The days leading up to the NBA Draft typically are quiet. There might be a few minor deals and the requisite rumors, but teams are mostly settled on their positions and reticent to do anything drastic before free agency opens -- when the real chaos normally begins. 

So much for that. The days leading up to Thursday's draft have been madness, beginning with the Boston Celtics trading the No. 1 pick, which had only happened six times over the previous 70 years. That kick-started a flurry of movement and reports linking huge-name players to a half-dozen or more teams. 

Dwight Howard was dealt to the Hornets. The Lakers shipped D'Angelo Russell to the Nets. Paul George appears poised to be moved any day. Jimmy Butler is being shopped. Same with De'Andre Jordan, and even Kristaps Porzingis -- who was once considered untouchable but now reportedly is being targeted by the Celtics, who aleady turned down a deal for Jimmy Butler. 

Oh, and the Cavs ousted their general manager, reportedly without consulting LeBron James, in the middle of it all. Now, Cavs players reportedly are warning Jimmy Butler against the "volatile" situation in Cleveland, when a few days earlier that now-unemployed Cavs GM, David Girffin, reportedly was "elbow deep" into a deal to bring Butler to Cleveland. 

Why is this action happening? ESPN's Brian Windhorst called it a "cocktail" of factors coming together, and he's right. Here's a look at those factors:

1. This is a really deep draft

While Markelle Fultz is most experts' pick as the top player, the general consensus is there's no surefire superstar -- Fultz included -- in this class. Realistically, there are probably a dozen guys who could end up being All-NBA players. That might be why we see teams like the Knicks, who have the No. 8 pick, dangling Porzingis. Same with the Clippers and DeAndre Jordan, who was reportedly offered to the Phoenix Suns for a package that included this year's No. 4 pick. 

In most drafts, once you get past the first wave of players -- sometimes even the first one or two picks -- there really is not another player worth a big reach. In this draft there could be six or seven guys sitting at No. 1 on teams' white boards. Danny Ainge has said he thinks he can get the same player at No. 3 that he would've taken at No. 1, which is why he moved back and stowed the extra pick from Philly. Most people believe that No. 3 pick with be Josh Jackson or Jayson Tatum. 

You could also make a case that Lonzo Ball, De'Aaron Fox or Jonathan Isaac (who might have the highest ceiling of them all) will end up being the jewel of this draft. Lauri Markkanen, a 7-footer with a sweet jumper, is drawing comparisons to Dirk Nowitzki. Malik Monk and Dennis Smith Jr. could be top-five picks in most drafts. Luke Kennard, Zach Collins, Frank Ntilikina out of France, Justin Jackson, Donovan Mitchell -- all these guys are toward the back end of the lottery in Reid Forgrave's latest mock draft, and could have All-Star potential. 

With a group that large and ranked so closely, teams are going to see players differently, increasing the chances of volatility because of the potential payoff. 

2. The 2017 and '18 free-agent classes are huge

LeBron James, Paul George, Russell Westbrook, DeMarcus Cousins, Andrew Wiggins, De'Andre Jordan, Jusuf Nurkic, Carmelo Anthony and maybe Isaiah Thomas (though the Celtics figure to lock him up to a max deal after passing on Fultz) will be available after next season, so teams are getting finances in order. The Lakers are at the forefront, having already made that aforementioned trade to send Russell and Timofey Mozgov to the Nets in exchange for Brook Lopez and 27th pick Thursday. 

That pick is not worthless. Josh Hart and Caleb Swanigan are among those who could be available at that spot, and they were All-Americans last season. But the main benefit for the Lakers was clearing Mozgov's money, presumably to position themselves for not one, but two max players next summer, one of which could very likely be George. Everyone is aware that George to the Lakers is looking more likely by the day, and so teams like Cleveland are trying to preempt the move by trading for George this year.

Meanwhile, this years free agent class is stocked, too. Chris Paul. Blake Griffin. Gordon Hayward. Kyle Lowry. Paul Millsap. These are guys that in the right situation can change a franchise, and as such, the Rockets -- as just one example -- are reportedly looking to trade key pieces to position themselves for a run at one of those guys to pair with James Harden. And Butler reportedly wants Lowry to join him in Chicago. 

And all the while, one team has created much of this chaos. 

3. The Warriors effect

This urgency exists because the Warriors are clearly better than the rest and positioned to at least maintain that level into the forseeable future. It's almost a mortal lock that Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant will re-sign. Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are locked up, and all four are under 30 years old. 

This is causing a scramble among teams within shouting distance of championship relevance (except the Celtics, who are remaining as patient as ever). A few years ago, the Clippers were considered legit title contenders, but Golden State has all but squashed that idea. Consequently, there are reports about Chris Paul and Blake Griffin leaving L.A., along with Jordan being shopped, when those three were supposed to be the core of a championship organization not too long ago. 

Likewise, the Rockets were in the conference finals two years ago and won 55 games this past season. Without the Warriors, they would be considered a threat to come out of the West. Now they reportedly are looking to shake up their team on the fly. 

The best example of just how high the Warriors have raised the bar is the Cavs, who under normal circumstances would be an absolute juggernaut. As it stands, they're desperate to keep James and Kyrie Irving, who reportedly will try to force his way out of Cleveland if James leaves. What does Cleveland have to do to keep this catastrophe from happening? Ding, ding ... close the gap on the Warriors. How do they do that with no cap space and no draft picks to trade until 2021? They open up talks for Kevin Love. And here we go ... now George is in play. Now Jimmy Butler is --  or was -- in play. 

This is what the Warriors are doing. Three probable Hall of Fame players isn't good enough. Throw in a really deep draft, and a huge free agent class both this hear and next, and this is why you're seeing all the action you're seeing right now.