Lakers owner Jeanie Buss says the rumored midseason tournament would help the NBA season

• Lakers owner Jeanie Buss told Insider that the league has been discussing a midseason tournament to create a second prize for teams to play for.

• NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has frequently addressed the idea, and a potential framework was reported in September.

• Though the NBA acknowledges such a tournament may take time to catch on, some believe it will eventually be a success.

The long-rumored, oft-discussed NBA midseason tournament is growing closer to reality.

It's an idea NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has discussed frequently, saying that creating a second trophy for teams to compete for would add more layers of interest to the season.

Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss agrees. Speaking to Insider from the Cincoro Gold launch event on Tuesday, Buss confirmed that the league, its owners, and players have been discussing an in-season tournament.

"I wish there was more trophies to give out, and so now we're talking about an in-season tournament, where we'll have a championship inside the championship year," Buss said. "What I like to see is more winning, more opportunities, more like European football."

Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Wes Edens, who was also at the event, praised the NBA's "innovation."

"It's what they're doing well. They don't stand still," Edens said of the league. "If you look at what has happened in basketball versus baseball versus golf or other sports have been slower to adapt, I think basketball deserves a lot of credit."

On September 9, The Athletic's Shams Charania reported a potential framework for a tournament, beginning in the 2023-24 season. Charania reported that the tournament games would run through November, with those games counting toward the typical 82-game schedule. It would eventually conclude with the eight final teams playing single-elimination games for to-be-determined prizes (money has often been reported as the incentive).

Charania reported that the exact details are still being negotiated.

Evan Wasch, the NBA's executive vice president of basketball strategy and analytics, told Insider in April that the league is still determining what the incentives for winning would be. There has been fan discussion about the tournament being tied to the regular-season standings — notably, The Ringer's Bill Simmons proposed this — to create incentive to win the tournament.

Wasch, however, said the league felt the midseason tournament had to stand on its own.

"If you're looking to build long-term franchise value on something, we feel strongly that it's the type of event that needs to stand on its own from a prestige and legacy standpoint for our teams and players," Wasch said.

Silver has said that he recognizes an in-season tournament might take a while to catch on, telling Yahoo's Vincent Goodwill in June that it won't be an "overnight success."

However, some in the league are still bullish on the prospect. One NBA GM told Insider that although the tournament may take years to catch on, it will eventually drive significant fan interest and revenue.

"But I think we can create new traditions, obviously, things change over time," Silver told Yahoo. "And so that's something I'm very focused on right now."

Read the original article on Insider