After one of the most eventful off-seasons ever, the NBA finally returned on October 22nd, 2o19. NBA fans all over have been waiting in anticipation for this upcoming season. With so many different trades and team rivalries going on, it is hard to say for sure who is currently the best team in the NBA. The Golden State dynasty has been broken up, and the championship is up for grabs.

Many teams have acquired new players and become championship contenders, like the Houston Rockets with Russel Westbrook and the Los Angeles Clippers, adding both Paul George and the previous 2019 Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard. The New York Nets have become a very promising team, acquiring Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and DeAndre Jordan.

However, Durant will not be playing in the 2019-2020 season due to rupturing his Achilles Tendon during the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors. The New York Knicks have also changed drastically signed many players in the offseason, including Julius Randle, Bobby Portis, Taj Gibson, Marcus Morris, Elfrid Payton, Reggie Bullock, and Wayne Ellington. The Boston Celtics traded Kyrie Irving to the Brooklyn Nets and gained a new point guard in Kemba Walker. The Los Angeles Lakers signed Anthony Davis and Danny Green, two players who will be playing alongside LeBron James for his 16th NBA season.

The Golden State Warriors are the team that has changed the most, though, losing previous NBA champion Kevin Durant, 2015 NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguodala, and former star DeMarcus Cousins. Klay Thompson is out this season due to a torn ACL, which happened in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals. However, they did gain a rising star in DeAngelo Russel, who was traded for Kevin Durant to the New York Nets.

Since there have been so many drastic changes in the league this past off-season, there are many budding rivalries, such as that between the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers, who share the same home court in the Staples Center Arena.

Another rivalry that fans are looking forward to is between the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets, who have had numerous matchups in the playoffs against each other in previous years. In the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics and the Milwaulkee Bucks matchup will prove to be exciting, considering that they matched up against each other in the 2019 Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Boston Celtics and New York Nets will also be an electrifying matchup since All-Star and previous NBA Champion Kyrie Irving was traded from the Celtics to the Nets because of conflict with the organization and with his teammates.

With so many moves made in the off-season, this upcoming NBA season has the ability to be one of the most thrilling seasons in history, and with so much talent spread across the league, no one knows who will come out on top. “I think the LA Lakers will win because they have LeBron and Anthony Davis, who will be really hard to guard when they’re on the court at the same time,” said Alex Basquial ’20.

“I think the LA Lakers will win because they have LeBron and Anthony Davis, who will be really hard to guard when they’re on the court at the same time,” said Alex Basquial ’20.