One proposed NBA rule change that would have significant ramifications has the backing of commissioner Adam Silver.
On Tuesday, Silver endorsed lowering the NBA Draft age limit from 19 to 18. The commissioner said changing the limit is “the right thing to do” and said the discussion would be on the table in the next CBA negotiation.
“It’s [based on] larger conversations than just whether we go from 19 to 18, but I’m on record: When I balance all of these various considerations, I think that would be the right thing to do and I am hopeful that that’s a change we make in this next collective bargaining cycle, which will happen in the next couple years,” Silver said, via Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
Under current rules, high school players have to wait a year after high school to enter the draft. The hope was this would bolster the college game, but an increasing number of players have chosen to play professionally overseas or even spend a year training privately before entering the draft.
Silver has acknowledged previously that the rule is not working, but he had previously supported raising the limit, not lowering it. This stance represents a significant change for him, and is a proposal the NBPA will wholeheartedly embrace. If Silver really pushes for this, it should become a reality whenever the next CBA is negotiated.
