ESPN.com · Mar 7, 2025
NBA intel: Scouts, execs on Lakers', Warriors', Mavs' next steps
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The sprint toward the NBA playoffs is fully underway.
With the trade deadline, All-Star break and buyout deadline for playoff eligibility all in the rearview, teams can now shift their focus to improving postseason seeding, escaping the play-in mix or simply getting in at all.
That's especially true in the Western Conference, where 12 teams can realistically make a run for at least a play-in spot -- a number that would have been 13 before Victor Wembanyama's season-ending diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder -- and several teams believe they are legitimate contenders to win the West.
