Adam Silver floated a wild idea to counter tanking. In a meeting, the league officials discussed abolishing the NBA draft as an extreme measure to prevent the unethical practice. It’s caused some panic among the fanbase, who feel the league is taking away a moment of a lifetime from upcoming basketball prospects. However, thanks to the Lakers, Nuggets, and a few other teams, this change will take time.

Tom Haberstroh broke down why that is. See, several teams like the Lakers and Nuggets have already committed their 2032 draft picks. The Nuggets don’t have a pick at all. The Lakers sent their second-round pick to the Hawks in exchange for Luke Kennard. Hence, even if Silver has to resort to the extreme, the commissioner will have to wait until all obligations are fulfilled.

“How many years out would that have to be with all the p the picks that are already outlaid in the NBA? The earliest it could happen if Adam Silver said, “All right, all 30 owners, we came to an agreement. We are going to kill the draft. We’re going to go to rookie signing free agency period.” And guess what? It won’t happen until 2033. That’s the earliest I’d imagine the NBA could pass… It likely wouldn’t happen until 2033 when all of the existing pick outlays are finished,” Haberstroh explained on the Big Number.

Since the request is for teams to be fair, the league will have to take that into consideration for those affected by such changes. Take even the Thunder, for example. Sam Presti has done an amazing job of creating a competitive roster and stacking picks together. Silver can’t just scratch his efforts and say there won’t be a draft going forward. That goes against teams who have done everything by the book and set themselves up for a positive future.

Such a drastic change will also need the league officials to map out the regulations that will replace the current regime. Here’s the problem. If they try to be fair, the timeline could keep increasing.

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Giannis Antetokounmpo could complicate Adam Silver’s draft decision

For now, Silver is working on punishment mechanisms other than fines to solve tanking. He’s not going to immediately jump into destroying the draft. However, every year that goes by, the longer teams get to conduct business. For now, teams don’t have a 2033 draft pick to trade. That becomes available next season.

Best believe that’s when the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes are going to pick up again. There are teams such as the Lakers who could look to package their 2033 pick in exchange for the Greek Freak. The Thunder and numerous other teams could do the same. So the list of pick outlays are going to increase every year.

Furthermore, the entire trading landscape will change. Picks hold great value in trade talks. They are an incentive for teams to part ways with stars. Now, if rookies are available as free agents, no trades can include future value. Everything will happen on a year-by-year basis. Hence, there’s a major business element that gets affected without an NBA draft.

Likewise, Adam Silver will hope tanking doesn’t continue to grow worse as it has this season. Because if it doesn’t, making the right ramifications could be a huge headache for the NBA commissioner.