NEW YORK — Addressing concerns from several NBA franchises whose rosters currently contain more future second-round picks than actual NBA players, commissioner Adam Silver reportedly reminded struggling teams this week that “hope is also technically a product.”
“Obviously, winning basketball games is ideal,” Silver said. “But fans can also purchase tickets to imagine winning basketball games at some unspecified point in the future.”
Silver then presented a 48-slide league PowerPoint titled Monetizing the Rebuild, which encouraged teams to replace terms such as “terrible roster” with “young core,” “four-year tank” with “organizational patience,” and “we have no idea what we’re doing” with “flexibility.”
According to league officials, franchises were also advised to aggressively promote any player under 23 who scores 17 points in a February loss as “a potential cornerstone.”
Several general managers reportedly welcomed the clarification.
“I was worried we were supposed to win soon,” said one executive whose team finished 19–63. “Apparently we just need one exciting rookie, a bunch of cap space, and a graphic showing our 2031 draft picks.”
Silver concluded the meeting by reminding teams that an offseason photo of a player looking slightly more muscular can sustain an entire fan base until October.
