NBA expected to have a mid-season tournament with the next TV deal / News - Basketnews.com

NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum believes that a mid-season tournament will be in place with the next TV deal that expires after the 2023-24 season. Offering a set prize for all winning team's players is expected to increase the participation numbers.

Credit: Christophe Saidi/SIPA - Scanpix Credit Christophe Saidi/SIPA - Scanpix

With the NBA All-Star Game coming soon, talks about changes in the league have emerged once again.

This time, it seems that the idea of shortening the current 82-game regular season and instead introducing a mid-season tournament is gaining ground among the people that are responsible for running the NBA apparatus.

"We are making progress," NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum told Yahoo Sports. "All of those discussions are positive. There's a lot of stakeholders, logistics that would have to be taken care of, but I feel we are taking all the right steps, all the right feedback."

"There are a few old-school types who might fight against it, but it feels like it’ll be in place by the next TV deal," the league operative said.

The existing NBA TV deal expires after the 2023-24 season. Several US networks will be lined up to make bids to broadcast the biggest basketball league in the world, and the NBA believes the mid-season tournament could be leveraged as a negotiation point.

"One of the reasons that we want to create the in-season tournament is for the fans, for the players, so creating more opportunities for players to compete in the middle of a season to win something," Tatum said.

"In addition to the Larry O'Brien Trophy, our players, they want to compete, they want to win. I mean, they grew up competing, and they grew up playing, you know, for the love of the game and to be the best in the highest level," the deputy commissioner explained.

Talks about players missing numerous games due to injuries and injury management have risen over the last several years. However, Tatum believes that offering a set prize for all players of the winning team could solve the participation issue.

"My hope, and I'm optimistic, that by creating the right competition by creating the right incentives that our players will be there, they want to be out there and they want to compete," he said.

"Leveraging that relationship with the players for this tournament, especially while knowing the PA (Players' Association) has to account for more than just the stars but the average player, too, will get this pushed through," Tatum concluded.

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