Trae Young’s Teammate Accepts $500,000 Has Motivated Teams to Fight Hard for the NBA Cup

The 2024-25 NBA campaign marks the second season of the league’s implementation of the NBA Cup (formerly known as the In-Season Tournament). There were plenty of question marks throughout the experiment of the tournament last season, but it did feature an improved level of play among teams. There’s more understanding regarding the functionality of the tournament, which has familiarized players across the league. Hawks forward Jalen Johnson reveals the monetary $500,000 incentive certainly plays a role in the motivation of players.

Johnson joined FanDuel TV’s Run It Back to discuss his thoughts on the NBA Cup. The 6-foot-9 forward didn’t hide the fact that the cash prize has motivated his peers and himself. The proof is in the product. He said,

“It’s a lot more motivation league-wide. Last year was kind of like a trial run. Everybody understands the importance. Everybody wants to go to Vegas and wants to play for that $500K.”

"It's a lot more motivation league wide. Everybody understands the importance and wants to play for that $500K."

Jalen Johnson on NBA Cup

▶️ https://t.co/zKDjBN2weJ pic.twitter.com/AwOPiSjCis

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) November 26, 2024

The $500,000 cash prize may not seem of much significance for All-NBA players making multi-million dollars. However, the money goes a long way for players on contracts on a smaller scale. Last season, many stars competed hard to earn their teammates an increased payday.

Johnson shed light that there was some confusion in the first season of the NBA Cup. However, now that everyone has seen it pan out, there’s a better understanding of the tournament. The NBA Cup is a separate entity from the playoffs, but teams across the league witnessed the impact it can have on a team attempting to compete.

Last season the Pacers unexpectedly made a deep run in the tournament, clinching a berth in the NBA Cup Finals against the Lakers. They weren’t able to win, but they took the success in the tournament and expanded on it. They traded for Pascal Siakam and eventually went on a run to the Eastern Conference Finals in the postseason.

Teams are keeping this in mind for the second season of the tournament. Johnson and the Hawks have already displayed to the basketball world their motivation to go far in the NBA Cup. They currently hold a 2-1 record in group-stage play, including an improbable road win over the Celtics without Trae Young.

Hawks’ success in the NBA Cup thus far

In terms of teams contending for a championship, the Hawks are far removed from that conversation. However, their ability to compete on a game-to-game basis has led them to be a formidable foe in the NBA Cup.

They are in East Group C along with the Celtics, the Cavaliers, the Bulls, and the Wizards. They followed their victory over the Celtics with a win against the Wizards and a loss to the Bulls. The only team the Hawks have yet to face is the NBA’s best, Cleveland Cavaliers.

The two teams are scheduled to face in a highly anticipated NBA Cup matchup on Friday at 2:30 PM ET. If the Hawks are able to pull off the win, they’ll be the outright winners of Group C. Although they have a 7-11 record on the season, Commissioner Adam Silver envisioned for teams to make ‘Cinderella’ runs in the NBA Cup similar to NCAA’s March Madness.