It is no secret that throughout NBA history, the majority of championships have been won by large market teams. Since the NBA’s inception in 1946, the Celtics, Lakers, Knicks and Bulls have combined for 41 out of 73 possible championships.
This is largely explained by the fact that star players prefer to play for large market teams, making it very difficult for smaller franchises like the Trail Blazers to hold on to the star players they draft. Despite being drafted to fairly successful teams, it is no surprise that star players like LeBron James, Paul George, Kevin Durant, and Carmelo Anthony all elected to flee their teams for bigger markets at some time in their careers.