Blazers Notes: Deadline, Cissoko, Love, Thybulle, Krejci, Arena
After making a minor move at the start of the week to acquire Vit Krejci from Atlanta, the Trail Blazers didn’t make any additional trades between Monday and Thursday. As Joe Freeman of The Oregonian writes, that was a relief to the Blazers’ players, who admitted to being nervous in the days leading up to the deadline.
“The players were joking around a little bit, (saying) ‘We’re all back,'” interim head coach Tiago Splitter said on Thursday. “I get it. There’s a little bit of tension. But I’m glad everybody’s back. Everybody’s happy to be here and ready to move forward and finish the season.”
Although Portland didn’t shake up its roster in a major way, there will be some changes coming to the rotation. Krejci will have a chance to earn regular minutes, and point guard Scoot Henderson is making his season debut on Friday vs. Memphis after recovering from a hamstring tear. Forward Deni Avdija is out on Friday for a third straight game due to a low back strain, but when he returns, the Blazers will be as healthy as they’ve been all season.
“I’m happy to have that challenge, make them produce and excel at their positions,” Splitter said. “Guys that were used to playing more minutes (are) going to play a little less. Guys that were out (are) going to start to play more minutes and produce for us. We have still like 30 games or so left. Hopefully, this is the normal for us from now on.”
Here’s more on the Blazers:
- One downside of Portland’s deadline inactivity is that the team still has a full 15-man roster, with two-way players Sidy Cissoko and Caleb Love on track to reach their respective 50-game limits this month, writes Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report (Substack link). Highkin views Cissoko as the more likely candidate for a promotion, since he has a clearer role than Love when the team is healthy, and suggests Matisse Thybulle could be a buyout candidate. Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints (Twitter link) agrees that Thybulle could be the odd man out, though he says no decision has been made on the wing’s future yet.
- Krejci said earlier this week that he’s “very excited” to join the Blazers, adding that they have a “really great roster,” according to Freeman. “I think this team has a lot of good drivers and that opens (things) up,” Krejci said. “As a shooter, you love playing with guys like that, because they keep slashing, they keep going at the rim.”
- While the Trail Blazers’ basketball operations department ended up having a relatively quiet deadline, the organization’s business operations department is negotiating a crucial deal of its own. According to Bill Oram of The Oregonian, the Blazers continue to work with state, city, and county officials in an effort to secure roughly $600MM in funding viewed as necessary to upgrade the Moda Center and keep the team in Portland long term.
- As Oram details, Multnomah County is believed to be reluctant to commit approximately $40MM in business tax revenue from the Blazers’ sale to the arena renovation. The city of Portland is also receiving push-back on plans to pull as much as $75MM from a clean energy fund to put toward the project, according to Shane Dixon Kavanaugh and Oram of The Oregonian. Oregon governor Tina Kotek spoke to commissioner Adam Silver last week, per Oram, in an effort to reinforce her support for the arena deal and to ensure the team doesn’t consider relocation under a new ownership group led by Tom Dundon. The Blazers’ Moda Center lease agreement with the city runs through 2030.
Latest On NBA’s Potential European League
Speaking to the media in Berlin, Germany ahead of Thursday’s Grizzlies-Magic game, commissioner Adam Silver confirmed the NBA is pressing ahead with its plans for a new league in Europe, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.
“I would just say we continue to be enormously excited about it,” Silver said about the notion of an NBA Europe. “We’ve been meeting with clubs that are interested in participating in our league. We’ve been in discussions with other potential stakeholders, including media companies that would like to cover it, potential media partners and traditional sponsors who want to work with us on the league. We’re looking at the opportunity to grow the arena infrastructure, not just here in Germany but throughout the continent. It’s something that we’re enormously excited about.”
The NBA recently received a letter of potential legal action from the EuroLeague if the NBA contacts teams the EuroLeague says are under contract, a source confirmed to Ben Horney of Front Office Sports. According to Horney, a person familiar with the NBA’s thinking says it has “engaged with all parties in a lawful and appropriate manner,” and has “not engaged with anyone about any opportunity that they are not free to discuss.”
Silver discussed the notice on Thursday, saying, “I send the legal letters to my lawyers, so I’ll let them handle that,” per Joe Vardon and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.
“I don’t think by any means it’s inevitable that there is a clash (between the NBA, FIBA, and EuroLeague),” Silver said. “I think there’s opportunity here to grow European basketball. And frankly, I’m much more focused on the competitive landscape, not just with other sports in Europe, but with other entertainment options. That’s how we view the NBA. We don’t think of ourselves, even in the United States, as necessarily competing against other basketball organizations or other sports organizations. We’re competing for people’s attention.
“And if I thought that the ceiling was the existing EuroLeague and their fan interest, we wouldn’t be spending the kind of time and attention we are on this project.”
There are rumors that Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid — the most successful EuroLeague team in history — is leaning toward joining the NBA’s proposed league, which doesn’t have a formal name or official start date. Several of the permanent EuroLeague teams have signed 10-year contracts, but those deals include out clauses, including a €10 million early exit fee and additional damages that would be determined based on the situation, a source tells Horney.
Although the EuroLeague has reservations about the NBA’s European project, there’s still a possibility that the two sides could collaborate in some fashion in the future, according to Horney.
Silver reiterated on Thursday that the NBA will determine by the end of this year whether it will expand its own 30-team league, Reynolds notes.
“To me, honestly, the real heavy lift would be creating a new league in Europe,” Silver said. “As I said, that’s an enormous undertaking, which is why we’ve been moving one step at a time and being very careful and cautious and making sure we’re covering all our bases.”
NBA Will Decide On Expansion In 2026, Silver Says
At a press conference prior to the NBA Cup championship game, commissioner Adam Silver said the league would determine at some point in 2026 whether it will add a pair of domestic expansion teams, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
As Tim Bontemps of ESPN writes, Tuesday evening marked the first time Silver has given a timeline for a decision on expansion since he first broached the possibility ahead of the 2020/21 season.
“I’d say in terms of domestic expansion, that is something we’re continuing to look at,” Silver said. “It’s not a secret we’re looking at this market in Las Vegas. We are looking at Seattle. We’ve looked at other markets, as well. I’d say I want to be sensitive there about this notion that we’re somehow teasing these markets, because I know we’ve been talking about it for a while.
“As I’ve said before, domestic expansion, as opposed to doing a new league in Europe, is selling equity in this current league. If you own 1/30 of this league, now you own 1/32 if you add two teams. So it’s a much more difficult economic analysis. In many ways, it requires predicting the future.
“I think now we’re in the process of working with our teams and gauging the level of interest and having a better understanding of what the economics would be on the ground for those particular teams and what a pro forma would look like for them, and then sometime in 2026 we’ll make a determination.”
While Silver mentioned the NBA has looked at several possibilities, he clarified to Vardon after the press conference that the league is primarily focused on the cities of Las Vegas and Seattle, which have long been viewed as the frontrunners for potential expansion.
“I think Seattle and Las Vegas are two incredible cities,” Silver said, per Bontemps. “Obviously we had a team in Seattle that had great success. We have a WNBA team here in Las Vegas in the Aces. We’ve been playing the summer league here for 20 years. We’re playing our Cup games here, so we’re very familiar with this market.
“I don’t have any doubt that Las Vegas, despite all of the other major league teams that are here now, the other entertainment properties, that this city could support an NBA team.”
Silver also discussed several other topics on Tuesday, Bontemps adds, including the ongoing WNBA negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement, Chris Paul‘s acrimonious exit from the Clippers, and the number of injuries around the league.
After the press conference ended, Silver suggested the NBA Cup final might be held at different venues going forward, per Jason Jones of The Athletic. The first three in-season tournament championship games were held at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“We’ve loved our experience in Vegas,” Silver said in an appearance on the NBA on Prime pregame show. “We’re talking with Amazon Prime about whether it makes sense to maybe go to some unique locations for the final game. They’ve suggested, for example, some storied college arenas. So we’re just looking at other ways to do this.”
Heat Notes: Powell, Rozier, Herro, Jakucionis, Morant, LaRoche
Heat guard Norman Powell is in the final year of his contract, which will pay him $20.48MM in 2025/26. He will remain extension-eligible through June 30, 2026, and if a deal is not reached he will become an unrestricted free agent.
According to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald, Powell recently made it clear he hopes to sign a long-term extension with the Heat.
“I love it here. I love everything about the Heat,” Powell emphasized. “I loved them before. They were on my list before I signed my extension in Portland. I wanted to come here and play for the Heat. So I’m excited. I like the culture. I like what they have going on here. I like the mentality and the approach. I feel like they take guys to the next level. They push them past their own expectations, they have high standards. And I always like being around people that have high aspirations and high goals for themselves. It fits who I am, so I want to be here. Hopefully they feel the same way.”
As Chiang writes, Powell was off to a hot start to the season, averaging 24.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals on .477/.500/.913 shooting in three games (31.0 minutes per contest) before suffering a right groin strain that has caused him to miss the past two. The 32-year-old is questionable for Sunday’s contest at the Lakers.
“Hopefully [the Heat] like everything that’s happened so far and what I bring to the table outside of just on the court,” said Powell, who recently described himself as “super low-maintenance.” “But just who I am every single day, stepping into the arena, integrating myself with the team and the staff and the members around. Hopefully everybody appreciates my presence and we’ll be able to get something done. But, yeah, I want to be here.”
Here’s more on the Heat:
- Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel lists the short-term steps he believes commissioner Adam Silver should take to give the Heat more cap and roster flexibility in the wake of Terry Rozier‘s arrest — the veteran guard is facing two federal charges as part of an illegal gambling probe. While the information isn’t really relevant now, a source tells Winderman that the Heat considered waiving Rozier before the season began (a small portion of his contract was non-guaranteed at the time) and also had buyout discussions with the 31-year-old.
- All-Star Tyler Herro (left ankle surgery) and rookie guard Kasparas Jakucionis (right groin strain) are traveling with the team on its current four-game road trip, which ends Wednesday in Denver, per Chiang of The Miami Herald. “It’s good for them,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said about Herro and Jakucionis joining the team on the road. “For us, sure, it’s always good to have them around. But I think it just speeds up the whole process when they’re around the guys, around the game, around the whole travel routine, and participating in some of the things that they can do, which they did this morning.” Both players are out on Sunday, though Jakucionis is closer to making his season debut — the 2025 first-round pick is considered day-to-day.
- Although the Heat have expressed “more than passing” interest in Ja Morant in the past, Winderman doesn’t expect the team to explore the possibility of buying low on the Grizzlies guard in the wake of his latest off-court incident, which resulted in a one-game suspension for detrimental conduct following a disagreement with the coaching staff.
- Speaking of the Grizzlies, former Memphis assistant coach Noah LaRoche is now a consultant with the Heat, who have implemented the movement-heavy offense LaRoche was in charge of last season with Memphis, sources tell Brian Windhorst of ESPN. It’s only been five games, but the Heat currently rank seventh in the league in offensive efficiency after finishing 21st, 21st and 25th in the league in that category over the past three years, Windhorst notes. “You know Spo is running the polar opposite of the system that [Heat president] Pat Riley used to run, where he called every play and each play design was exact,” a league executive said. “And it makes me further appreciate and respect that the organization is about the right s–t. They’re about exploring and teaching in Miami.”
NBA Seeking To Tighten Controls On Injury Reporting, Prop Betting
In the aftermath of the FBI’s arrests of Heat guard Terry Rozier, Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and former player Damon Jones last week, the NBA informed its teams that the league has begun a process of reviewing policies regarding injury reporting, training and education of all personnel, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (Twitter link). The memo also specifically addresses concerns regarding gambling, with the league exploring ways to enhance internal and external monitoring programs to identify suspicious betting activity.
Injury reporting has jumped into the spotlight in light of the allegations against Billups and Jones. While the most serious allegations against Billups regard his involvement in rigged poker games, Billups was also accused of providing inside information that could potentially be used by others for betting purposes. According to the indictment, an unnamed co-conspirator (Billups) told Eric Earnest, another of the defendants, that the Trail Blazers were going into tank mode ahead of a game on March 24, 2023 and that a certain player, purportedly star guard Damian Lillard, would sit out.
Along similar lines, Jones allegedly informed an unnamed co-conspirator prior to the Lakers‘ game vs. Milwaukee on February 9, 2023 that a specific Laker would miss the game and that the co-conspirator should bet on the Bucks. That player was later identified as LeBron James. James reportedly wasn’t aware that Jones was sharing information about his playing status.
NBA teams typically provide injury reports the day prior to a game but there is a gap in time during game days before the final injury report prior to tip-off is revealed.
The memo also specifically addressed Rozier’s situation. Rozier was accused of essentially taking himself out of a game due to injury so that prop bets on “unders” could be cashed.
The memo obtained by Charania (Twitter link) stated, “While the unusual betting on Terry Rozier’s ‘unders’ in the March 2023 game was detected in real time because the bets were placed legally, we believe there is more that can be done from a legal/regulatory perspective to protect the integrity of the NBA and our affiliated leagues. In particular, proposition bets on individual player performance involve heightened integrity concerns and require additional scrutiny.”
Prior to the FBI’s arrests, Rozier had been cleared by the league during its investigation and was in uniform for Miami’s opener, though he did not play. Commissioner Adam Silver stated last week the FBI had broader powers to conduct a more thorough investigation. Silver had also expressed growing concerns with regard to prop bets.
Charania shared the entire league memo on social media (Twitter link).
Silver ‘Deeply Disturbed’ By Federal Gambling Indictments
Speaking to Amazon Prime reporter Cassidy Hubbarth during the first quarter of Friday’s matchup between Boston and New York (Twitter video link), commissioner Adam Silver said he was “deeply disturbed” by the allegations in Thursday’s federal gambling indictments, which resulted in the arrests of Heat guard Terry Rozier, Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, and former NBA guard and coach Damon Jones, among others.
“My initial reaction was I was deeply disturbed,” Silver said. “There is nothing more important to the league and its fans than the integrity of the competition. And so I had a pit in my stomach. It was very upsetting.”
Word broke back in January that federal prosecutors in New York were investigating Rozier as part of a probe into illegal sports betting. Investigators were specifically looking at a game that took place on March 23, 2023, when the veteran guard was still a member of the Hornets.
Ahead of that game, one bettor reportedly placed 30 wagers in 46 minutes on the “unders” on Rozier-related prop bets at a casino in Biloxi, Mississippi, raising alarms about potential suspicious activity. At the same time, there was a rush on multiple sportsbooks in New Orleans of under bets on Rozier props. Sportsbooks and the NBA were alerted, and some books stopped taking bets related to Rozier’s performance that day.
After recording five points, four rebounds and two assists in 9:34 of action in the first quarter, Rozier exited the game during a timeout and didn’t return, citing a foot issue. All 30 of those “under” prop bets won as a result of the abbreviated outing, and Rozier didn’t play the final eight games of the 2022/23 season due to the injury.
Silver was asked about the NBA’s investigation into Rozier, who was — at the time — cleared by the league to continue playing, despite the suspicious circumstances (stories via Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press, Shakeia Taylor of The Athletic, and Tim Bontemps of ESPN).
“So what happened was, because bets were placed through legalized legal betting companies, they picked up aberrational behavior around a particular game in March of 2023,” Silver said. “And so it was brought to our attention by the regulators and the betting companies. We then looked into that situation and were very transparent about it. And while there was that aberrational betting, we, frankly, couldn’t find anything.
“Terry at the time cooperated, he gave the league office his phone, he sat down for an interview, and we ultimately concluded there was insufficient evidence despite that aberrational behavior. We then worked directly with law enforcement — as they said at the press conference, the league has been cooperating. That was obviously almost two years ago.
“The federal government has subpoena power,” Silver continued. “[It] can threaten to put people in jail, can do all kinds of things that the league office can’t do. So we’ve been working with them since then. And, of course, what they announced yesterday was an indictment.
“Two and a half years later, he still hasn’t been convicted of anything, in fairness to Terry. Obviously it doesn’t look good, but he’s been put on administrative leave, and so it is a balance here between protecting people’s rights and investigating. And as I said, we’ve been working with the government, and they have extraordinary powers the league office doesn’t have.”
The illegal gambling investigations have overshadowed the start of the 2025/26 season, which Silver acknowledged.
“I apologize to our fans that we are all dealing with this situation,” Silver said during the in-game interview.
And-Ones: D. Duke, Silver, NBPA, Incentives, Stein
The Perth Wildcats of Australia’s National Basketball League are in advanced talks on a potential deal for free agent combo guard David Duke Jr., according to Olgun Uluc of ESPN, who reports that a contract for Duke would cover the rest of the 2025/26 season.
The Wildcats have been in the market for a replacement for Mason Jones, another former NBA guard whom the team parted ways with last week after he got off to a slow start.
Duke, who was in camp with the Suns until being cut last week, has appeared in NBA games in each of the past four seasons. In 55 total outings for Brooklyn and San Antonio from 2021-25, he has averaged 4.2 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 11.9 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .417/.262/.767.
The 26-year-old has been more productive in the G League, averaging 16.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG, and 4.0 APG in 42 games for the Austin Spurs last season after putting up more than 20 PPG in each of the two previous years.
We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Devon Henderson and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic pass along some of the most interesting comments made by NBA commissioner Adam Silver during his media rounds prior to the start of the 2025/26 season, including his latest remarks on potential expansion and the All-Star format. Most notably, given today’s big news, Silver told Chris Mannix of SI.com this week that the league continues to talk to betting companies about potentially reducing the range of prop bets available to gamblers.
- The National Basketball Players Association issued the following statement in the wake of the arrests of Terry Rozier, Chauncey Billups, and Damon Jones on Thursday (Twitter link): “The integrity of the game is paramount to NBA players, but so is the presumption of innocence, and both are hindered when player popularity is misused to gain attention. We will ensure our members are protected and afforded their due process rights through this process.”
- The disappearance of incentives and bonuses in NBA contracts has had an impact on rookie scale extensions, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic. As Hollinger explains, including likely and/or unlikely incentives in a deal used to be an effective way to bridge the gap between the contract a player was seeking and the one his team was willing to pay. However, because they count against the aprons, teams have essentially stopped handing them out — not a single veteran contract signed this offseason included incentives. In Hollinger’s view, players like Tari Eason, Bennedict Mathurin, and Mark Williams would have been more likely to work out deals under the previous CBA, when those bonuses were more common.
- Veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein has joined Amazon Prime Video’s NBA coverage for the 2025/26 season, reports Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports. According to Glasspiegel, Stein won’t have an on-air role — he’ll be working behind the scenes and will be responsible for making sure that facts and figures are “journalistically sound” before they’re used by the studio team or game announcers. Amazon previously hired Chris Haynes as its league insider and Marcus Thompson of The Athletic to report feature stories.
And-Ones: Silver, NBA Europe, Lopez, Milton
Speaking at the Bloomberg Philanthropies Global Forum (Twitter video link via Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic), commissioner Adam Silver suggested teams competing in NBA-run leagues in other continents could eventually participate in official NBA games.
“You could imagine teams from Europe, potentially Africa, competing in (the NBA Cup),” Silver said (transcript via Eurohoops). “You possibly could see teams coming into our playoffs, top seeds from other leagues.
“But over time, I think, for example, certainly in Europe, as plane travel gets faster… I’m reading all the time about more opportunities in aviation. When I think of the flight from New York to LA, for example, there’s no reason that if we had four teams in Europe, you couldn’t travel, play the Knicks or Nets, travel to London, play three or four times in Europe, and come back home. So I think it’s very doable in our league.”
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- In an interview with Eduardo Tansley of The Athletic, NBA Europe and Middle East managing director George Aivazoglou discussed the three types of teams that could join the NBA’s proposed European league, as well as its big-picture goals. “I hope we establish European basketball from a sporting competitive level at the top, almost on par, in terms of interest as European football,” the Greek executive said. “We want to create a new era, an innovative product that would attract audiences from all over the world and across all demographics, not just hardcore basketball fans, who would also be very happy watching it. And (we hope) to ensure that the development of the talent grows even stronger, and ensure that the value that gets created gets redistributed to the European basketball ecosystem so that it continues to improve.” Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops passes along some other highlights from the interview for those who don’t subscribe to The Athletic.
- Eric Gomez of ESPN.com recently wrote a feature story on projected 2026 lottery pick Karim Lopez, who could be the first Mexican first-rounder in NBA history. Lopez, a 6’9″ forward who plays for the New Zealand Breakers of the National Basketball League, hopes his favorite player is still around if he’s drafted next year. “I hope LeBron (James) is still there if I get to the NBA,” the 18-year-old said. “Anything can happen, but I hope he’s there so I can play with or against my idol. … I mean, in the end, I’m not (in the NBA) yet, I have to keep working to get to that moment and make my dreams come true.”
- After seven seasons in the NBA, veteran guard Shake Milton signed a two-year deal with Serbian club Partizan Belgrade this summer. The 29-year-old says he’s still adjusting to the different playing style in Europe, according to Nikola Miloradovic of Eurohoops. “The biggest adjustment is just the different style of the game,” Milton told Eurohoops. “I’ve been playing one way for seven years, so now I have to adapt. It’s a challenge, but I’m excited. I’ve already started to make some adjustments, and the fun part is knowing I can get even better than I’ve been. I know it’ll all come together.”
NBA Europe Could Launch As Early As 2027
The new European basketball league backed by the NBA could begin play as early as 2027, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver confirmed on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press’ Stephen Whyno and Tim Reynolds.
NBA and FIBA are working together to launch NBA Europe.
Speaking at a conference hosted by Front Office Sports, Silver called a 2027 start “ambitious, no doubt about it,” but did not rule out that possibility. Existing arenas across Europe could be used when the initial launch occurs until more modern infrastructure is built up.
“I don’t think I’d want to go much longer than ’28,” Silver said. “The opportunity is now to do something like this.”
Silver and deputy commissioner Mark Tatum met this summer with United Kingdom prime minister Keir Starmer, among other government officials, along with various possible stakeholders regarding the new venture. Those meetings convinced Silver that NBA Europe would be successful.
“I would say I’m enthusiastic about it,” Silver said.
Early plans call for the new league to have 16 teams, though that number could change. Existing European clubs like Real Madrid, Fenerbahce Istanbul and Barcelona are likely to figure into the NBA’s plans for the new league, according to the AP.
A new British league that intends to launch in 2027 indicated in a recent press statement that it expects the NBA’s European league to begin at the same time, with franchises in London and Manchester, as Aris Barkas of Eurohoops.net relays.
“Basketball’s probably the fastest-growing sport in the world right now, and it’s a huge No. 2 sport in Europe behind soccer, so I think there’s a real opportunity,” Silver added.
Adam Silver: Burden Of Proof Is On League In Clippers Investigation
Commissioner Adam Silver said investigators will carry the burden of proof in the NBA’s probe of potential salary cap circumvention by the Clippers, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday at his annual preseason news conference following the conclusion of the Board of Governors meeting, Silver said the league needs to focus on “the totality of the evidence” rather than the “mere appearance” of impropriety.
“The burden is on the league if we’re going to discipline a team, an owner, a player or any constituent members of the league,” Silver told reporters. “I think as with any process that requires a fundamental sense of fairness, the burden should be on the party that is, in essence, bringing those charges.”
The NBA hired a law firm this week to handle the investigation of whether owner Steve Ballmer and the team violated league rules through Kawhi Leonard‘s $28MM “no-show” job with Aspiration. Ballmer was an investor in the green banking company, which has since gone bankrupt.
Sources told Bontemps that Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz plans to conduct a thorough investigation, and no firm deadline has been set to reach a conclusion.
Silver added that he’s “a big believer in due process and fairness,” and said other NBA owners feel the same way about the case.
“At least what’s being said to me is a reservation of judgment,” Silver said. “I think people recognize that that’s what you have a league office for. That’s what you have a commissioner for — someone who is independent of the teams. On one hand, of course, I work collectively for the 30 governors, but I have an independent obligation to be the steward of the brand and the integrity of this league. … To the extent we have had discussions (with the board of governors) — they’ve been limited — we communicated to them that we engaged Wachtell to do this investigation. And maybe I cut off any further conversations and said, ‘Let’s all withhold judgment, let’s do this investigation and then we will come back to you in terms of our findings.'”
Silver addressed a few other topics in today’s news conference:
- He confirmed the new All-Star Game format, which will feature two teams of American-born players and one international team in a round-robin competition. Silver expressed hope that the new approach will help to motivate the players. “I think in the case of the NBA, this is what I’m trying to convey, particularly to younger players, is that All-Star is a big deal,” he said. “There’s been great traditions out there. People have great memories of these All-Star Games. It’s part of the fabric of this league, the excitement that comes from it and the engagement from our players.”
- Discussions are continuing on a potential new NBA-run European league, and Silver said he and deputy commissioner Mark Tatum traveled this summer to Europe, where they met with stakeholders. Silver also denied speculation that the venture in Europe will replace NBA expansion efforts. He called them “completely different entities” and said expansion was discussed at the board meeting, although there’s nothing new to report. “Part of the difficulty in potentially assessing it is a sense of long-term value of the league, and a little bit maybe it’s a high-class problem, but as with some of the recent jumps in franchise valuations, that sort of creates some confusion in the marketplace about how you might even price an expansion franchise,” Silver said. “I’ll only say it’s something that we continue to actively look at.”
- Silver refused to say if there are any limitations on Malik Beasley‘s availability while the league investigates his role in a gambling scandal. “I’ll only say there that the investigation is ongoing,” Silver said. “As I understand it, there’s still a federal investigation that’s ongoing of Malik Beasley as well. We will address whatever is presented to us in his case.”