andyhop wrote:I still don't know why the NBA is propping up the G League Ignite team.
I can't imagine it adds any real eyeballs to G League games, most of the guys who might have considered going to the NBL for the cash can just sign NIL deals in college now saving execs the trip to Australia which seemed to have been one of the reasons that the Ignite were set up . Seems like a pointless waste of money for the NBA really.
It's step two of doing away with the draft and forming a club-based model.
1) Create developmental league for sub-NBA quality players to play in the US. Associate this league's teams with the NBA franchises.
2) Provide viability for college-level players to play in the developmental league.
3) Provide viability for high school-level players to play in the developmental league.
4) Expand "down" or absorb the AAU to take over lower levels of basketball, increasing the age association with the NBA brand.
5) Once these pipelines to the pro clubs exist, there's no need for a draft, it's all player development.
It's a reasonable long-term play to expand the presence of the league to all the basketball played in the US.