NBA Western Conference executives: This is their last chance to go as far as possible before the financial crisis

If there is a day that can be remembered in NBA history, it will be a day that is shocking! Then when LeBron James chose the Miami Heat on July 9, 2010. When Kevin Durant joined the Golden State Warriors on July 8, 2016. Kobe Bryant scored 60 points in his last career game on April 14, 2016. Luca Doncic joined the Los Angeles Lakers on February 3 this year, which of course meets the standards.

May 13, 2025 was a shocking day for the NBA circle, but it is rare to witness two such incidents on the same day—not to mention a few hours apart. That's why May 13, 2025 will not be forgotten in the NBA circle.

The Dallas Mavericks finished the No. 1 pick with 1.8% probability odds — and thus gained the right to pick Duke star Cooper Flagg next month — and defending champion Boston Celtics lost Jason Tatum, who not only lost the rest of the playoffs this year, but also likely lost most of next season due to a torn Achilles tendon, which is indeed a "shocking day", as one Eastern Conference scout said.

It also has a huge impact. For an alliance that already has a serious tendency to dominate the Western Conference, another generation of talent landing in the West will only exacerbate this differentiation. The only true superpower lost a top five player in its peak in more than 10 months, which will put him in the abyss.

What will happen to the league in the future when the Mavericks' magical lottery and Tatum's injury dust set, including the growing league imbalance, the now widely open East and the Western Conference deadlock that just added another generation of prospects.

The initial shock of Tatum's injury

There are few injuries as severe as Tatum just suffered. The 27-year-old, who owns the wealthiest contract in the NBA (5 years 315 million), is entering a prime career, and he is likely to enter the first team of the NBA for the fourth consecutive time. He is heading towards the greatest career ever and has already owned a Hall of Fame resume.

He is the best player in the defending champion team, which remains a favorite to win before reaching the Eastern Conference Finals next week (although trailing the New York Knicks).

"This is completely unforeseen," said an executive of the Eastern Conference team. "This kind of thing doesn't happen to people like this."

Yes, the Celtics are facing a fiscal cliff. But team president Brad Stevens and the Boston front desk may find a way to reduce the luxury tax without causing significant losses to their core. While over-casting the future in the NBA is always dangerous, Boston has been at or near the top of the East for the next decade. "Your brain starts thinking about scenarios you never thought would happen," the executive said of the underlying Boston mindset. "They have a lot of ideas to do." The hopes of a reenactment of Boston this season are almost shattered; will the Knicks have a chance to beat the Celtics at 7 a.m. Thursday?

With Tatum basically being left out of the 2025-26 season, it's hard to imagine that the Celtics won't cut spending this summer to cut costs and prepare for another Finals in the 2026-27 season.

"This is already their last chance to lead the team as far as possible (before the financial crisis)," said a Western Conference scout. "They have to be creative."