The NBA's 2023 collective bargaining agreement has reduced free agency excitement as top players now sign extensions before reaching the market while fewer quality players and teams with cap space remain available. Adam Silver was asked on Wednesday to assess the current system after having two offseasons of sample size.
"I’ll never stand here and say, we’ve figured it out, we’ve got the perfect system," began Silver. "From the day we got a collective bargaining done, we began watching how teams respond to it. We talk on a regular basis with the Players Association to see whether there are different aspects of this system that we should adjust.
"I get it, particularly from a media standpoint, we’d like to create more excitement for all of you in the offseason in terms of a hot free agent market. That’s not my highest priority. Honestly, I’ve learned this the hard way. I understand the entertainment side of this.
"But I’ve learned, in some cases the hard way, the most important thing is the competition on the floor. I think now we’ve had seven different champions in seven years. We had a fantastic Playoffs and Finals last year. I get it that if you tighten the system for certain individual players, that means it will cut down on the number of opportunities they may have in other cities. That’s what happens in a cap system.
"But I think on balance, it’s been very effective. It’s been effective in producing strong competition. It’s been effective in ensuring that smaller markets — I don’t even necessarily like that moniker anymore, large versus small markets. I should really say that all markets are in a position where they can tell their fans, we have a fair chance to compete for championships. I think that aspect is working really well."
Silver went on to indirectly reference the Los Angeles Lakers' shocking trade with the Dallas Mavericks for Luka Doncic ahead of the 2025 trade deadline as an example of transactional excitement for the league.
"We like the excitement," continued Silver. "I think we still have had some really interesting free agency periods and some fascinating trades and signings. Much more so — when I was standing here last year, people were saying, oh, that aspect of the NBA is dead because of a new collective bargaining agreement, and then we saw some dramatic trades last season that were completely unanticipated.
"We’ll keep looking. I’d say on balance I’m very happy with where we are, but always we’ll keep looking at the system."
