10 NBA Storylines to Watch Before Final Stretch
The 2024-25 NBA season will be remembered for its sheer number of trades and by the magnitude of the stars moved during the year, including Luka Dončić, Anthony Davis and Jimmy Butler.
What's next after the trade deadline and All-Star break, with about two months of regular season left leading into the playoffs?
The following lists the 10 NBA storylines that will define the rest of the year.
The LeLuka Show
1 of 10
The shocking Dončić trade from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers rocked the league. Now, the focus shifts to what the Lakers will be this season.
How will LeBron James and Dončić pair as two high-usage creators? Do the Lakers have enough at center with Jaxson Hayes, recently signed veteran Alex Len and several smallball options (Dorian Finney-Smith, James, Rui Hachimura, etc.)? Can Los Angeles defend at the highest level (Dončić's most notable flaw)?
Watching the team answer those questions well or poorly will be must-watch hoops over the regular season into the playoffs. The win over the Nuggets in Denver on Saturday, a place where the Lakers haven't been able to win dating back to April 2022, gives some hope (to the team and fans) that this can work, possibly immediately.
The Lakers don't have great size in a singular player like Nikola Jokić, but L.A.'s roster is big across the board—similar to the championship team in 2020. Gabe Vincent is the only regular rotation player under 6'5" and a positive defender. The Lakers will need tremendous effort, hustle, and energy to offset their flaws defensively, but the initial signs are positive.
Look for one or more moves before the end of the regular season, like converting Jordan Goodwin to a regular contract to make him playoff eligible. The team has limited means but can cut players like Cam Reddish to make room on the roster.
Dallas' No-Win Situation
2 of 10
The Mavericks' fanbase has not taken the trade well, to an uncomfortable extent. Anthony Davis' sidelined status with an adductor injury has not helped.
The front office made a bold move, one most don't understand. However, as Davis, Daniel Gafford, and Dereck Lively II gradually return from injury (the latter two may be out until April), the Mavericks have tremendous defensive potential.
The problem for the franchise is that getting to the NBA Finals is very difficult to accomplish. Any result short of a return will be deemed a step backward. Dallas may need to get to the playoffs through the play-in tournament. A brief run will come with significant fallout—made worse depending on how far the Lakers get with Dončić.
Jimmy Butler's Impact on Warriors
3 of 10
The Warriors looked like a stuck team with no real hope for postseason success. Outside of Steph Curry's magic, the team wasn't healthy (or good) enough to compete at the highest level.
The protracted Butler trade, which took months on the Miami Heat side, gives Golden State another reliable leader on both ends. While Andrew Wiggins was huge throughout the 2021-22 championship run, he's fallen off, and Butler is an upgrade. The team should also get Jonathan Kuminga back from an ankle injury this week.
While Butler is about five years older than Wiggins, he's better suited to help the Warriors (29-27) through the play-in. Curry in the playoffs is a big draw for the NBA, but unless Golden State can catch the LA Clippers (sixth in the West at 31-24), it will probably require play-in success to get there.
Are the Bucks Playing for Giannis' Future?
4 of 10
The Milwaukee Bucks started the season poorly, raising eyebrows that All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo might consider relocating. Instead, the team rapidly surged to win the NBA Cup.
The team has backslid since the 2020-21 championship, and Antetokounmpo is nearing the end of his current contract (player option before the 2027-28 season). The next trade deadline matches his timeframe to the likes of De'Aaron Fox and Luka Dončić, who were dealt recently.
Several competing front offices will be rooting for Milwaukee's demise with hopes of stealing Antetokounmpo while he's still in his prime. The Bucks hope that Kyle Kuzma and other deadline additions will help Damian Lillard and Antetokounmpo compete against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics and the rest of the top-tier contenders for a deep postseason run to keep their star forward happy at home.
Philly's Tire Fire
5 of 10
The Philadelphia 76ers had high hopes this offseason, armed with more cap space than anyone. The team spent massively on Paul George, young star Tyrese Maxey and a long list of role players they hoped would lead to greater postseason success.
Instead, the Sixers have been mediocre, and Joel Embiid has struggled to stay healthy throughout most of it. Rookie Jared McCain (knee) broke out early but is done for the year. George immediately looked too old to help carry the team nightly, especially with Embiid sidelined.
Still, the team is within range of the play-in tournament and if it can get right physically and mentally, Philadelphia could push its way into the playoffs. The challenge will be drawing the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round, which would require a legendary Embiid resurgence for an incredible upset.
It's also possible that the Sixers will just call it a season, which would still be something worth watching by the logic of a future item on this list.
Do the Suns Rise or Set?
6 of 10
The Phoenix Suns are another franchise that expected more out of the 2024-25 regular season. The team with the highest payroll in the NBA, with stars like Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, should be better than 27-29.
Like the Philadelphia 76ers, the Suns are on the wrong side of the play-in bubble. The hopeful news for Phoenix is a narrower gap to No. 6 behind the LA Clippers (31-24) vs. the Detroit Pistons (30-26) in the East (10 losses better than the 20-36 Sixers).
Phoenix was an active team in the trade market (adding Nick Richards, Cody Martin, and Vasilije Micić); a strong finish could lead to a postseason run. Outside of the Oklahoma City Thunder's (45-10) dominant regular-season run, the West is wide open. The Suns can still salvage the season, but if they don't, the flameout will be just as watchable as speculation only grows that Kevin Durant will force another relocation this summer.
East Playoff Seedings
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Matchups are everything in the playoffs. A team might win a title if it can avoid the one franchise that has its number.
The Cleveland Cavaliers (46-10) have dominated the East and will draw the bottom winner of the play-in. The Boston Celtics (40-16) appear to be No. 2, with the New York Knicks (37-19) still in striking range at No. 3. Boston will draw the play-in winner between Nos. 7 and 8.
Outside of the top three, the East is in flux, with quality teams like the Indiana Pacers (31-23), Milwaukee Bucks (31-24) and the upstart Detroit Pistons (30-26) currently slotted above the play-in. The Orlando Magic (28-30), Miami Heat (26-28) and Atlanta Hawks (26-30) are pressing for playoff runs.
The Chicago Bulls (22-35) and Brooklyn Nets (21-35) may be destined for a play-in appearance unless the Sixers start winning games (see above).
West Playoff Seedings
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Only the Oklahoma City Thunder (45-10) are secure in their positioning at No. 1. The Memphis Grizzlies have a slight advantage (37-19) but are just barely ahead of the following four teams in the loss column with the Denver Nuggets (37-20), Los Angeles Lakers (34-21) and Houston Rockets (35-22) within striking range.
The LA Clippers (31-24) hope to hold off play-in challengers below while catching at least the Rockets above. Arguably, six teams have play-in aspirations, including the No. 12 San Antonio Spurs (24-30), who lost Victor Wembanyama for the season (deep vein thrombosis).
That includes the Minnesota Timberwolves (31-26), Dallas Mavericks (31-26), Golden State Warriors (29-27), Sacramento Kings (28-28) and Phoenix Suns (27-29). The success of the play-in tournament is that more teams have that chance to push through instead of the traditional top eight. That should lead to fun basketball over the coming weeks.
Lottery Chase
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For some, like the Washington Wizards (9-48), the "run" to the bottom started early. Others, like the Brooklyn Nets (21-35), won too many games too early, so the front office had to trade away the veterans doing too much (Dennis Schröder, Dorian Finney-Smith, etc.).
The prize for the team picking No. 1 overall is Duke's Cooper Flagg. Other top prospects include Rutgers teammates Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey. The bottom three teams have equal odds at a top-four selection (including 14 percent for the first pick). The odds drop from there, so tanking needs to be a commitment early in the year.
Several teams need to protect their 2025 first-round pick, like the Charlotte Hornets (14-41), who owe it lottery-protected to the Sacramento Kings, and the Philadelphia 76ers (20-36), who will give their first to the dominant Oklahoma City Thunder if it's not a top-six selection.
The rest of the "top" candidates include the New Orleans Pelicans (13-43), Utah Jazz (14-42) and Toronto Raptors (17-39). Philadelphia may join the fray if it decides to hand the last play-in spot to the Chicago Bulls (22-35) and just let the season fade away as a bad memory, protecting the draft pick and adding young talent to build, ideally, a better team next season.
MVP Chase
10 of 10
If a player who won three Most Valuable Player awards plays better than he did in those three previous seasons, shouldn't he earn his fourth? The Denver Nuggets (37-20) are among the top teams in the Western Conference and have won nine of 10 (losing recently to the Los Angeles Lakers). With a demanding schedule remaining, if the team climbs to No. 2 in the West, it may be difficult for voters to overlook Nikola Jokić as they did in 2022-23 for Joel Embiid (looking even more incorrect than ever).
The Cleveland Cavaliers (46-10) have so much talent, including Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen, that it's too hard to distinguish a singular MVP. The Boston Celtics (40-16) can argue Jayson Tatum, but the year may belong to a young star in the West.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is leading the league in scoring at 32.2 points per game. The Oklahoma City Thunder (45-10) have dominated the West and lead the league with a 13.2-point differential.
The final stretch may dictate who earns the award. The battle should be riveting, but the early returns suggest it's between Jokić and Gilgeous-Alexander.
Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on X @EricPincus and Bluesky.
