4 ways the NBA can help avoid another Utah Jazz intentional tank job
By Chad Porto
3. Pay teams who perform better more of the league's TV money
So we've taken away the positive effects of losing. No advantage in the draft lottery and no way to reclaim draft picks through losing. Now, you have to get creative with how you build a team, and maybe everyone in this scenario should start calling the Miami Heat because they're the answer to prolonged success.
Now, how do we make sure that execs like Danny Ainge don't try to game the system? By making sure their bosses feel in their pockets at the end of the season. Fun fact, the NBA is carried by about half of the teams in it. Nearly half of the teams in the NBA (14), don't turn a profit. This according to a 2017 report thatis probably more true than ever. The reason why NBA teams aren't folding due to mounting debt is that they have a great revenue-sharing system (take note MLB). Essentially, everyone takes home a cut of the pie, regardless of where they're located.
Teams like Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles are among the most populated in the country, so they'll likely stand to make more in any television deal the league signs, so they distribute the money fairly equally due to the fact that the Bulls, Knicks, and Lakers can't play games without going to Cleveland, Charlotte, and Orlando. So all the teams get a share because every team adds value to the league.
If you changed how the revenue was portioned out by winning records, then you'll have owners demanding teams compete until the end. This was a great idea from Andy Larsen, but I want to expand on it. Each NBA team should make the same amount, but if you divide up the revenue where half of it goes to every team fairly, and the other half is metered out in a tiered system, you'll be able to (hopefully) keep every team solvent while rewarding owners with better ran organizations.