If you had to narrow it down to one what-if per franchise, which one makes the cut?
I'll give examples using the team I support (the Celtics):
Injuries - KG's injury in 2009. The Celtics had a scorching start to the season, but lost in 7 to the Magic. KG's absence let Dwight loose on the boards, & the next year when they did make the finals the Big Ticket had clearly lost a step.
Deaths - Len Bias in 1986. Red Auerbach had drafted a potentially transcendent player to back-up the greatest frontcourt in the history of professional basketball. Instead, a cocaine overdose killed him hours after being drafted No. 2.
Draft Picks - Kedrick Brown in 2001. Know who the Celtics had wanted to draft? Tony Parker. Unfortunately then-GM Chris Wallace was overruled by Celtics patriarch Red Auerbach.
Suspensions - Ime Udoka in 2022. Just months after taking the Celtics to the NBA finals, the former Spurs assistant was suspended for inappopriate relations with a female employee.
Made/missed shots - Artest's 3-pointer in 2010. I will always believe we'd have stolen that game if ~~Ron Artest~~ Metta World Peace doesn't drive that dagger through our hearts.
Under the radar and since I don't see many what-if this trade wasn't voided hypotheticals, the Thunder trader a pu pu latter of nonsense for Tyson Chandler in 2009, but rescinded the trade when he didn't pass the physical because of his big toe.
If that trade goes through, they're rolling out Westbrook/Harden/Durant/Ibaka/Chandler AND removing Chandler from the 2011 Mavs who beat them in the conference finals.
To add further insult, they wouldn't have needed to trade Jeff Green for Perkins to get a big, so they would have also had Jeff Green or used him for a better trade.
Once they matured, rolling that line up into 2012 probably leads to a title and that perhaps makes them less likely to trade Harden? Or maybe less likely to re-sign Ibaka over Harden?
Their owner was still cheap, but if they retained those five guys for five years or so, that's probably 2-3 titles.