The struggle to become an NBA champion starts at relatively low odds, as only one of 30 teams will come out the winner. Those odds are further skewed with the rise of superteams, a cluster of stars in one team that takes a franchise's relative mortal championship aspirations to a firm grasp of the Larry O'Brien trophy.
For Washington Wizards point man John Wall, it's a rather simple equation.
“If you don’t have a superteam, or three superstars, or three all-stars on your team, it’s very hard to win,” Wall said at Team USA’s minicamp last month, according to Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post.
USA Basketball is where it has all started, the first open display of an arsenal of talent, where friendships are born and the potential of teaming up one day first comes to be.
It was Team USA which helped forge the trinity of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh with the Miami Heat in 2010. It was Kevin Durant's run at the FIBA Championships in 2014 which got him connected with Stephen Curry, while the Olympics in 2016 further re-enforced what a mega-giant the Golden State Warriors could be.
Other teams like the Memphis Grizzlies, have historically had a tougher time reeling in talent.
“Yeah, it definitely can be frustrating,” said point guard Mike Conley. “Being in Memphis, being part of a smaller market, you have a tough time in free agency, and you have to build through the draft. With all the things teams have been able to accomplish through free agency, and through all the player movement, you kind of miss out on that.”
The current era has become superteam or bust and a lot of players know that, but it hasn't kept them from trying to unseat the two-time reigning champions or from having playoff aspirations, despite how grim the market can become in free agency.
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