In an Insider-only story for ESPN.com, Tim Bontemps lists seven storylines people around the NBA will be monitoring in 2025. Due to their combination of young players, draft assets and a coach (Ime Udoka) that players want to play for, the Rockets are widely viewed as the team to watch the next time a star becomes available on the trade market.
“The whole landscape of the league,” an Eastern Conference scout said, “could change based off what they do.”
Although no one actually expects anything to change, since it would require certain teams to vote against their best interests, league sources tell Bontemps that the imbalance of power between the two conferences may see more calls for playoff seedings to be ranked 1-to-16 instead of the traditional format of 1-to-8 in each conference.
League insiders are also keeping a close eye on the Celtics‘ impending sale — specifically how much the team sells for — as a potential bellwether for expansion, according to Bontemps. The cities of Seattle and Las Vegas continue to be mentioned in league circles as possible expansion spots.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- ESPN insiders Ohm Youngmisuk, Jamal Collier, Chris Herring, Dave McMenamin and Tim MacMahon answer some key questions related to the remainder of the 2024/25 season. Youngmisuk and MacMahon picked Victor Wembanyama to be the breakout player of 2025, with Paolo Banchero, Donte DiVincenzo and Trae Young also receiving votes.
- Former NBA guard Raul Neto and Spanish EuroLeague club Barcelona have parted ways, according to a team press release. Barcelona described the move as mutual. The Brazilian point guard has had terrible injury luck over the past two seasons. After missing the entire 2023/24 campaign due to a knee injury, he was limited to just two appearances with Barcelona, getting injured on each occasion. In his debut in late November, he sustained an injury that sidelined him for four weeks. In his return on Dec. 27, he suffered a left thigh injury that will sideline him for 12 weeks. An eight-year veteran, Neto’s last NBA action came for Cleveland during the ’22/23 season.
- Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports ranks his current top-five choices for the 2025 MVP award, though he only views three players as “serious contenders” for first place: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic.