Mark Cuban Hates the NBA's Proposal For an In-Season Tournament

The NBA is proposing some radical changes to its current schedule. Amongst those changes is the idea of an in-season tournament between all 30 teams; it would presumably break up the monotony of the 82-game, six-month-long season and drive fan interest during the doldrums.

The biggest issue (outside of schedule logistics) with the tournament is how to make the teams care about it. Marc Stein reported the league is discussing giving an extra first-round pick to the winning team, as well as a $15 million pot to be split between the roster and $1.5 million to the coaching staff.

In a memo to teams to last week, detailing a proposed $15 million pot for the championship team and $1.5 million for the winning coaching staff, "incentives for teams and fans" were listed as "to be determined"
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) December 24, 2019

Mark Cuban, per usual, did not hesitate to give his thoughts on the matter, and to say he isn't a fan would be an understatement. He tweeted out several flaws he saw in the plan.

So Dumb. What will teams that are in the tax going out do, tank the tournament because they don't want the pick ? Or teams trying to build cap room ? Be forced to trade it ? Draft and stash ? https://t.co/laxHWd9YMy
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) December 24, 2019

Or the convo if the TBT winner doesn't make the playoffs. This is like the MLB trying to add drama to the All Star game by using it to assign home field advantage. How did that work out ? I can't hate an in season winner take all tournament enough. Hopefully TBT has a patent
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) December 24, 2019

Cuban's points are interesting, especially when it comes to the draft pick aspect of things. The NBA cap is complicated and requires a lot of maneuvering. This would throw a whole other element into that delicate dance. I can't really imagine that teams playing hard in the tournament would actually play a factor in pitching potential free agents, but if a player's first and foremost priority is money, it would end up mattering.

These are only Cuban's preliminary thoughts, too. There are a myriad of potential issues with the proposal. If the draft pick comes at the end of the first round, would teams care enough about what is essentially a high-second round pick to give it their all? Why would any of the players bust their butts to win the tournament when that draft pick could bring about their replacement? The guys on cheap rookie deals would surely love an extra million to their bank account, but why would LeBron James or Kawhi Leonard risk getting hurt when they make that much in a week?

Right now, it's looking like the complications caused by the tournament far outweigh any potential benefits, for both teams and the league.