When Adam Silver met with his Board of Governors in July, he admitted he was "no fan" of Kevin Durant's decision to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Golden State Warriors "fearing its implications on competitive balance."
From that moment on, the NBA's collective bargaining agreement negotiations were colored by the league's desire to make it more difficult for super teams to assemble.
They became motivated to give smaller market stars greater financial incentive and flexibility to sign long-term contracts with their existing teams.
Privately, there are still small market executives who believe the NBA didn't go far enough.