Why do NBA teams build fancy practice facilities, then leave for camp?

The Hawks announced they’re holding training camp at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.

Which raises a question: Why do NBA teams build state-of-the-art practice facilities, then begin each season practicing somewhere else?

The Cavaliers spent Kenny Atkinson’s first two training camps at IMG Academy in Florida. This year, they’re going considerably farther, holding camp at The Embassy in Fuengirola, Spain⁠.

Meanwhile, Cleveland is building a new 210,000-square-foot performance center⁠ along the Cuyahoga River. Presumably, it will contain basketball courts.

Teams will explain that destination camps promote bonding, eliminate everyday distractions and allow players to spend extended time together. That makes sense.

You probably learn more about a new teammate over dinner in Spain than while everyone drives home immediately after practice in Independence.

Still, do fans care? If Atlanta holds an open practice in Nashville, signs autographs or creates some sort of community event, great. That expands the franchise’s reach and gives local fans something they otherwise wouldn’t experience.

If everything is closed, though, the location mostly matters to the players, coaches and whoever is covering the travel bill.

Fans will receive a few scenic social-media videos and perhaps footage of Donovan Mitchell walking past the Mediterranean. Maybe that’s enough.

I’m not against destination training camps. Spain sounds considerably more enjoyable than reporting to work down the street.

It’s just funny watching teams spend fortunes constructing the perfect place to practice, then celebrate the start of basketball season by immediately leaving it.