The NBA buyout market is upon us and the most-recent transactions indicate that the post-deadline movement is bolstering the strongest rosters in the biggest markets. In the aftermath of Andre Drummond’s arrival in Los Angeles and LaMarcus Aldridge’s new deal with the Nets, an anonymous NBA executive raised concerns about the process in a conversation with Sports Illustrated’s Howard Beck.
According to the executive, teams in small markets are finding themselves at a bigger disadvantage as the buyout market evolves.
“It’s a definite concern,” says another team executive working in a small market. “Without a doubt, players that are entering the buyout market will only be looking at contending teams.