Report: NBA, NBPA Discussed Tying MVP, More Awards to Games Played During CBA Talks
As the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association attempt to navigate the tricky waters of load management during the ongoing collective bargaining agreement negotiations, individual awards reportedly came into play.
According to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic, the two sides discussed tying awards such as the MVP to the number of appearances a player makes during a given season.
On the one hand, the primary goal for teams and players is to win a championship. That puts increased emphasis on being healthy and fresh come playoff time, especially when it comes to star players.
Resting during the course of a grueling 82-game regular season is one way to accomplish that, and it is a common occurrence to see a number of notable players sitting out on any given night.
On the other hand, fans spend significant amounts of money to attend games and see star players. The extensive television rights deals are also tied into the availability of star players, as games are more enticing as a broadcast product if the best players are on the floor.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver addressed the situation this past offseason during a news conference.
"I'm all in favor of guaranteed contracts, but it may be that on top of your typical guaranteed contracts, some incremental money should be based on number of games played and results of those games," Silver told reporters. "That's how most industries work, where there are financial incentives even among highly paid executives for performance."
Seeing as how there are often clauses in NBA contracts that provide bonuses for accomplishments such as All-NBA selections, tying the postseason awards and recognition to games played would impact the amount of money players can earn even on guaranteed contracts.
As for the CBA discussions, Vorkunov noted the current CBA would expire on June 30 if either the league or the players association opted out.
While it has been pushed back twice, the existing deadline for such an opt out is currently March 31.
