NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is grappling with the issue of rampant tanking, which he describes as 'worse this year than we've seen in recent memory.' Silver is considering a range of remedies, including potential penalties such as taking away draft picks, to curb this behavior. He emphasizes the misalignment of incentives in modern analytics, where teams manipulate performance to secure higher draft picks, raising questions about the true quality of these teams.
Silver draws a parallel between the evolution of the All-Star Game and the league's draft process. He suggests that after 75 years, it might be time to reevaluate the draft system, just as the All-Star Game format continues to be experimented with. Conversations with general managers reveal that the lottery's incentive structure doesn't always align with the worst-performing teams, creating a complex conundrum.
Silver highlights the tension between short-term incentives for teams to lose games and the long-term best interests of the league. He stresses the importance of considering the broader community's interests, including fans and supporters, who are integral to the NBA's success. This perspective is particularly relevant in the context of an ongoing investigation into the LA Clippers' potential salary cap circumvention.
Silver provides updates on the investigation, led by Wachtell Lipton in New York, emphasizing its complexity due to the involvement of a bankrupt company and a vast amount of documents and witnesses. He reassures that the All-Star Game's presence this weekend has not influenced the investigation's timeline. Additionally, Silver offers insights into the NBA's expansion plans, indicating that the board of governors will discuss the matter in March and initiate outreach to potential expansion cities and owners to gauge interest. The league is not considering any franchise relocations, focusing instead on finding interested owners and assessing franchise values in specific cities.
