In years past, we would only be a few weeks away from awards season, as the winners of end-of-season honors, such as MVP, Rookie of the Year, would be announced during the middle of the playoffs. But in a new twist, the NBA has decided to hold an awards show later this summer on June 26, so we'll have to wait until then to learn the results of the major awards.
Except, that is, for the All-NBA teams.
Those were originally set to be part of the awards show, but according to a report from the Washington Post, the league has decided to move up the announcement of those honors in order to help teams prepare for the offseason. More, via Tim Bontemps of the Post:
To allow for its teams to have all the necessary information to make offseason preparations, the NBA will announce its all-NBA teams before its inaugural awards show in late June, according to league sources.
Because of the newly created Designated Player Exception, which relies on players making, among other things, one of the three all-NBA teams to qualify, decisions about whether players — such as Indiana Pacers star Paul George, for example — will be willing to remain with their current team or be open to being traded elsewhere could be based upon whether a player is voted on to one of the teams.
The newly created awards show will air on June 26, several days after the NBA draft, which, if the all-NBA teams were announced during the awards show, would have put teams in a tough spot. The Pacers, for example, wouldn't know whether George qualifies for the massive extra payout that comes with being eligible for the DPE, or if he would not, which could make the team more willing to trade him with one year left on his contract before he can become a free agent.
This is a smart move by the league, because, as the publication notes, the All-NBA teams can now play a vital role in contract negotiations.
The most obviously impacted team this summer, as Bontemps also points out, is the Indiana Pacers, as their decision regarding Paul George -- and thus, the whole direction of their franchise moving forward -- will be largely influenced by whether or not George makes an All-NBA team.
George reportedly told ex-teammates that he wants to play for the Lakers, so that decision might have already been made for them, but, if George makes an All-NBA team this season, which is a possibility, though he faces stiff competition, the Pacers would be able to offer him an extra $70M next summer when he'll be a free agent.
