Nets, Pacers, and Celtics are all retooling out East and virtually the entire Western Conference is making moves to compete for a championship. Also, just as an aside, saying the Jazz will be a contender isn’t a hot take. I haven’t seen a single person say something bad about the Jazz and yet people talk about them like a “sleeper.” Please stop, they’re really good and calling them good is not unique. Thank you.
There are only 16 spots in the playoffs though and some solid teams will get left out, especially out West. The Pelicans, for example, are a trendy playoff pick but who are you leaving out? The Clippers, Lakers, Rockets, Jazz, Nuggets, and Blazers all look like locks to make it. Then you have the next group of the Warriors, Spurs, and Thunder (even post-Paul George) who were all in the playoffs last year and then the Kings and Mavericks who should be better this year too. Where do you find room for a team like the Pelicans?
Would it be crazy to think that everyone in the West playoffs next year will have a chance to win the conference? Injuries and unexpected things happen, sure, but on paper, this looks like the most competitive the league has been since Michael Jordan‘s retirement. Is it October yet?