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Silver: 2019 All-Star draft likely to be televised

Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The next logical and perhaps final step in revitalizing the NBA All-Star Game following the success of the 2018 event is televising the draft in which the rosters are selected.

While the basketball world was deprived of that this year, league commissioner Adam Silver - who was concerned that a live draft would put players "in an impossible position" - sounds optimistic we'll get one at the 2019 festivities in Charlotte.

"When we sat with the union and we came up with this format, we all agreed, let's not turn something that's 100 percent positive into a potential negative to any player," Silver told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne on Sunday. "But then ... maybe we're overly conservative because then we came out of there, and the players were, 'We can take it. We're All-Stars. Let's have a draft.' So it sounds like we're going to have a televised draft next year."

In an attempt to make the game more competitive after a 192-182 result in New Orleans, Silver instituted a new format this year where the top vote-getter from each conference would captain a team. They'd then pick their fellow starters from a pool of talent voted in by fans, media, and players, with the reserves selected by coaches.

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry wound up as captains, with Team LeBron claiming a narrow 148-145 victory Sunday at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Related: LeBron named 2018 All-Star Game MVP

Silver later added he's not sure how a live draft would play out, but with the support of the players and the union to make it a reality, they'll be able to "figure it out."

"I'm so thankful, and I think I know walking around the arena here, the fans appreciated it just as much as I did," said Silver of how the initial changes have been perceived.

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