Once the NBA In-Season tournament was announced, fans started wondering how much players would get if they ended up winning the tournament. In April, Shams Charania reported that each NBA player will get $500,000 if their team wins the in-season tournament. While that seems like a small salary for NBA players, this is a very big bonus for players.
It is also huge due to the fact that the state of Nevada has no state tax. Taxes are a huge thing for athletes due to the fact that they are at high rates for various tax code reasons.
The average player's salary is around $9.5 million dollars per year which would make the bonus equate to a 5 percent bonus for any average player in the league. While it is not great to pocket-watch NBA players' wallets, it is notable to show that the NBA has invested in their new product.
Considering that some players, like Marcus Smart, have already said the players don't really care about the tournament, the league may ultimately have to figure out how to increase the prize money.
What is the NBA's reasoning for having a in-season tournament?
The main reason that the NBA is creating an un-season tournament is to create more interest in the early part of the season. Unfortunately, the interest in the NBA isn't usually high in the first couple of month. This is due to the fact that the league is on an 82-game schedule that stretches from October to April. The league decided to create an in-season tournament that is similar to a mid-season soccer tournament in Europe.
The other reason that the league is doing this is to create more fan interest from teams who are clearly not competing for a title this season. In a league that is extremely top-heavy, a lot of fanbases lose interest in their team's season because they clearly aren't competitive. A team could have a lot more interest in their season if they have a chance to win a tournament that highlights their progress.
Marketing a team could be a lot easier if they are able to show the fanbase some progress. For a league that is lacking attention in November/December, the in-season tournament could be the thing that gets it for them.