The busiest part of the NBA season isn’t opening night, Christmas Day, or the playoffs. It’s from the time the Finals begin in late June through the Draft, free agency and then summer league in both Orlando and Las Vegas that all doesn’t conclude until the end of July. It’s a non-stop assault of league-wide news that at times seems like too much all at once, with not enough time in between to truly maximize the value or the coverage that the various events can generate by themselves. For this reason and some others which are equally valid, the league is reportedly considering making some changes to its busy summertime schedule.
From Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today:
The NBA remains “very interested” in moving the draft after July 1 and packaging it with a season-ending awards show possibly on consecutive nights, a person familiar with the league’s thinking told USA TODAY Sports.
The league would like to create more space between the end of the Finals and the draft so it can better promote the draft. The person requested anonymity because negotiations remain before both become official. …
The league is also concerned about delaying free agency and pushing that period even deeper into July. The NBA season is already turning into a long year with the draft, free agency and summer league taking place shortly after the Finals.
The idea would help maximize the exposure and potential revenue that each event could generate individually if things were a bit more spread out. All of this ties into the upcoming discussions the league will have with its television partners in advance of their contracts expiring following the 2015-16 season.
