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What the NBA's new two-day draft will mean for prospects, front offices and fans

AP Photo/John Minchillo

NBA GENERAL MANAGERS meet yearly at the draft combine in Chicago with league operations, creating a forum for discussion, new ideas and feedback.

Last year -- the afternoon before the San Antonio Spurs won the No. 1 pick and the right to select Victor Wembanyama -- was no different.

But this meeting saw one salient concept brought to the forefront by the GMs: a formal pitch of expanding the NBA draft to two days, spacing out the first and second rounds.

The idea of adding more time in the second round has been discussed for more than a decade, with a group of executives presenting the concept to the league as far back as 2011, a team source told ESPN. The rationale has been that slowing the whirlwind pace of the draft and providing additional time would better equip front offices to make thoughtful decisions and facilitate more transactions.

There was also discussion at last year's meeting about the value of an expanded, multiday television broadcast to better spotlight the second round of the draft and present it in prime time, sources present at the meeting told ESPN.