What’s next for TNT’s ‘Inside the NBA’ as it transitions to ESPN? Will there be changes to the landmark show?

After 35 seasons, “Inside the NBA” as we know will be no more.

The iconic studio show will sign off for the last time on TNT at the conclusion of the Eastern Conference Finals series between the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks.

It’s the end of an era that’s significant to NBA fans of all ages. But fret not, loyal viewers. “Inside the NBA” isn’t going away. It’s just moving to a new location at ESPN.

ESPN acquired the rights to “Inside the NBA” in a landmark November deal with Warner Bros. Discovery to broadcast the show on its networks. In return, TNT Sports will take over exclusive rights to a slate of Big 12 football and men’s college basketball games from ESPN in addition to a deal that it previously had in place with the network for rights to College Football Playoff games.

In short, “Inside the NBA” will carry on next season despite the end of TNT’s 35-year run covering the NBA.

Is ESPN going to mess with Inside the NBA?

Probably/hopefully not?

ESPN and chairman Jimmy Pitaro wanted “Inside the NBA” for a reason. ESPN is not very good at producing NBA studio shows.

For pretty much its entire existence as an NBA partner, ESPN has failed to produce a show that’s compelling, much less one that captures the zeitgeist like “Inside the NBA.” Instead, the quality of the ESPN product has generally ranged from functional to must-mute.

The struggles aren’t from a lack of trying. ESPN has rotated in and out a cast of hosts, analysts and reporters while trying to find the right formula. None of the efforts has produced more than moderate success, despite significant high-level talent in the rotation.

So Pitaro reached a reasonable conclusion. If you can’t beat ’em, buy ’em. Or trade for ’em, at least. Once it became clear that TNT was, in fact, getting out of the NBA business for the first time since 1989, Pitaro came up with one of the more brilliant, yet obvious ideas in recent sports media: obtain the rights to “Inside the NBA” and put it on the air as is.

It was an idea with two significant impacts: Upgrade the product around ESPN’s NBA broadcasts. And, more importantly in the grand scheme, give a lifeline to “Inside the NBA,” which was previously on track to become an all-too unfortunate casualty of the latest NBA media rights shuffle.

TNT ‘will continue to independently produce Inside the NBA’

By all accounts — including directly from ESPN — it sounds like “Inside the NBA” will continue to run largely as is. In its announcement about acquiring the rights to the show, ESPN made clear that “Inside the NBA” will continue to be produced by TNT Sports.

“TNT Sports will continue to independently produce Inside the NBA from its Atlanta-based studios over the term of the agreement,” ESPN’s announcement from November reads.

It will feature the same cast and production team and will continue to be produced out of Turner’s Studio J in Atlanta. ESPN and ABC will simply license the show for broadcast on its own networks.

But surely ESPN will want to put its own fingerprints on the show, right? There’s no way the “worldwide leader” won’t want to tinker with it, at least a little bit.

The Athletic’s media reporter Andrew Marchand, who’s covered the show’s transition from TNT to ESPN, doesn’t think so. Here’s what he told “The Dan Patrick Show” in November.

“I don’t think that’s gonna happen,” Marchand said of ESPN tinkering with the show.

Marchand went on to cite other high-profile acquisitions under Pitaro like “The Pat McAfee Show” that runs largely untouched by ESPN management, and the network’s decision to allow Peyton Manning to broadcast his “Monday Night Football” “ManningCast” out of his garage in Denver.

“I think that’s the Pitaro playbook,” Marchand continued. “If I’m a producer there, I’m kind of saying, if I’m in Bristol, ‘what are we doing? We can’t get this right. The big boss keeps outsourcing our programming. That’s not a good sign.’

“But it’s not the same Bristol. … [Pitaro’s] going out and getting what he wants, especially in terms of the on-air people.”

Barkley, Johnson, Smith, O’Neal reportedly all on board

The people Pitaro wanted, in this instance, were Charles Barkley, Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal. And he’s got them.

Johnson was reportedly staying at TNT whether or not “Inside the NBA” continued. Barkley was signed to a long-term deal with TNT before the ESPN acquisition and has since reaffirmed his commitment to the network.

O’Neal has signed a new deal to remain with the network since ESPN licensed the show. And Smith is expected to remain on the show on a multiyear deal, according to CNBC.

So what will be different?

When exactly and for how long “Inside the NBA” will air isn’t entirely clear. But some important details are, including the “Inside the NBA” crew covering the NBA Finals for the first time.

ESPN provided a framework of a schedule in its acquisition announcement:

“The legendary ‘Inside the NBA’ studio team will appear on ESPN and ABC surrounding high-profile live events, including ESPN’s pregame, halftime and postgame coverage of the NBA Finals on ABC, conference finals, NBA playoffs, all ABC games after January 1, Christmas Day, opening week, the final week of the season and other marquee live events.”

ESPN also announced that its in-house studio shows “NBA Countdown” and “NBA Today” will continue to air. So “Inside the NBA” isn’t fully replacing ESPN’s NBA studio coverage.

So does this mean that “Inside the NBA” won’t air before Christmas outside of opening week? That wouldn’t make much sense given the October start to the NBA’s regular season.

It’s possible that some of those early-season broadcasts could fall under the umbrella of “other marquee live events” and potentially include the NBA Cup that runs from mid-November through mid-December. But none of that is confirmed as of yet.

Smith recently raised concerns about giving up schedule control to ESPN in an interview with the New Yorker.

“We have the same crew of people doing the show,” Smith said. “But the timing: are we a half hour now? Are we forty-five minutes? Fifteen minutes?

“Those are the things that you can control when you own your I.P. But we don’t. That was the only part that made me uncomfortable and disheartened, because I felt that the four of us should have went into ABC to negotiate that deal. I’m not saying that our executives don’t know how to do that, but we are the I.P. now.”

So not everything will remain the same. And there will inevitably be some unexpected surprises given all the new moving parts.

But the big picture is clear. We’re not mourning the end of “Inside the NBA” this week with the conclusion of the Eastern Conference finals. We’re just welcoming a new chapter. And that’s great news for those of us who love the NBA.