After throwing slop at a wall like all people else attempting to determine the most effective route for the NBA common season and All-Star break to matter, I’ve the last word resolution. There is no such thing as a higher thought, and although it received’t occur, the potential to overwhelm the information cycle is so alluring that Adam Silver has to contemplate it. And that concept is a midseason free company window.

Participant motion within the NBA has been one of many largest storylines in all sports activities since LeBron James went to Miami, and this previous commerce deadline was no totally different. If Kyrie Irving’s commerce request despatched a tremor by hoops media, then Kevin Durant going to Phoenix was an eight, perhaps a 9 on the Richter scale.

How would a midseason free company window work?

It might be the identical as an offseason, solely midseason. So if a corporation has cap house and is forward of schedule on their rebuild, they might supercharge the second half of the season with a signing as a substitute of being sellers or giving up an asset that may negate room for enchancment. Take into consideration franchises just like the Utah Jazz or Indiana Pacers that began off scorching, and will’ve saved the tempo with a signing.

If a franchise needed to go the opposite manner that might be simpler, too. Groups can be extra keen to take dangers as a result of they might get off them simpler, and the roster turnover can be literal crack for NBA beat writers.

The plain hurdle can be the CBA negotiations, and judging by how lengthy it’s taking to overturn the one-and-done rule, we may count on approval of a landscape-altering transfer like midseason free company to take anyplace from 50 years to a number of millennia.

G/O Media might get a fee

Available Now

Samsung Galaxy S23 Series

Free $100 credit or gift card.
Samsung’s newest line of Galaxy phones—the S23 Ultra, S23+, and S23—are available now. Receive a free $100 credit or gift card with your purchase.

The potential of half-year deals will melt your mind

The No. 1 reason why this idea wouldn’t work would be the implementation of half-year deals that would allow a contract to expire midseason. Any star who signs a contract with a half year at the end of it will be an immediate candidate for the next disgruntled player to want out.

How many half-year deals would LeBron James have signed consecutively while in Cleveland? “I will leave in February and join Kyrie Irving in Dallas if you don’t trade all your first-round picks for him right this instant.”

Imagine team or player half-year opt-outs, and people pulling the parachute cord after 50 or 60 games. Take the Boston Celtics last year for example. That team would’ve been a prime candidate for dissolution at the break. Instead, they went on a run to the NBA Finals. There would be an endless amount of inflection points, and teams would be on the clock to be competitive out of the gate for fear of guys leaving. The havoc that impatient owners could cause also is frightening for fans, but a gift from the gods for content companies.

The cons of a midseason free agency

There were a couple of inspirations for this idea, and one of them was the transfer window in soccer. While I don’t know exactly how it works, I do know that it presents the opportunity for huge names to switch clubs during the regular season (which also is the postseason — soccer is weird). That’s fine a dandy until you think about how top teams like Real Madrid and Manchester City get richer (despite possibly not being able to afford it), and the disparity between the top clubs in the world and everyone else.

All of the buyout guys already want to chase rings for contenders, and if given the chance to take a flier for 20 games and possibly a title, I’m assuming a lot of the capable role players — and maybe even a gutless star — would give it a whirl as well.

If the Durant Warriors added a coveted piece on a discount bin deal at the break, I know several fans who would stop watching pro hoops altogether. My guess is the fans I spoke with are either outliers or liars, because the masses love polarizing topics, and the ratings and page views reflect that.

This might be an outlandish suggestion, but I have yet to see a realistic one that will solve the NBA’s midseason conundrum. Fans aren’t going to swarm to watch a contrived tournament.

However, we know what they will flock to, and that is player movement. My main muse for this idea was NBA trades overshadowing the NFL throughout Tremendous Bowl week, and if you happen to can usurp the king throughout his annual celebration, capitalism, and America say it’s best to attempt to do it extra usually.