ESPN plans to replace Adrian Wojnarowski revealed

The answer to who will replace Adrian Wojnarowski at ESPN may be no one.

It was nearly impossible to imagine anyone ( save for Wojnarowski’s protege Shams Charania ) filling the considerable shoes in a role Wojnarowski basically invented when he announced his retirement this week . Two new reports suggest the worldwide leader either believes nobody can do it or that the juice isn’t worth the squeeze any longer.

On Friday, John Ourand at Puck wrote that his sources believe “ESPN doesn’t need a Woj 2.0 and can break NBA news by committee with their deep roster of NBA reporting talent.” That backs up earlier reporting from Michael McCarthy at Front Office Sports that “Wojnarowski’s departure could pave the way” for longtime ESPNer Brian Windhorst to take on a larger role at the network along with other existing NBA reporters who are better on television than Wojnarowski was.

The economics of the insider have always been uncertain at ESPN, particularly on the NBA side. Wojnarowski did not maintain a regular role on NBA Today, let alone signature shows First Take or The Pat McAfee Show , effectively making Charania its own NBA insider since joining ESPN last year . Wojnarowski was more selective with where he appeared. Most of his hits came on SportsCenter and ESPN’s game and event broadcasts. Those appearances, combined with social media hits and the occasional feature story, likely had difficulty generating enough revenue to offset Wojnarowski’s significant salary.

Certainly, Windhorst can hold his own with McAfee or Stephen A. Smith better than Wojnarowski could. Others like Ramona Shelburne are far more prolific on television, including Around the Horn and NBA Today . Reporters like Tim Bontemps, Zach Lowe and Tim MacMahon are more comfortable conducting interviews on podcasts.

Even without Wojnarowski, ESPN will likely spend millions on its roster of NBA reporters. Empowering and promoting these people could likely make up for his departure on its various platforms, even if that meant sacrificing the occasional scoop.

Still, Charania and TNT’s Chris Haynes remain free agents. Yahoo’s Jake Fischer recently announced his departure from the online outlet. Others like Rachel Nichols and Marc Stein could return to the big leagues amid a more significant shuffle in NBA coverage heading toward a new broadcast rights package next year.

While ESPN must consider the bigger picture in its move toward a digital-first company, the vacuum left by Adrian Wojnarowski regarding delivering NBA scoops is sure to be filled by somebody.

[ Puck , Front Office Sports ]

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