“The value of Amazon Prime Video is the ecosystem that they bring to the table—the league wants to be able to tap into more direct-to-consumer opportunities within their own partnerships … [and] if you’re just working at a national broadcast level, that becomes much more challenging to do,” Lynch said in June.

Of course, in addition to Max, WBD will also have another new streaming option this fall with the launch of its joint Venu Sports streamer.

For now, the ball is in the NBA’s court.