The NBA is already exploring major changes to the draft lottery as well as the addition of two new teams. However, there has also been discussion of the league shortening the season to just 72 games.
0 for 3!
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) March 27, 2026
Also — notice how none of the ideas involve shortening the season which is partly how we fell into this tanking sinkhole in the first place. They come up with 3 “solutions” and none of the 3 are “what would 72 games look like?”
This league is so frustrating https://t.co/UW7HA6H7GW
That has proven controversial, but former Dallas Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban believes he has a solution. He floated the idea of the NBA shortening their games to just 40 minutes rather than 48 minutes.
Make the games 40 minutes.
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) March 28, 2026
8 x 82 / 48 =13.667 That’s the equivalent number of games you would reduce the schedule by. Without breaking arena leases.
Works for college. Works for international. Works for the WNBA.
AND.
If you looking at tv and streaming ratings,… https://t.co/GXWNcMtaJT
On the surface, that would appear to be a dramatic change, but perhaps not nearly as much as trimming 10 games from the schedule.
The NBA should consider 40-minute games
The NBA going to a 40-minute game would have far-reaching ramifications. One of them is that it would dramatically decrease the number of minutes played over the course of a season.
That could be a great thing. Cuban points out that shortening games by 8 minutes multiplied by 82 games would result in the equivalent of 13 fewer games.
However, the league wouldn't have to shorten the schedule. The NBA is conscious of load management and the perception surrounding it.
Therefore, reducing the number of minutes puts less wear and tear on their best players, which seems like a huge win. Better still, it would keep them from having to lose revenue by reducing games.
40-minute games would dramatically change the NBA
Better yet, for the NBA, it would dramatically decrease the length of TV broadcasts, which currently lasts around two and a half hours. Eight fewer minutes would result in games that are 2 hours or less.
That means the NBA could air more games and therefore generate more TV revenue thanks to a 2-hour broadcast window. What about the fans? The reaction would likely be mixed.
Being able to watch full games in less than two hours would probably be popular, but players might have a more negative reaction. One reason is that there would be an obvious negative impact on stats.
There would also be fewer minutes to go around. In fact, some teams might rely more on their starters, especially younger teams. That could result in starters getting paid even more than bench players but could increase the length of players' careers.
Still, the positives outweight the negative when it comes to 40-minute games. But right now, it doesn't seem likely that the NBA will make that change.