5 Trends Investors Are Watching In The NBA Stock Market (In 7 Charts)

While the stock market closes every Friday at 4pm Eastern, there are several ways to trade during the weekend. Here's a breakdown of the NBA, courtesy of Tradesports.com.

It's about a third of the way through the NBA season. Whether fans are talking about the Knicks having the worst record in the league, Stephen Curry and Anthony Davis emerging as viable MVP candidates, the Lakers and Celtics both being in rebuilding mode, or the injury bug biting All-Stars, there are many story lines to watch.

According to data from Tradesports.com (where users trade stocks with prices based on teams' odds to win the NBA Finals), there are several interesting trends traders are watching as well.

1. The Crowd Still Has Faith In The Cavaliers And Spurs

Dealing with a key injury to LeBron James, the Cavaliers and their "Big Three" of James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving have begun the season with a mediocre 21-20 record. The defending NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs have had their issues as well, and could be in danger of missing the playoffs in a stacked Western Conference.

However, as the charts above show, investors still have faith that both teams can win the NBA Finals.

2. Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant's Injuries Hurt The Thunder's Stock

After trading as high as 20 percent before the season (indicating over one-fifth of the market believed the team would win the Finals), the lingering injuries of co-stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook drove the team's price all the way down to 4 percent after a 3-12 start.

Now, with both players back, Thunder stock is slowly rising, and is currently near 9 percent.

3. The Clippers Are Not Championship-Quality, According To The Crowd

Despite a 27-14 start, and stars Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, along with a Hall of Fame-caliber head coach in Doc Rivers, the Clippers are not getting much love from the crowd. The team's stock has fluctuated in the mid-single-digits for most of the season.

4. The Warriors Have Emerged As A Legitimate Contender

It's always nice to see an underdog thrive. This is exactly what the Warriors have done so far this season under first-year head coach Steve Kerr, as they started the season 21-2 and are currently an NBA-best 32-6.

As a result, the team's stock has risen from just 2 percent before the season to 12 percent, where it currently stands. It will be intriguing to watch if the crowd is hesitant to place much more confidence in a team that traditionally doesn't go deep in the playoffs.

5. The Wizards and Trail Blazers Are Getting No Love

The Trail Blazers are 30-11 and the Wizards are 28-13 to start the season, yet they're trading at 4 percent and 3 percent (to win the Finals), respectively. Both teams are much-improved on each end of the ball from last season, and this might be an investment opportunity, particularly with the Wizards playing in a weak Eastern Conference.

Learn more about Tradesports.com, a fantasy sports stock market, here.