Adam Silver continues to speak to the media about the possibility of the NBA adopting a second cup for NBA teams in addition to the regular season and the playoffs.

“It’s incumbent on me to constantly be looking at other organizations and seeing what it is we can do better and learn from them,” Silver said. “In the case of European soccer, I think there is something we can learn from them.

“I also recognize I’m up against some of the traditionalists who say no one will care about that other competition, that other trophy, you create. And my response to that is, ‘Organizations have the ability to create new traditions.’ It won’t happen overnight.”

Silver has yet to make a formal proposal to the union.

League officials have discussed an in-season tournament as well as a play-in tournament at the end of the regular season to create an additional pathway to the playoffs.

The in-season tournament could feature the semifinals and final played during All-Star weekend while also having the Saturday night events. The competitive games between actual franchises would replace an All-Star Game that some believe has "outlived its usefulness."

“I’m looking at things from a fan standpoint,” Silver said. “I’m looking at how to create the most exciting season and experience, especially in a rapidly changing media market where fans are in essence voting every day whether they want to watch your product.

“Another marker for me is that we’re a few seasons away from our 75th anniversary,” Silver continued, referring to a landmark that the league will commemorate in 2021-22. “I think that milestone gives us a pillar around which to think about the history of the league and experiment — maybe just for the 75th anniversary — with some potential changes.”

Marc Stein and Silver reference the Premier League and its popularity at length.

“The most watched league in the world is only 27 years old,” Silver said of the Premier League. “So the idea that the NBA can’t create new traditions over time makes no sense to me.”

Stein and Silver, however, don't discuss the way the NBA has rendered the regular season virtually meaningless whereas the Premier League has no playoffs and is a true regular season pursuit. Winning the Premier League carries dramatically more significance than the FA Cup or Carabao Cup with the European-wide Champions League acting as the closest kin to the NBA Playoffs in terms of format and stature.

The Premier League, like most other soccer leagues, also has promotion and relegation, which inherently gives many clubs something to play for even if they're not in contention to win the league or qualify for a spot in one of the European tournaments.