Report: Adam Silver Wants to Improve NBA's Relationship With Elite High School Players
NBA commissioner Adam Silver is looking at expanding the league's relationship with elite high school players by providing them with more instruction through skills camps and having more interaction with them during the summer, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com reports.
Windhorst reports that Silver has formally met with the National Basketball Players Association about adjusting the NBA's age limit, which currently requires players to be 19 years old or one year removed from their high school class graduation to enter the draft. Windhorst adds that Silver is also looking at ways of enhancing the G-League with incentives such as larger contracts or possibly revamping two-way contracts to make them more enticing for players because they would have the chance to split time between the G-league and NBA.
According to Windhorst, Silver had been looking at making these adjustments to improve the league's relationship with high school players "for some time," but in light of the FBI investigation into corruption in college basketball, Silver has been convinced that he needs to move faster with implementing some of these concepts.
ESPN reports that Silver has also been talking with USA Basketball in addition to the NBPA, two organizations that have hosted camps for elite high school players. Windhorst adds that Silver is expected to seek partnerships with sneaker companies "eventually."
If Silver and the league do decide to to make any changes to the age limit or the G-League, it will require making amendments to the collective bargaining agreement, which is not up until 2024, according to Windhorst.
"We're not by any means rushing through this," Silver said during All-Star Weekend according to ESPN. "I think this is a case where, actually, outside of the cycle of collective bargaining, we can spend more time on it with the players' association, talking to the individual players, talking to the executive board and really trying to understand the pros and cons of potentially moving the age limit."
Silver also said that he understands the NBA's age limit has a direct impact on college basketball and the league is weighing its options to see if it is better for a player's ultimate success if the NBA is interacting with them at a younger age.
