This current season, the draft took place just eight days after the Miami Heat won their second consecutive championship. The reason for moving it back, according to the report, would be to try to make the draft into a much bigger event and space it out from the conclusion of the season.
The NBA believes it can turn the draft into a bigger event and showcase its new players and generate more interest in the draft by creating more distance between the conclusion of the Finals and the draft. The hangover from the Finals lingers into draft week, suppressing some of the drama, excitement and coverage leading up to the event.
NBA and ABC/ESPN and Turner executives began preliminary discussions during the playoffs about the next TV deal – the current deal expires after the 2015-16 season – and moving the draft back was part of the talks.
The complication is that moving the draft back would also force the NBA's summer league's to be moved back.
Another hang-up: The NBA season already feels like it lasts two or three years. Dragging it out even more could cause significant fan fatigue, especially if free agency and summer league extend into August with training camps starting in early October.
