We are most definitely in a new age of NBA basketball.
I believe a big part of this rejuvenated landscape of competition and parity has been the salary cap and teams being forced to navigate financial restrictions and penalties. The harsh reality is that you can't just get away with throwing out massive deals left and right anymore; front offices must carefully strategize how to spend their franchise’s money wisely to ensure the best success and results.
Now, getting to that point of making smart financial decisions, I don't know if many will point to the Toronto Raptors as the best example of implementing this strategy.