The injury to Paul George could be a "game-changer" for NBA stars participating in FIBA. In addition to NBA players potentially becoming less willing to play for Team USA, league owners could push to limit their max-contract stars playing basketball outside of league games.
George suffered a compound leg fracture on Friday and is likely to miss the entire 2014-15 NBA season because of it. The injury to George, a max-contract player, could change the NBA's relationship with FIBA.
"This could be a game-changer for international basketball," one general manager told Yahoo Sports.
While owners and executives aren't arguing about players participating in the Olympics, they do appear to have growing reservations about letting their big-name players participate FIBA games during the summer.
"The Olympics every four years is one thing, but the rest of this inconsequential [expletive] is ridiculous," another general manager told Yahoo Sports. "We're not paying our guys 50 percent of the BRI so our stars can be exposed to injuries just to let the league [convince itself] that they're going to expand into European markets."
The idea is to limit the risk to players. George was a key piece for the Indiana Pacers, whose chances of winning an NBA title now have plummeted well before the start of training camp.
ESPN reported none of the 19 players left on Team USA plan to withdraw. Another general manager, though, believes the effects - if any - of George's injury won't be seen until next summer and may not even come in the form of stricter owner-mandated offseason restrictions.
"No one on this team wants to walk away because that would seem unfair to Paul," the general manager told ESPN. "If there is any fallout from this injury, it may not be felt until the next time invites [for Team USA] go out."
