OKC Thunder: 5 Key takeaways from players Q and A with Silver

Financial dynamics:

A key takeaway from the conference call was the revelation that fans being in attendance account for approximately 40 percent of league revenue.

The commissioner pointed out the league (and CBA) wasn’t built to outlast a long term pandemic. Without fans in attendance and that specific lost revenue, it’s clear there will be longer-term effects.

Although players make substantial income most players have a small career window. Silver and Roberts made sure to drive home the fact that the CBA, salary cap, and by extension player salaries will be affected by this pandemic.

No doubt, they are trying to prepare players for the reality their salaries will likely take a hit at least in the next few seasons. To that end, it won’t be surprising to see players taking shorter-term deals in the interim.

Moving forward:

Silver advised regardless of what happens to this season there is a good chance the 2020-21 campaign will start in December.

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Again, that’s logical given the timing dynamics of this year. The NBA will want to postpone the start of next season even if they fail to return this year in order to get closer to a timeline where fans can return to watch games.

With 40 percent of revenues coming from fans being at games that is clearly the optimal scenario. Starting next season in December won’t mean fans will definitely be back (finding a vaccine will likely determine that choice) but it would afford the league more time to achieve that goal.

While OKC Thunder fans anxiously await a return to action they can rest assured the NBA is taking ever caution to make sure the players and those involved in bringing games back will be safe.

Adam Silver was the first major sports league to postpone the season and similarly, he won’t be pressured into returning especially if it has any effect on fans and communities. As much as we all would love to watch live games that’s the wisest choice the commissioner can make.