NBA Team Execs Heavily In Favor Of Keeping Two-Day Draft Format

The NBA held a two-day draft for the first time in history in June and if team executives have their way, it was the first of many more to come.

Per Jonathan Givony of ESPN, execs around appear to wildly favor the concept.

“Having the ability to regroup after the first night and then meet most of the following day created a great process for our group in determining our next moves,” one team basketball executive said. “We batted around dozens of trade scenarios, had time to watch a considerable amount of film and conduct additional background calls, map out strategies with agents of two-way and stash candidates we were interested in and ultimately come to a consensus in our group.

“We executed multiple trades and landed on several players we’re excited to have now on our extended roster. There’s no way we could have accomplished all that in the chaotic fog of a late-night second round with just two minutes between picks.”

The second round of the NBA Draft began at 4 p.m. EST, leading some to question the odd timing. But that may have been because there was a presidential debate later that evening. Other than that, everything went off without a hitch.

“This is how billion-dollar businesses like ours should be operated. Especially in this new world of staring down the second apron with tens of millions of dollars in potential luxury tax implications on the line,” said one team exec, via Givony. “The second-round exception creates some real stakes for getting these picks right. Our fan bases realize that and expect us to draft the right players.

“Some of the people in our front office didn’t like how much this second day helps the disorganized teams who typically wing it and can be taken advantage of from a strategy standpoint. But the pros far outweigh the cons when it comes to better drafting and decision-making. There were a ton of trades and I think next year you’ll see some real creativity now that we have a better idea for how the evening looks.”