If you have been keeping track of the NBA since December, chances are your head is filled to the brim with all the developments in the league. You have James Harden forcing his way out of the Houston Rockets, Joel Embiid’s MVP-worthy performance before going down with an injury, and the Utah Jazz winning 11 straight games to catapult them to the top spot in the Western Conference. But as newsworthy as those three narratives are, they’re just the tip of the iceberg.
With the NBA halfway done with the regular season, there are new storylines developing right before our very eyes. NBA card fans, in particular, would do well to keep track of these things because they can mean the difference between a good and bad investment.
Staying on top of the news will keep you one step ahead of the competition and lead you to amazing deals that will yield a lot of dividends down the line. We take a look below at some of the top storylines across the NBA and their corresponding effect on the card market.
The Trade Deadline
The biggest factor that can affect any card collector’s investment is the upcoming trade deadline on March 25. In fact, the events leading to this day are like a house of cards waiting to fall for every team across the NBA.
This trade deadline boasts some talented names on the board. The most notable of which are John Collins, Aaron Gordon, Victor Oladipo, LaMarcus Aldridge, Andre Drummond, and Kyle Lowry, among others. Other players being targeted before the deadline include Al Horford, George Hill, JaVale McGee, and P.J. Tucker, to name a few.
Getting the right player can pave the way toward a deep playoff run, or even a championship. Just ask the Toronto Raptors when they traded for Marc Gasol two seasons ago, which led to the franchise’s first title. On the other hand, a bad fit can lead to an early playoff elimination or a disappointing finish to the regular season. Either way, keep a close eye on these players.
The surging Miami Heat
A lot of people made the mistake of dismissing the Miami Heat’s chances of contending during the first half of the NBA season. Who wouldn’t after they sunk to the Eastern Conference’s bottom tier as they dealt with a number of health issues?
As the league races towards the postseason, those doubts are now a thing of the past. The Heat are currently in the East’s fourth spot with a 21-18 record. Jimmy Butler, their most important piece, has returned after missing a total of 14 games this season. Since that time, Miami has surged, with Butler leading them there.
Card fans should take notice because Butler’s cards, along with the Heat’s key players, are criminally undervalued right now. With all of the attention on dominant teams and hot stars, the prices of these players from Miami can be had at an affordable price.
If they manage to pull another deep playoff run, the money spent on the Heat’s stars, most notably on Butler, will rise in value. This is exactly what happened during the bubble when everybody was caught unaware by Miami. This time, card investors can prepare if they replicate their success.
An impending firesale in Space City
To say that the Houston Rockets are having a bad season is the understatement of the year. After losing James Harden and suffering a 16-game losing streak, Space City seems finally ready to tear it all down.
If rumors are to be believed, Houston has started listening to offers for Oladipo and Tucker. These two names are expected to be traded to contenders. When that happens, you can expect the players from those squads to enjoy a momentary boost in card price if their new acquisitions prove to be useful pieces for a playoff push.
On the Rockets’ side, the clear beneficiary to this firesale is Kevin Porter Jr. The second-year guard has a chance to start and get a lot of playing time if Oladipo is traded. It gets better for Porter investors if John Wall takes a lot of time to recover from his recent knee injury. If these two things happen, expect his card price to jump with each high-scoring game he pulls off.
The Brooklyn Nets’ Superteam
If someone told you that the Brooklyn Nets were going to field a roster consisting of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, James Harden, DeAndre Jordan, and Blake Griffin, you wouldn’t believe it. Well, this is happening as we head on to the second half of this NBA season.
The Nets are currently in the East’s second spot right behind the Philadelphia 76ers with a 27-13 record. They boast a league-leading 118.9 offensive rating thanks to the addition of Harden’s scoring and playmaking skills.
The scary thought here is that the Nets we’re seeing right now is but a taste of their full potential. Durant has been out for quite some time because of an injury, while Griffin has yet to make his debut with the team. If all things go according to plan, Brooklyn can go straight ahead to the Finals, a development that would send Durant, Irving, and Harden to the top of the card market. It remains to be seen if this possibility can come to reality, or an unforeseen incident derails the Nets’ chances to win the title.
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These four are just some of the hottest NBA storylines unfolding during the second half of this season. There are countless other developments that can take the value of your investment down or send them bursting through the roof. In any case, it’s best to keep a close eye on these things so you can make the right card decisions at the right time.
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