Over the next few months, we are almost certain to see lots of chaos swirling around the NBA. The good kind of chaos, though.
The league is in a unique position right now. There’s more parity in the league now than there has been in decades. In total, there are 21 teams with a record of either 3 or fewer games below .500 or 3 games or more above .500.
That number is up from 17, which was the most the league had ever seen a quarter of the way through the season, according to Howard Beck of Sports Illustrated.
So here’s what that means. More than half of the teams in the NBA probably think they can compete for a playoff spot, at the bare minimum. And a smaller fraction of that group probably thinks, if things break right, then their team can probably compete for a championship.
That’s exactly why trade season is about to be wild. There are going to be lots of rumors flying around with teams trying to pry players from one another. It can either be very quiet with teams hoarding their players to try and compete or a complete madhouse with teams trying to shuffle the deck and make a run. That’s the fun of it — we have no idea what will come from now until February.
Regardless, there are certain things you need to know before we dive into this chaotic period. So let’s dig in.