NBA Playoffs Drive Card Markets Up for Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid

The NBA Playoffs have finally arrived after a relatively uneventful regular season, and the sports card market has already started to adjust to some of the most intriguing storylines.

With Kevin Durant hitting the playoffs for the first time with the Phoenix Suns and Joel Embiid attempting to navigate a brutal Eastern Conference, some of the NBA’s stars are seeing their prices trend up with high expectations.

Dive into the data for the latest trending cards and players in this week’s NBA Market Movers update.

Cards listed below are PSA 10s with a minimum average of $30 and 10 sales over the last 30 days.

Price Percentage Risers

1. Anthony Davis 2012 Hoops Base PSA 10 📈 85%

2. Ja Morant 2019 Select Concourse PSA 10 📈 59%

3. Donovan Mitchell 2017 Hoops Base PSA 10 📈 57%

4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 2018 Donruss Base PSA 10 📈 57%

5. Donte DiVincenzo 2018 Prizm Base PSA 10 📈 57%

PLAYOFFS LIFT DAVIS: The Lakers are back in the playoffs after knocking off the Timberwolves on Tuesday, and will face the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round this weekend. Anthony Davis has been fantastic this season when healthy, and it’s easy to see why so many experts believe Los Angeles can make a title run despite being the No. 7 seed in the West. 

Davis will obviously have to remain healthy during any type of title run — and the Lakers have plenty to clean up to make that happen — but the optimism has spilled into Davis’ card market. Typically not extremely popular, Davis has seen solid sales volume on his 2012 Prizm Base PSA 10 and both volume and price growth on his 2012 Hoops Base PSA 10.

Price Percentage Decliners

1. Jaren Jackson Jr. 2018 Prizm Base PSA 10 📉 42%

2. Ja Morant 2019 Hoops Premium Stock Silver PSA 10 📉 41%

3. Ja Morant 2019 Mosaic NBA Debut – Green PSA 10 📉 41%

4. Devin Booker 2015 Hoops Base PSA 10 📉 40%

5. David Robinson 1989 Hoops Base PSA 10 📉 38%

MORANT SLIPS: Whether it’s a change in spotlight or concerns with off-the-court issues, Ja Morant‘s market has continued to slip as he’s fallen out of the MVP conversation. Overall, Morant’s PSA 10 rookies tracked by Market Movers are down 9% collectively over the last 30 days.

Some less popular rookies for Morant have landed among the largest price percentage decliners, but the more troubling trend is that his flagship rookies are mostly down, too. Morant’s 2019 Prizm Base PSA 10, 2019 Optic Base PSA 10 and Donruss Base PSA 10 are all trending down. His 2019 Select Concourse PSA 10 has managed positive price growth, but that is based on a single sale that could always be an outlier. 

Dollar Amount Risers

1. Michael Jordan 1989 Fleer Base PSA 10 📈 $148

2. Joel Embiid 2014 Select Concourse PSA 10 📈 $72

3. Kevin Durant 2007 Topps Factory Set (White) PSA 10 📈 $72

4. Michael Jordan 1996 Fleer Decade of Excellence PSA 10 📈 $54

5. Giannis Antetokounmpo 2013 Prestige Base PSA 10 📈 $51

DURANT, EMBIID SURGE: While the NBA’s regular season felt a little boring — outside of the trade deadline — the playoffs have plenty of storylines to be excited about. Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns are the No. 4 seed in the West and appear poised to contend for the title. In the East, Joel Embiid looks like he’s going to run away with the MVP award while the Sixers have to fight through Boston and Milwaukee.

Overall, Embiid’s PSA 10 rookies tracked by Market Movers are up 17% collectively over the last 30 days while Durant’s are up 3%. As expected, Embiid’s 2014 Select Concourse PSA 10 is among his biggest risers, with a 57% jump over the last 30 days. Durant’s 2007 Topps Factory Set PSA 10 is again a key target for many collectors, and has jumped 32% over the last month.

Dollar Amount Decliners

1. LeBron James 2003 Topps Chrome Base PSA 10 📉 $525

2. Nikola Jokic 2015 Prizm Base PSA 10 📉 $273

3. Shaquille O’Neal 1992 Topps Gold PSA 10 📉 $236

4. Luka Doncic 2018 Prizm Silver PSA 10 📉 $185

5. Giannis Antetokounmpo 2013 Prizm Base PSA 10 📉 $163

STAR FATIGUE: While it’s probably easy to pick on Luka Doncic right now with the Mavericks missing the playoffs entirely, it looks like there might be some overall fatigue with some of the game’s top stars. Along with Doncic, both Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo are down overall. According to Market Movers, PSA 10 rookies are down collectively for all three, with Jokic being hit the hardest with a 20% drop.

Looking at the Prizm Base PSA 10 and Prizm Silver PSA 10 rookies for all three, five of the six cards are trending down over the last 30 days. The one exception is Antetokounmpo’s Prizm Silver, which hasn’t recorded any sales. Things can certainly shift with the playoffs here for Antetokounmpo and Jokic, though Doncic’s market could continue to slip with the Mavericks entirely in the offseason.

 

Sales Volume Leaders

1. Ja Morant 2019 Prizm Base PSA 10 📈 163 sales

2. Luka Doncic 2018 Prizm Base PSA 10 📈 156 sales

3. Zion Williamson 2019 Prizm Base PSA 10 📈 139 sales

4. Luka Doncic 2018 Donruss Base PSA 10 📈 93 sales

5. Anthony Edwards 2020 Prizm Base PSA 10 📈 76 sales

Popular Sealed Wax (Hobby Boxes)

1. 2022 Elite Basketball 📉 27%

2. 2022 Donruss Basketball 📉 22%

3. 2022 Prizm Draft Picks Basketball 📉 14%

4. 2022 Contenders Basketball 📈 3%

5. 2021 Mosaic Basketball 📉 19%

Market Pulse Indexes Over Last 30 Days

Basketball 2018-2020: 📉 4%

• KEY RISER: Luka Doncic 2018 Prizm Mosaic Base PSA 10 📈 32%
• KEY DECLINER: Luka Doncic 2018 Prizm Silver PSA 10 📉 11%

Basketball 2010-2017: 📉 6%

• KEY RISER: Brandon Ingram 2016 Prizm Silver PSA 10 📈 78%
• KEY DECLINER: Nikola Jokic 2015 Prizm Silver PSA 10 📉 23%

Basketball 2000-2009: 📈 3%

• KEY RISER: Kobe Bryant 2008 Topps Chrome Base PSA 10 📈 29%
• KEY DECLINER: Stephen Curry 2009 Topps Base PSA 10 📉 10%

Basketball 1990-1999: 📉 4%

• KEY RISER: Kobe Bryant 1996 Topps Chrome Base PSA 9 📈 10%
• KEY DECLINER: Shaquille O’Neal 1992 Topps Gold PSA 10 📉 21%

Basketball 1980-1989: 📉 6%

• KEY RISER: Michael Jordan 1986 Fleer Base PSA 8 📈 17%
• KEY DECLINER: Michael Jordan 1987 Fleer Base PSA 9 📉 50%

Basketball 1979 & Older: 📈 3%

• KEY RISER: Moses Malone 1975 Topps Base PSA 9 📈 40%
• KEY DECLINER: Pete Maravich 1970 Topps Base PSA 8 📉 20%

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