As The NBA Continues To Grow, Let's Hope It Doesn't Eat Itself -

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As the NBA community spends the early part of July, and perhaps beyond, figuring out where Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving play next season, now is the time to look at the state of the NBA from a macro not a micro lens.

Since I share the same birthday as NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, he is one year older than I am, I find it within my purview to look at the future of the league.

The current NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement expires following the 2023-24 season.

Meanwhile, the current National TV deals with ESPN and Turner Sports will run through the 2024-25 season.

The next CBA and TV deal will set the league up financially for the next decade plus. Financially, the league is in great shape. Franchise values are on par with the value of NFL franchises. But, it is imperative that the players association and management work together to ensure that the league continues to grow and expand its fan base, not turn it off.

I will always favor players over owners. Millionaires over billionaires. But I firmly believe that casual fans have been turned off the last several seasons with players partaking in load management, and superstar players requesting or demanding trades before their four year contract extension kicks in. See Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets.

Load management is a necessity, but often times gets abused by players and teams. Here is a common happening. A family of four shells out $600 for four tickets to see the Lakers play at the Nets on a Thursday night. Hours before the game, they find out that LeBron James and Kevin Durant will both be sitting out for maintenance. That is something that does happen often in the NBA and will certainly turn fans off. The league is so star driven that if the two biggest stars in a potential match-up doesn’t materialize, the value of those tickets and that game decreases exponentially.

If I shell out $300 to see U2 in concert I wouldn’t be pleased if a tribute band showed up to play instead of Bono and the Boys.

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The TV networks are in a difficult situation as well. The next TV contract is expected to be a 10 year, $75 billion deal. That’s $250 million per team, per year. Again, that Lakers at Nets game on TNT on that Thursday night loses value if LeBron James and Kevin Durant aren’t playing. As great as Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson are, we turn in to watch the stars on the court, not the stars in the studio.

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One possibility to ensure that star players play more often would be to set a minimum amount of games played needed for players to be eligible for year-end awards. I don’t think it’s asking too much that a player must play in 66 of 82 games (80%) to qualify for the scoring title, First Team All-NBA, or any other individual award. Awards that add value to a players contract.

Player movement in the league is a good thing. The issue becomes when a player demands a trade within 12 months of signing a four year contract extension. Since NBA contracts are fully guaranteed, a contract between the a player and team must be viewed as fair. This isn’t the NFL where contracts are not fully guaranteed.

The Nets committed nearly $200 million over four years to Kevin Durant. Before that contract even kicked in, Durant has asked to be traded.

If a player demands a trade with more than 50% of the length of the contract remaining, and is moved, that player would be charged a tax. A 15% penalty/tax might make players think twice about moving on.

Are these measures draconian? Perhaps. But healthy relationships have to have some give-and-take. Not just take.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban coined the phrase, “Pigs get fed, hogs get slaughtered”. There is so much money for owners and players in the league to make, let’s hope greed doesn’t get in the way of the future of the NBA.

John Sapochetti is co-host of the Pick & Roll NBA Podcast with JET & SAP, which is heard here on Full Press Coverage.

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@JohnSap25