NBA's Bold Plan to Make Star Players Participate in More Games

The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association have discussed potential changes ahead of a final CBA. One of the main adjustments could be related to how players qualify for major awards.

According to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic, the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association have discussed established a minimum number of games played for a player to be eligible for a postseason award.

"The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association have held talks about tying the league’s postseason awards to how many games players appear in during the course of that season, sources with knowledge of the talks told The Athletic. Those discussions have come during the current collective bargaining agreement negotiations between the two sides."

The intent for such a move would be to reduce the amount of load management that goes on throughout the season. The NBA is at its best when its top players are appearing in as many games as possible. There have been scheduling adjustments to better maximize player performance, but the issue remains.

There are far too many instances when a market is set to play a team, especially an out-of-conference opponent, and fans have anticipation to see a particular star, but they end up sitting out despite likely being able to play.

It's not just ticket sales and disappointed fans leaving the arena that must be accounted for in this issue, either. The NBA has to make the most of its' product value ahead of when new significant broadcasting deals will begin. Why would a major network value games as much if stars aren't going to play when they should?

“It can’t be an expectation as exists now in the bundle that will be paid the same amount for a game when our star players, in particular, don’t play them and when they do,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in July. “That’s a business issue that has a direct impact on us and the players and something we’re talking about."

Silver explained further: "In terms of load management, it will be something that we discuss as we sit down with the players and talk about the collective bargaining agreement. I think it’s something where we should both be relying on the best science.”

The Dallas Mavericks are among the teams that have opted to sit their star on the second night of a back-to-back, especially when they are on the road. Despite being in a loaded Western Conference playoff race, Luka Doncic, a 23-year-old, has sat out of numerous of those games. It wasn't until recently that the Mavs had even managed to win a game without him playing.

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Dallas Mavericks? Click Here.

Follow DallasBasketball.com on Twitter and Facebook.

Follow Grant Afseth on Twitter.