With this years free agency period in full swing, we have decided to identify which NBA fans were the happiest with their team’s trades so far.
Trades, cuts, extensions and new signings – NBA free agency has it all. From Klay Thompson to Paul George, this year’s free agency period has already delivered since it began on June 30th, but the team NBA betting site Betway decided to identify which NBA fans were the happiest with their team’s moves so far.
|
Rank |
Team |
X Handle |
Positive Sentiment Score (%) |
|
1 |
Golden State Warriors |
@warriors |
34% |
|
2 |
Boston Celtics |
@celtics |
33% |
|
3 |
Chicago Bulls |
@chicagobulls |
32% |
|
4 |
Denver Nuggets |
@nuggets |
30% |
|
5 |
New Orleans Pelicans |
@PelicansNBA |
28% |
|
6 |
Sacramento Kings |
@SacramentoKings |
26% |
|
7 |
Dallas Mavericks |
@dallasmavs |
24% |
|
8 |
Philadelphia 76ers |
@sixers |
23% |
|
9 |
Orlando Magic |
@OrlandoMagic |
23% |
|
10 |
LA Clippers |
@LAClippers |
22% |
Using a social listening tool and looking at X posts from the start of free agency to now, the data revealed that Golden State Warriors fans were the happiest at how free agency has gone. Despite losing big names in Klay Thompson and Chris Paul, the Warriors have managed to acquire players such as Buddy Hield which led to an online positive sentiment score of 34%.
Narrowly following the Warriors were the Boston Celtics. Celtics fans already have reason to be happy following their championship win and despite not making any additions of note, they’ve kept their fans happy by keeping the team’s core intact. The C’s have re-signed key players including Jayson Tatum and Derrick White to long term extensions.
Arguably two of the biggest names to switch teams so far in free agency are Paul George and Klay Thompson.
George signed for the Philadelphia 76ers who also managed to extend Tyrese Maxey meanwhile Thompson was acquired by last year’s runners up Dallas Mavericks in a sign and trade. These moves were likely big reasons both the Sixers and Mavs were ranked in the top 10 when looking at online sentiment during free agency.
Which moves have pleased fans the most
|
Rank |
Player |
Team |
Positive Online Sentiment Score (%) |
|
1 |
Scottie Barnes |
Toronto Raptors |
31% |
|
2 |
Nic Claxton |
Brooklyn Nets |
23% |
|
3 |
Lindy Waters III |
Golden State Warriors |
20% |
|
4 |
James Wiseman |
Indiana Pacers |
19% |
|
5 |
Malik Monk |
Sacramento Kings |
18% |
|
6 |
Donovan Mitchell |
Cleveland Cavaliers |
17% |
|
7 |
Xavier Tillman |
Boston Celtics |
16% |
|
8 |
Naji Marshall |
Dallas Mavericks |
16% |
|
9 |
Taurean Prince |
Milwaukee Bucks |
15% |
|
10 |
Dario Saric |
Denver Nuggets |
14% |
Announcing the re-signing of a key player is sometimes just as satisfying as a new player arriving. This was the case in Ontario as Toronto Raptors’ 5-year extension of Scottie Barnes was the move that made fans the happiest.
This was also the case in Brooklyn as the Brooklyn Nets’ re-signing of big man Nic Claxton pleased fans. Posts from Nets fans during free agency directed towards Claxton had a positive sentiment score of 23%.
The Warriors’ trade for Lindy Waters III led to a largely positive reaction from the team’s fans, however not many would have expected this to be one of the moves that excites a team’s fanbase the most. Maybe Dubs fans were encouraged by General Manager Mike Dunleavy’s praise of Waters.
Methodology
To determine the happiest NBA fans during free agency, we used the social listening tool, Brandwatch, that crawls data on mentions across the internet.
Sentiment data relating to each team’s X username was analyzed from 06/30/2024 – 07/10/2024 and was sourced from each team’s home location. Mentions of each player to be traded, signed or extended during the time period above were also analyzed which led to the “Which moves have pleased fans the most” rankings.
Data correct as of 07/10/2024.
