The NBA regular season is here! The offseason was explosive with multiple notable trades and free agency news happening. Contenders got even better. In the East, it seems like a two-team race. On the Western side, that conference is loaded. The biggest trades were Jrue Holiday to the Boston Celtics, Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzles, Kristaps Porzingis to the Celtics, Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks, and Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns. Some of the biggest signings were Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks to the Houston Rockets, while most of the top FAs (like Jerami Grant and Kyrie Irving) ended up re-signing with their current teams.
Photo Cred: Marca
According to the annual survey of the 30 league general managers, the Denver Nuggets and the Boston Celtics are frontrunners for the 2024 NBA Finals. Both teams received 33 percent of the vote. The Denver Nuggets are the defending NBA champions. In the East, Celtics are consistent contenders and made the Finals a year ago, losing to the Warriors. Could this be the year Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown get over the hump? The Bucks were the favorites with 43 percent of the votes last year. They fell short after the Greek Freak (Giannis Antetokounmpo) was injured in the first round. This year, the Bucks come in third, with 23 percent vote.
Photo Cred: Sportsnet
The Nuggets and Celtics also were picked as the number 1 seed in each conference. The tide is shifting in the NBA. No longer are the Golden State Warriors or any team Lebron James is on are top contenders. The remaining teams to receive votes were the Suns and the Los Angeles Clippers, receiving seven percent and three percent of the votes, respectively.
