NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is already considering changes to the In-Season Tournament format

Now that the In-Season Tournament has their first-ever champion and the buzz is over, we can go back to regular season and analyze the impact of the NBA’s newest invention. The competition, which was conquered by the Los Angeles Lakers, was definitely a success in many ways, but this doesn’t mean there aren’t a lot of changes to be made. 

Many believe this is the league’s attempt to create a European knock-out style tournament that would give teams an extra motivation. However, we can tell this cup really had two main purposes behind it: business and fans.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was present in Las Vegas for the competition’s final four, where the Indiana Pacers stole the Cinderella story but lost to the purple and gold in the championship game. The executive not only attended the media’s many questions, but also guaranteed modifications for future editions.

One of the most common disagreements came from the point differential tiebreaker during group stage contests. “I’m not ready necessarily to move away from it,” Silver assured. “But if ultimately there’s going to be a sense particularly from our American fans that it’s somehow an indication of poor sportsmanship, that’s not a good idea for us to be doing it. And maybe there’s some ways to tweak that.”

The distinctive colored court were another aspect that was constantly criticized, especially by players and coaches. However, the Commissioner admitted to being a fan of the courts, but understands that players come first.

“I’m a big advocate of the colorful courts,” he said before Pacers and Lakers faced off in the final. “We want to make sure they’re not a distraction.”

Also, Silver recognized the fact that many players were requesting to raise the prize money, despite them winning $500,000 each for conquering the championship. “This is a business,” he said. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with money being a motivator in certain cases.”

Silver acknowledged the interest of expanding the NBA to Las Vegas, but said there are “no commitments to anyone”

During his time in Las Vegas, the Commissioner was asked about the potential for expanding into Nevada and who could eventually own this franchise. Silver took the opportunity to clear the air.

“Well, No. 1, I’ll say is there are no inside candidates. Lots of players, former players, well-known wealthy people out there have expressed interest in having a Las Vegas franchise. What I’ve said to everyone publicly and privately is that there is no process in place, no secret discussions, no commitments to anyone,” he said.

The NBA In-Season Tournament is taking over Las Vegas.

(via @TristanJass) pic.twitter.com/mADfvxb274

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) December 9, 2023

An executive who hinted at the Las Vegas acquisition was Gerry Cardinale, the founder and main associate of RedBird Capital Partners.

“We’re looking at bringing an NBA expansion team here in partnership with LeBron and Fenway Sports Group,” he confirmed.

Cardinale hopes the proposal will be enough. “We started this project three years ago. The price talk on an NBA team three years ago was $3bn. The price talk today on an NBA expansion team is $5.5bn to $6bn. I’m not sure I can make that work,” he revealed.