As the off-season begins, NBA fans are keeping their eyes close to what happens with star players and franchises. Given the fact that there is proper off-season this time, there will be a lot of time for big moves and trades to take place. Oftentimes, fans look forward to seeing how the NBA landscape can change during this time.
The off-season is often marked by a strong free-agent class, where players can switch teams and create new championship contenders. But this year, there is a very weak free-agent class, with Kawi Leonard being the only potential marquee star to switch teams. But despite this, we could be in for a monumental off-season.
According to NBA insider Kieth Smith, he has heard from several teams and agents of players that this could be one of the most historic off-season periods in NBA history. They are expecting several trades with big names and draft picks swapping teams. This is primarily because this year’s free-agent class is very weak, and big names are not so easily available at the moment.
Had people on both the agent and team sides say they expect a record number of trades this offseason. Poor FA class, limited cap space, teams wanting to go for it are all the main reasons why.
Also mentioned: revenue losses weren't as bad as projected. Teams are willing to spend.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) July 25, 2021
And also, it appears that the financial woes of the NBA were slightly exaggerated. If there is more disposable money in the salary cap available to teams, it isn’t unreasonable to expect them to use this to their advantage in the team-building process.
If this report is true, then fans can expect the landscape of the NBA to change significantly. Every few years, we get an off-season that dramatically changes the outlook of the NBA. For example, in 2008, we saw the creation of the Big Three Celtics, and the Kobe-Pau tandem for the Lakers. Those two teams went on to dominate the championship picture for the next three years.
In 2010, we saw the creation of the Miami Heat big three with LeBron James, D-Wade, and Chris Bosh. 2016 was the biggest jump, where we got Kevin Durant joining forces with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson to form arguably the greatest team of all time. Could we be in for yet another historic off-season that changes the landscape of the NBA? Hopefully, and it could start very soon.
