The new load management rule prevents teams from resting multiple stars and some teams will suffer from that.

The NBA has issued a new rule: teams are not allowed to rest multiple All-Star players at once. This could greatly affect a bulk of teams that need their superstar players healthy by the time the postseason comes around. Specifically, there are some NBA teams who will struggle with implementing the new league-wide rule.

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The NBA must at least play one All-Star every game throughout the season if they have more than one and the players aren’t injured. The league has determined All-Stars to be players that have made at least one All-NBA or All-Star Team over any of the past three seasons.

Teams who violate this rule will be fined $100,000 for the first offense, $250,000 for the second, $1.25 million for the third, and an additional $1 million more than the prior incident afterward. The league’s commission does not want teams to run their stars to the ground but rather crack down on unnecessary situations where fans cannot see the best players on the court consistently. Finally, teams can’t sit out players when they’re healthy anymore.

Load management has become an extremely hot topic in professional basketball because contenders are fine with finishing with a playoff spot and going all-in by the time the playoffs come. That won’t be the case anymore and there will be a handful of teams who will need to employ different strategies to meet the league’s requirements, struggling in the process. Here are the select NBA teams that will struggle most with the new load management rule.

Dallas Mavericks

All-Stars Affected: Kyrie Irving

The Dallas Mavericks need their star players playing the majority of the season for them to capture a top-four seed and push for the Western Conference Finals again. Luka Doncic is still one of the top-five players in the NBA when at his best, and at only 24 years old, the sky is truly the limit for a player who is drawing comparisons to Larry Bird. Of course, all eyes will be on Kyrie Irving.

Irving has to be playing a ton of games to build chemistry with the rest of the team, and perhaps this load management rule will do the Mavericks good in the long run. Kyrie has made a habit out of missing games since the 2019 season, as his record for games is 20, 54, 29, and 60. That won’t cut it, and if the point guard needs rest, the league likely won’t allow it unless Luka is playing heavy minutes and carrying a heavy load.

Anytime a fringe All-Star who fits better with a team is swapped for a big-name star who might be past his playing best, criticism is likely to follow. Jalen Brunson seems to be the better option for Dallas because he does not demand that much attention on and off the court and knows how to play off the ball better with Doncic handling the offense. Kyrie might have a tremendous bounce-back season, but he needs to be more available than ever and the Mavericks might run into trouble with that.

Philadelphia 76ers

All-Stars Affected: Joel Embiid, James Harden

Obviously, James Harden might not be on the team next year. So far, he is a Philadelphia 76ers player and might be forced to return to training camp unless he starts acting up as he did in the past with the Houston Rockets and Brooklyn Nets. Quite frankly, Harden is far more trouble than he is worth but if he isn’t traded by the time the season starts, it could be very ugly with the new load management rule.

It is almost a foregone conclusion that reigning MVP Joel Embiid will deal with injury issues throughout the season, and if it happens early, James Harden might be forced to play games or risk fines for the team. The center’s gamed player per season is not a convincing look: 31, 63, 64, 51, 51, 68, and 66 games played since 2016-17.

Harden will probably still raise a riot for the team and that could mean fines headed all over the place, especially since the Los Angeles Clippers have ended trade talks for the former MVP. Eventually, Embiid will be bothered by it and he could ask to leave next.

Philadelphia needs to find a way to move The Beard for another All-Star because it won’t get any better with regard to the new load management rule since Embiid will need to rest his body. The center is more banged up than we can imagine, and the more rest he gets the better. With James Harden on the team, that is not great news.

Milwaukee Bucks

All-Stars Affected: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday

The Milwaukee Bucks have had two disastrous exits from the postseason over the past two seasons: the second round to the Boston Celtics in 2022 and the first round against the Miami Heat in 2023. That won’t cut it for the 2021 NBA champions because Giannis Antetokounmpo wants to win a title at all costs and his team might be letting him down.

For the Bucks, resting players for the sake of a deep playoff run is no longer an option. Milwaukee has three All-Stars according to the NBA’s definition, and they will have to play. Giannis is generally a model of consistency with seven seasons of at least 65 games played, but the load might be larger on him in the upcoming season.

Khris Middleton has not been healthy as he only played 33 games last season and doesn’t seem to be right on a physical level. At 32 years old going on 33, it won’t get any better. Jrue Holiday is a player who is generally healthy but there could be a greater requirement for him to be available and playing at an All-Star level in years past.

The Bucks need to win games and push for an NBA championship because keeping Giannis Antetokounmpo happy is the key as he holds all the keys for the franchise that has elevated in recent seasons.

Golden State Warriors

All-Stars Affected: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Chris Paul, Andrew Wiggins

The Golden State Warriors have added an injury-prone and aging Chris Paul to their title-contending roster and there is no doubt he will suffer with injuries at some point during the 2024 campaign. However, Paul is 38 years old and it is expected that a point guard of his age won’t be able to play heavy minutes throughout the season as he is constantly injured.

In the last five seasons, he has not played more than 70 games. Specifically, the breakdown looks like this: 59 games in 2022-23, 65 games in 2021-22, 70 games in 2020-21, 70 games in 2019-20, and 58 – 2018-19). The Warriors have depth and they want to be more ready and prepared for the playoffs than the regular season. As for the rest of the stars, it is not a good look.

Stephen Curry is 35 years old and nearly 36, so the league will protect him without forcing him to play major minutes over a ton of games. But when he’s healthy, Steve Kerr might have to assess the rest of the roster and determine if their point guard should play to avoid fines. Klay Thompson is 33 years old and past his prime, and hasn’t played at least 65 games since 2019 before he missed two seasons with major injuries.

Draymond Green isn’t getting younger at 33 years old and if he misses any significant time, the team will struggle without their leader. Luckily, Green played 73 games last season and was mainly healthy. Andrew Wiggins missed significant time last year but it was for personal reasons, and hopefully, he can return to the court and play more than the 37 games he appeared in last year.

Overall, the Warriors have five All-Stars to choose from but resting their players on the road won’t be an easy choice for them any longer. If Paul and Thompson are out, the Warriors need their stars to play and that could mean Stephen Curry has a larger load than ever before.

Los Angeles Clippers

All-Stars Affected: Kawhi Leonard, Paul George

It might be over for the constant load management tactics that have taken the Los Angeles Clippers franchise by storm. Kawhi Leonard has dealt with several major injuries, including most recently his ACL year, but otherwise, the star player just doesn’t seem motivated to play many regular season games. Fans on the road hardly get to see one of the greatest two-way players ever and that might change.

The Clippers will have to play Leonard more often than they want to, and that could risk exhausting him before the postseason arrives. The superstar forward can score and defend with the best of them, and perhaps getting him on the floor with his teammates more often will help boost team chemistry. Along with Leonard, Paul George is in the spotlight.

George has become one of the most injury-prone players in modern memory because his games played with the Clippers throughout his stint have been poor: 48, 54, 31, and 56 games played. There is no way PG13 is hurt that often when he has four seasons in a row of at least 75 games played before arriving at the Clippers. George has gotten used to sitting out regular-season games and that will change as he ramps up the workload.

Russell Westbrook hasn’t been an All-Star since the 2020 season but at least he shows up on the court. The triple-double maestro has played at least 65 games in every season of his career except the 2013-14 season when he was injured and also the 2019-20 Covid-shortened campaign.

While Westbrook won’t need any excuse to play, he might have more knocks than normal at 34 years old and he has to play through them. The Clippers will need to play their stars more often and whether they are hobbled or not, the league is cracking down on them.

Phoenix Suns

All-Stars Affected: Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal

The Phoenix Suns are literally going all-in for the next few seasons because the team is devoid of legitimate depth and salary cap relief due to the presence of their three superstars: Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal. Unfortunately for them, each of these stars has missed significant time, and resting them all won’t be possible.

Durant has missed significant time, playing 35, 45, and 47 games in his first seasons following his Achilles year. While he dealt with legitimate injuries, there has been load management sprinkled in. In the case that Devin Booker or Bradley Beal is out, Kevin Durant will have to be available. The same goes for the other two players whenever Durant misses time with injuries.

Booker has been pretty banged up for such a young player, as he has only played at least 65 games three times over his eight-year career. He was often rested the past two seasons and that will absolutely change going forward thanks to the NBA’s new rule. It is time the 26-year-old appears more often because he is the best shooting guard in the world, without a doubt.

Meanwhile, Bradley Beal has been shut down the past few seasons due to injury but also due to Washington’s plan to tank games and protect their most valuable player (and trade asset). Beal has played 57, 60, 40, and 50 games in the last four campaigns and he is clearly not used to dealing with a heavy load on the court.

The Suns want to win it all as soon as possible but they have to take the regular season far more seriously now. Deandre Ayton is not an All-Star and that means he can be rested at times, but they need the big man to play as they lack depth at the center spot. Phoenix has three All-Stars to choose from to deal with this rule, but they will struggle whenever they want to rest them before a tough stretch in the season.

Los Angeles Lakers

All-Stars Affected: LeBron James, Anthony Davis

LeBron James has taken more rest than he has needed over the past few seasons and has dealt with injuries. But his run of less than 65 games per season over the past three years might come to an end in 2024. The King, if not injured, has to cover Anthony Davis when the big man isn’t healthy. That could spell bad news for the soon-to-be 39-year-old with 20 seasons of mileage on his body.

The Lakers need Anthony Davis healthy by all means. He is literally the key to their title hopes in the 2023-24 season because at 30 years old, he is right in his prime and no player in the league can bring his level of size, athleticism, versatility, and two-way play as a power forward or center.

Remember, this is the same player who led the Lakers in scoring (26.1 points per game) during their title run in 2019-20. However, the fact that Davis has played 36, 40, and 56 games in each of the last three seasons, respectively is a very bad sign going forward for the Lakers.

LeBron James is still an elite athlete at 38 years old, but The King might have to deal with more damage to his body because Davis does not respond well to playing a lot of games. Davis hasn’t played at least 65 games in five seasons and not once has he had that many appearances with the Lakers. Davis is injury-prone and forcing him to play games won’t help his health.

As a result, the Lakers will likely miss the big man through the playoffs as he nurtures injuries and won’t be at his best. Lakers fans constantly hold their breaths when the big man is involved in any contact on the court and it isn’t good news that Darvin Ham and the coaching staff can’t rest him without any legitimate reason. Similarly, LeBron is the leader of the team and if he is banged up, Lakers fans need to kiss their title hopes goodbye.