Are the big market teams of the NBA taking over the league and causing a lack of competition?

The+NBA+is+facing+an+issue+with+the+growing+powers+that+big-name+markets+hold.+

The NBA is facing an issue with the growing powers that big-name markets hold.

Nic Watkins, Sports Editor

In 2011 NBA commissioner David Stern vetoed the decision to allow Chris Paul to join the then Kobe Bryant-led Lakers. 

The trade would have made the Lakers an even more star-studded roster, and would more than likely take away the competition in the league. 

Ten years later, and the NBA is under the hands of commissioner Adam Silver. The NBA today has a “buy-out market” that is very flawed. 

The market allows players to be bought out by their teams and put into the market where other teams can “bid” and pay the players to join their team instead of being traded. 

More times than not, these players end up joining big name markets such as those in California and New York while those such as Minnesota and Memphis who are small market teams suffer. 

Those such as Andre Drummond, Blake Griffin, and Lamarcus Aldridge are huge names who have gone through this process recently. 

The Brooklyn Nets held one of the best records in the Eastern Conference but were not thought of as favorites due to having one of the weakest players after their stars. 

Being a big-time market helped them acquire past all-stars such as Griffin and Aldridge. Due to this, the Nets have now shown that they are the likely favorites to win the finals. 

Although Aldridge and Griffin had different pitches from other teams, they took the easy way out and went to form one of the strongest teams due to the unfairness of the buy-out market. 

The reason many teams were not looked at by these players was due to the overwhelming amount of people who want to play for a big market team.

Another example is a center named Andre Drummond. After the acquisitions the Nets had achieved, the center went to the buy-out market as well. 

In the market, he received many pitches, but fans knew who he would sign with once he was fully cleared. 

He signed with the Lakers days later and would help create a further developed team in Los Angeles. These two teams are both favorites from the acquisition and show why competition in the NBA is slowly being corrupted by the unfair buy-out market. 

NBA fans of all masses want there to be a parody in the NBA in which each team has a fair chance at stars, but the likelihood is that the problem will not be fixed soon and the NBA will lack competition.