NBA News and Notes: Three Teams in a Make-or-Break Season

Read Time:4 Minute, 0 Second

With the NBA Season a week in, some are already looking to the postseason, and some even further to free agency. Rumors pick up throughout the season about players, teams, contracts, and more. Several teams are in “make-or-break” seasons, with the teams’ futures relying on this season. The following three teams are just a few of the teams that need a good season.

Portland Trailblazers

The drama of the Portland Trailblazers has been known for months. Portland made several minor changes while not addressing the same issue they’ve had for a handful of years. With the same roster, the Blazers have been stuck in the middle of the pack in the NBA Western Conference. Since Damian Lillard was drafted to the Trailblazers, they have only made the Western Conference Finals once. In the offseason, Portland added Larry Nance Jr and parted ways with coach Terry Stotts, replacing him with Chauncey Billups. Rumors of Damian Lillard came out during the summer, but Lillard denied those rumors, saying he wanted to stay with Portland. At this point, Lillard is spending his best years in the middle of the pack when he could be a part of a contender. This is a very important year for Portland. If Portland cannot improve, it is very likely that something big will happen in the 2022 off-season. CJ McCollum could be moved, but Damian Lillard would need to ask for a trade. There are plenty of teams that would love to have Lillard and could use him as a pivotal part of a championship team. With teams like Golden State looking to be a contender and the Western Conference to be like last year, this may be the last year we see the Blazers in their current form.

Chicago Bulls

While the Chicago Bulls made many improvements during last season and the offseason, this is still a make-or-break year for the team for one reason and one reason only: Zach Lavine. At the end of the season, Zach Lavine will be a free agent, with plenty of teams wanting him. With the team currently being 4-0 at the time of this writing, this is sadly the longest win streak of Lavine’s career. The Minnesota Timberwolves struggled during Lavine’s tenure with the NBA team and the Bulls struggled for the first few years of his tenure. If the team were to underperform or completely fall apart, this could be the end of the Zach Lavine era in Chicago. With Lavine improving every year, he has become one of the most exciting guards in the league. Chicago has done everything they can over the last year to show Lavine they are serious about building around him. They added Nikola Vucevic last season and added Lonzo Ball, DeMar DeRozan, and Alex Caruso in the offseason. The Bulls are looking to make the playoffs this year, something that is entirely possible with the team they have. While it is unknown where the Bulls would end up if they made the playoffs, they would be tough competition for whoever they faced.

Brooklyn Nets

Of the three NBA teams, the Brooklyn Nets have the most to lose this season, but they may have the most to gain as well. The last month has been dominated by the news of Kyrie Irving choosing not to get a Covid-19 vaccination and how that has affected the Brooklyn Nets. Management has already decided that they would not let Irving be a part-time player and he is currently away from the team until he either gets a vaccine or is traded. There have been rumors of a trade, but nothing more than that. While the team could get a lot back for Irving, no move has been made. This is a make-or-break season for not one, but two reasons. Both Kyrie Irving and James Harden are free agents. Daryl Morey, the president of basketball operations for the Philadelphia 76ers, has been rumored to have an interest in James Harden after their history in Houston. With Irving most likely not coming back this season, it is possible the Nets could fall off just a bit. With Durant being the only of the big three signed to a long-term deal, there is a possibility Harden may not want to stay in Brooklyn and Kyrie may look to play somewhere that would let him play on his terms. While the possibility is there, Harden will most likely resign with Brooklyn under the right conditions. While Irving’s absence can already be seen affecting the Nets (including Wednesday’s loss against the Heat), there is no telling how a possible season-long absence could affect the team as a whole.