Report: NBA Considering $1M Per Player Purse for Proposed In-Season Tournament
If the NBA adds an in-season tournament for the 2021-22 season, there could be a financial incentive for every member of the winning team.
Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the league is considering a $1 million per player purse as a bonus for the victorious club.
Last month, Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe reported the NBA was in "serious discussions" with the National Basketball Players Association about major changes to the league's calendar.
One of the potential changes includes an in-season tournament featuring all 30 teams modeled after those in European soccer.
Per Wojnarowski, the league would use part of the regular-season schedule as pool play, and the top eight teams by record would advance to a single-elimination tournament that would be wrapped up in mid-December.
Some team executives expressed doubt that the financial incentive would be enough to convince players to go all-out for the tournament: "Many suspect that star players might prefer the five-day scheduling break that would come with not qualifying for the tournament rather than competing for the financial reward of a winner-take-all event that requires a quarterfinal, semifinal and title round to become champion."
Wojnarowski added owners of large-market teams are concerned about how changing the schedule will impact the league's revenue and whether the NBA can "promise 'revenue-neutral' financial returns to teams for shortening the schedule to 78 regular-season games."
A 78-game schedule would cost every team two home contests compared to the current 82-game model.
For perspective, ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported in March that the Golden State Warriors made $3.4 million in gate revenue and the New York Knicks brought in $2.9 million at the gate per game last season.
To combat the potential money lost for teams from reduced home games, Wojnarowski noted the NBA hopes to increase its revenue for an in-season tournament in multiple ways, including through television rights fees and sponsorship deals.
It's unclear if the in-season tournament will become a reality because it will require an agreement between the NBA and NBPA. If it gets approved, the league hopes to set up the event as part of its 75th-anniversary season in 2021-22.
