The NBA Redesign Nobody Asked For, But Is Desperately Needed
Before I start, references will be made from a prior post of mine
Soooo if you haven't read it, give it a read 👉:
“The Next Chapter: The End of the Draft”
Anyways, if you don't feel like reading, here is a quick summary:
The NBA Draft is broken 🫠 rewarding losing teams and making tanking an art form instead of basketball 🏀💀. From fines for obvious tanking to the lottery still being a clown show 🤡, it’s clear the NBA's system doesn’t work. My solution? Kill the draft 🔫 and build the NBA Academy. A fully funded pathway, starting at 14, with real U16/U18 leagues, D-League pathways, age based contracts 💰, and real development. This will put an end to rich kids buying their way in 💪🏽📚. Teams earn their success by investing in coaching, scouting, and player growth, not praying for ping pong balls 🎱✨. The future of the NBA shouldn't be luck, it should be earned 🔥🏆.
🏀 CHANGE #1 — RELEGATION. YES. RELEGATION.
You know how in football ⚽ (real football, sorry America) if you're bad long enough, they kick you out of the league?
Yeah.
That.
No more 25 win seasons followed by “trust the process.” No more tanking disguised as “development.” You finish at the bottom? There are real consequences.
🔻 The System
Under the redesigned conferences (explained later), relegation works like this:
🚨 Automatic Relegation
The worst team in each conference is automatically relegated to NBA Division 2.
No play-in.
Pack your bags.
⚠️ The Survivor Series
The second-worst team in each conference enters a Best-of-3 Survivor Series.
Winner survives and stays in Division 1.
Loser moves on to the final test.
🔥 The Final Battle
The loser of the Survivor Series must face:
➡️ The Division 2 Winner from their side of the bracket
In a single-game promotion battle.
One game. Winner plays in Division 1 next season 🔝 Loser plays in Division 2 🤪
No seven game cushion. No excuses. One night decides your franchise’s future.
✅ The Start
To create the Division 2 league, the bottom 5 teams from each division will be relegated.
20 Teams will be left in Division 1, and 10 existing teams will move down to Division 2.
10 Expansion Teams will be created to increase the amount of teams to 20 in div 2
The G-League will still work as the third league however there will be no promotion/relegation.
🧠 Why Does This Works
Tanking becomes suicidal.
Every late season game matters.
Division 2 teams have real incentive.
Owners actually fear being terrible.
This change, allows fans of teams fighting relegation to still enjoy there team play basketball, and feel the thrills with the highs and lows of the playoffs with the relegation battle.
Because in this league?
You don’t get rewarded for losing.
You get demoted.
💸 CHANGE #2 — THE NEW SALARY CAP SYSTEM
Changes that I propose to occur to the NBA's salary cap is complicated, but
Firstly:
The old soft/hard cap nonsense? Gone. We’re bringing order, punishment, and real consequences to how teams spend 💀.
Division 1 — The Big League 💥
Rule 1 — Salary Cap ($180M)
Fixed at $180M 💵
1 season over: chill, no punishment 😎
2 seasons over: cannot offer any contracts over $35M ⚠️
3 seasons over: cannot sign any players unless team has fewer than 12 players 🚫
4+ seasons over: high bills every year until fixed 🔥
Rule 2 — Soft Cap ($210M)
1 season over: tax bill 💰, no trades using exceptions, no NBA Academy trades, max contract = MLE $7.5M
2–3 seasons over: same rules, increased tax, still no MLE, no trade exceptions, no academy trades 🚫💀
Rule 3 — Hard Cap ($275M)
1 season over: all previous penalties
2+ seasons over: automatic relegation 🏀⚡
Division 2 — The Struggle League 🔥
Same structure as Division 1, but all caps reduced. 💵
Salary Cap: $180M → $165M
Soft Cap: $210M → $190M
Hard Cap: $275M → $250M
Breaking the hard cap 2 seasons in a row? Team must be sold or disbanded 🪦
Consequences hit harder here because small market teams can’t hide behind loopholes
Why This Works
Teams cannot buy championships with reckless spending 💀
Over spending has real consequences: no contracts, no trades, relegation, or even team sale
Keeps Div 1 competitive and Div 2 accountable ⚡
Encourages smart roster building and long term strategy instead of chasing stars for hype
🤑 Change #3 - The New Contract System.
The old system where anyone could get 35% of the cap? Dead. 🪦 Now, a player’s max pay depends on what they actually achieve in the league 🏆.
Division 1 (Top League)
Starting max: $20M 💵
Add-ons:
+$1M per season in the league 🏀
+$2M per All-Star appearance 🌟
+$2.5M per All-NBA selection 📝
+$2.5M per Mip ❤️🩹
+$2.5M per 6moy 🪑
+$3m ROTY 🌱
+$3m per Dpoy 🛑
+$5M per MVP 🏅
Example: LeBron James could earn up to $161.5M per season 🤯
Zion Williamson and Darius Garland currently max out at ~$31M.
Minimum contracts: $500k starting, +$250k per year, capped at $3M 💪
Division 2 (Second League)
Starting max: $15M 💵
Cap: $40M maximum, no matter achievements ⚠️
Minimum contracts: $250k starting, +$125k per year in the league, capped at $1.5M
Why This Works
Rewards actual achievement, not draft position or hype 🔥
Separates superstars from stars and high level role players naturally
Solves the problem where someone like Lauri Markkanen makes almost as much as Tatum 💀
⚠️ WHAT HAPPENS TO EXISTING CONTRACTS
Due to the change in system, all current player contracts will remain exactly as they are until they expire ⏳. No cuts, no renegotiations, no shady “we’re adjusting your max” surprises 😏. Once a contract naturally ends, the new achievement based salary system kicks in 💥 maxes, mins, Division 1 vs Division 2 rules, all of it.
This way, stars keep getting paid for what they earned, teams aren’t penalized mid contract, and the league can transition smoothly into the new era of earned pay 💰🏀.
🏀 CHANGE #4 — REGULAR SEASON STRUCTURE (66 Games)
Say goodbye to the 82-game slog. We’ve cut the league from 30 teams to 20, and every game actually matters now.
🏟 Conferences
Two conferences (East & West)
10 teams per conference
Smaller league = more talent concentration, more rivalries, and higher stakes for every game.
📊 Game Distribution
66-game season:
In conference: 4 games vs each of the 9 other teams → 36 games
Out-of-conference: 3 games vs each of the 10 teams → 30 games
Total: 36 + 30 = 66 games ✅
With this format, every match matters.
🧠 Why This Works
Fewer games = less fatigue, higher quality basketball
Fewer teams = higher talent concentration → more exciting matchups
Every late-season game is meaningful → tanking punished naturally
Preps teams perfectly for Play-In + 12-team playoffs + relegation + World Championship + loan system
🏀 CHANGE #4 — 14-TEAM PLAYOFFS
The top 14 teams per division make the playoffs, with seeds 1–10 getting advantages and seeds 11–14 fighting in the Play-In.
📊 Playoff Qualification
Seeds 1–5 → Direct playoff positioning or bye
Seeds 6–9 → Play-In Tournament
🎟 Play-In Tournament (Seeds 6–9)
6 vs 7 → Winner becomes 6th seed in the playoffs
8 vs 9 → Winner plays loser of 6/7 → Winner becomes 13th seed in playoffs
✅ This sets the full 14-team bracket
🏆 14-Team Playoffs (Best-of-7 Series)
Round 1 – First Round
Top 1 seeds → BYE (reward for regular season excellence)
Seeds 3–7 → Best-of-7 matchups:
1 Seeds (East & West) → BYE (Automatic advancement to Quarterfinals).
Seeds 2–7 → Best-of-7 matchups:
2 vs 7
3 vs 6
4 vs 5
Round 2 – Conference Semifinals
The #1 seeds join the winners from Round 1 to determine who moves on to the Conference Finals.
1 Seed vs Winner of 4/5.
Winner of (2v7) vs Winner of (3v6)
Round 3 – Conference Finals (4 Teams)
Winners of Conference Semi-Finals face off
Best-of-7
Round 4 – NBA/League Finals (1 matchup)
Division 1 Champion vs Division 2 Champion
Best-of-7 → League Champion crowned 🏆
✅ Notes
Play-In seeds make the bracket more competitive as the losing teams face relegation
Top seeds rewarded with bye week
Lower seeds have to survive Play-In + First Round → true test of stamina and coaching
Every series is Best-of-7, no shortcuts
🔄 CHANGE #6 — LOANS: DEVELOP AND SURVIVE
Tired of your bench being full of “prospects who can’t play”? Want to steal someone else’s rising star for a season? Welcome to the NBA Loan System.
📝 How It Works
Teams can loan players to other teams in exchange for:
Academy prospects
Other players (loan or permanent trade)
Deal sweeteners like Flagg Exceptions or Tree-Plant Exceptions can be added, but cannot be loaned themselves
Loans can be:
Short-term: 1 season only
Players on loan:
Play for the borrowing team as if they were fully signed
Stats, achievements, and awards count toward their career
Original team retains rights unless a permanent trade is agreed
⚡ Benefits
Teams with stacked benches can free up cap space or get developmental assets
Teams rebuilding or thin at certain positions can grab talent without committing long-term
Academy integration: Young players can be loaned to D-League or other teams to get real minutes
Encourages strategic roster flexibility and prevents talent hoarding
🔒 Rules
Maximum 3 active loaned players per team at any time
Loan duration: Max 1 season
Flagg Exceptions or Tree-Plant Exceptions cannot be loaned directly, but can be added as deal sweeteners to the loan
💡 Why This Works
Turns the league into a dynamic, living ecosystem
Prevents stagnant rosters and makes every season unpredictable
Helps young talent develop faster, and keeps veterans valuable
Fans get more exciting matchups — “Who loaned who this week?” becomes a new storyline
🌍 CHANGE #6 The World Championship Works (Step-by-Step)
This tournament happens every 2 years and does NOT replace domestic leagues. It sits on top of them.
Think: Basketball’s version of the World Cup + Champions League combined.
🏀 1️⃣ Qualification (Merit-Based Only)
Teams qualify automatically based on performance:
🇺🇸 NBA (8 Teams)
Final Four from Division 1 playoffs
Final Four from Division 2 playoffs
If you made your league’s Conference Finals, you’re in.
🌎 Global Champions (10 Teams)
EuroLeague Final Four (4 teams)
Basketball Champions League Asia Champions (Asia)
NBL Champion (Australia)
Canadian Elite Basketball League Champion (Canada)
NBA Africa Champion (Africa)
Puerto Rico League Champion (Puerto Rico)
Brazilian League Champion (Brazil)
Total = 18 teams
No committee votes. No wildcards. No politics. Win or go home.
🗓 2️⃣ When It Happens
Held every two years
Takes place after all domestic seasons finish
Runs for ~4 weeks
Hosted in a rotating global location
This avoids interfering with NBA or EuroLeague schedules.
🏟 3️⃣ Tournament Format
🔹 Round 1 — Opening Knockouts (3 Games per Series)
Teams not receiving byes play best-of-3
Example: 14 teams → 7 matchups → 7 winners advance
NBA & EuroLeague champions skip this round
🔹 Round 2 — Round of 12 (5 Games per Series)
7 winners + NBA/EuroLeague champions → 9 teams
Top seeds receive bye to semifinals
Remaining teams paired → best-of-5 series
Winners advance to semifinals
🔹 Semifinals — 4 Teams (5 Games per Series)
4 winners → best-of-5
Neutral courts, no home advantage bias
🔹 Finals — Championship Series (7 Games)
Semifinal winners → best-of-7
Winner = Official World Champion 🌍🏆
💰 4️⃣ Financial Structure
Revenue split between:
Participating leagues
Teams
Global development fund
Division 2 teams benefit massively from exposure.
Smaller leagues gain legitimacy and investment.
⚖ 5️⃣ Competitive Balance Rules
Salary caps do NOT change for tournament
No short term signings
Rosters must be the same as domestic playoff roster
Injury replacements allowed only under league approval
This prevents fake superteam stacking.
🔥 6️⃣ Incentives
Winner gets official World Champion title
Massive prize pool
Global branding & sponsorship priority
If a Division 2 team wins?
Automatic promotion to Division 1 next season.
🧠 Why This Actually Works
It:
Preserves domestic leagues
Rewards real performance
Makes “World Champion” legitimate
Grows the sport globally
Forces NBA teams to prove superiority instead of assuming it
It doesn’t dilute the NBA.
It elevates basketball.
🚨 The Real Impact
Right now, the NBA champion is assumed to be the best in the world.
Under this system?
They have to prove it.
Team's shouldn't be rewarded for failing, they should be punished, WELCOME RELEGATION. 🏀🔥
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