[Saba Sports News] The NBA introduced its midseason tournament to enhance competition earlier in the 82-game season. Currently, players are enticed by a $500,000 prize for each member of the winning team’s roster and the chance to compete in Las Vegas in December during the semifinal and championship rounds.
Haliburton has proposed an additional reward for the tournament, aside from monetary incentives. The former All-Star recommended to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports that the NBA should contemplate granting the in-season tournament winner an automatic playoff spot.
Haliburton stated, “I believe the most significant incentive for everyone to participate would be an assured playoff berth. If it guaranteed a playoff spot, I believe every team would take it very seriously, even the more experienced teams.”
However, Haliburton acknowledged that such a prize would present its own challenges. While an automatic playoff berth would likely motivate more players to prioritize the NBA in-season tournament, the winning team could potentially ease off for the remainder of the season, knowing their postseason spot is secure.
Nevertheless, based on the initial results from the inaugural NBA in-season tournament, it’s evident that the players are already highly motivated. Many games, including a thrilling Warriors-Thunder matchup culminating in a Steph Curry game-winning shot, have been fiercely contested.