The NBA could be up to something unique in the future that will could either be good or bad news for teams and players.
Following the talked-about play-in tournament that played out last season, the NBA is now proposing an “In-Season Tournament” which aims to include an organized Christmas mini tournament, per Adrian Wojnarowski.
Wojnarowski added that the league is planning to give out “$1M per player” reward to the winning team.
“ESPN Sources: There’s renewed traction on a future In-Season Tournament in the NBA,” Woj tweeted. “The league and union are discussing a structure that includes December pool play, pre-Christmas quarters/semis/finals and $1M per player payout on winning team.”
“More next on ESPN’s NBA Countdown,” he continued.
While the NBA’s reported proposal may sound interesting to some, there could be a couple of things that teams and players may not be too happy about.
Though it’s beautifully unique, and the reward is very appropriate for the Christmas season, having an in-season tournament also means that teams will have to organize more practices that could be exhausting for the players. Hence, increasing the risk of injuries.
Meanwhile, this year’s NBA Christmas Day games are once again deemed worth watching by many. Despite missing some star players due to the league’s health and safety protocols, the schedule is still stacked by matches between the most sought-after teams this season–Atlanta Hawks vs. New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns vs. Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers vs. Brooklyn Nets, Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks and Dallas Mavericks vs. Utah Jazz.