One of the biggest debates in the modern NBA is whether it makes sense for teams to be built through the draft and savvy trades, or via free agency when stars decide to team up. The San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers were built and they enjoyed tremendous success, but so did the Miami Heat when they got their Big 3, and the Golden State Warriors when they added Kevin Durant to a 73-win roster.
The ‘built’ vs. ‘bought’ debate is hard to settle, but it’s obvious that fans prefer if their team builds a champion, considering that those players are always likely to stay and be part of the franchise for longer. In the current NBA 3 teams can be described as bought, the Lakers, the Clippers, and the Nets, but only one has a championship in the last 3 years and none are in the playoffs at this time.
This is entirely different from the teams that are in the playoffs, most of which are built. The Suns added Chris Paul but drafted Devin Booker, DeAndre Ayton, and Mikal Bridges. The Grizzlies have built their team with young talent as well, and the Celtics are led by homegrown superstars Tatum and Brown. One NBA fan pointed this out on Twitter.
kinda crazy how almost every team still competing in the NBA playoffs was built. not bought. pic.twitter.com/htVrwlju9s
— Khiz (@KhizHoop) May 6, 2022
Barring the Miami Heat, every team still left in the playoffs drafted their superstar and even the Heat rely heavily on Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. There is nothing wrong with adding pieces in free agency or making sure your team gets the best players, but there is also some romance in watching teams that have been built the old-fashioned way. Whichever team wins, this season is a blow to those that believe superteams need to be built to win NBA titles.
