Brian Windhorst and a team of ESPN's Insiders sort out life and the news from in and around the NBA world, including a massive decision in Chicago, G League experiments and some head-scratching moves for the Charlotte Hornets.
"Be first, be smarter or cheat," actor Jeremy Irons' character says in a speech on how to be successful on Wall Street, a scene from the movie "Margin Call" that has become legendary in finance circles and especially the kicker:
"It sure is a hell of a lot easier to just be first."
This is the uncomfortable game developing in some NBA front offices as a long, cold winter sets in. Which team will be first to take its players to the trade market?
As the transaction season opened last week, when most players who signed contracts signed last summer became eligible to be moved, numerous league executives reported the same thing to ESPN:
There are no sellers.
The standings are bunched, star injuries have delayed decisions and after several years of heavy draft pick trading, there is a dearth of available first-round picks, the most valued currency in rebuild trades.
There is, however, one team being watched more than all others: the Chicago Bulls.