How Phoenix Suns are affected by NBA's new strict load management rules for All-Stars
Fans might not be let down as much from NBA teams resting their stars for games in the near future.
The NBA Board of Governors approved the new player participation policy (PPP) on Wednesday, which is effective for the upcoming 2023-24 season beginning in October, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
These stricter guidelines were recommended by the league's competition committee to attempt curbing the league's ongoing load management issues of teams letting All-Stars sit out from games. Now, the league has more authority to oversee and discipline by fining teams over $1 million for more than three violations of the new resting rules.
Commissioner Adam Silver and the league front office's heavy hand on load management correlates to them negotiating a new national television rights deal as the current one ends in the 2024-25 season.
The league wants to sell the fans on being able to see the stars rather than teams resting them from precautions of recent or potential injuries, not having the stars play against mediocre or losing teams, or resting them to rejuvenate their bodies if the team is entering the playoffs.
This new policy replaces the original player resting policy (PRP) that was implemented during the 2017-18 season. The PRP disallowed resting healthy players for any high-profile and nationally televised game. In addition, the PRP also prohibited teams from resting multiple players or resting players for away games. Violators of that policy were assessed a fine of at least $100,000. That's small change to a multimillion-dollar team's finances, and that fine obviously didn't stop them from load managing their best players.
More: NBA to vote on issuing team fines under new All-Star load management rules
New resting rules
No more than one star can be rested for the same game.
Teams are required to have All-Star(s) available on nationally televised and the new in-season tournament games.
Teams can no longer do long-term shutdowns — or near shutdowns — when a star player stops participating in games or plays in a materially reduced role in circumstances affecting the integrity of the game.
If a team's star player is resting but healthy, he must be present at the game and visible to fans.
Levels of PPP fines
$100,000 for a first violation
$250,000 for the second penalty
$1.25 million for the third
$1 million more beyond the previous three
Phoenix Suns schedule, TV channels: How to watch, stream games in 2023-24 NBA season
Player participation criteria for NBA awards
As of July 1, the NBA and the player's union (NBPA) have a new clause in their collective bargaining agreement for players to earn the league's top honors. That includes MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, All-NBA First through Third Teams, All-Defensive Team, or Most Improved Player.
The players must play at least 65 regular season games to be eligible for these awards. In addition, the players must play at least 62 games (for at least 20 minutes in a game), suffered a season-ending injury and played in at least 85% of the regular season schedule. However, a player's appearance in two games can count toward that 65 if he was under the 20-minute by being on the court at least 15 minutes.
How this affects Phoenix Suns
The PPP targets players who've earned All-Star or All-NBA status within the past three seasons. This impacts 25 of the league's 30 teams and 50 players. That list could change for the 2024 All-Star Game.
There are 15 teams with multiple players that fall under this new policy. That includes the Phoenix Suns who have Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant.
Before Beal was acquired by Phoenix from the Washington Wizards in June in a blockbuster trade package for Chris Paul, Washington shut down Beal for its final 10 games due to what the team cited as knee soreness. Last offseason, Beal signed a five-year deal for $251 million. Washington hasn't made the postseason since 2016, so the team didn't want to risk more injury for its then-franchise player. But Washington would have been investigated by the league for possibly violating the PPP if it was enacted last season.
Another example is Phoenix has back-to-back home games against the Portland Trail Blazers on Nov. 21, then will be nationally televised against the Golden State Warriors the next night on ESPN. Phoenix wouldn't be able to rest Booker, Beal, or Durant versus Golden State if they are healthy.
The league's pre-approved exception allowed for missing the second game of a back-to-back is for players who are at least 35 years old on opening night, or have career workloads of 34,000 regular-season minutes or 1,000 regular season and playoff games combined.
Durant fits this stipulation because although he has played 14 career games shy of 1,000, his 35th birthday is on September 29. The Suns' season tip-off is October 24 at Golden State.
Plus, if a team deems a star player to be unable to play in a back-to-back, it must send the league written information at least one week prior explaining why that player shouldn't play.
Back-to-back game restrictions won't apply to national TV or in-season tournament games unless the other game in the back-to-back is also a national television or in-season tournament game.
Here's the list of several other exceptions that the league would approve:
Multigame absences from injury
Personal reasons
Rare and unusual circumstances
Roster management of unavailable star players
End-of-season flexibility
Otherwise, expect to see Phoenix's new Big 3 a lot this season without much rest.
More: Drake enters concert with Kevin Durant in Austin, days after Phoenix show with Devin Booker
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Suns impacted by NBA's new policy to rest All-Stars
