It's not a new concept concerning the NBA. Back during the Bulls dynasty in the 1990s, the team wouldn't comment on anything that didn't come directly from them. Players had multiple jerseys, but the team's claim was that everyone on the team (including MJ) only got 2 of each jersey per year, a claim debunked by more than one hobby-friendly person with locker room access. Of course, the Bulls had friends in the hobby too who used to promote the same claim...one was a writer of the era for SCD, and his written claims were questioned when it was discovered that he had bought numerous uniforms from the team's charity arm, and after his articles showed up in SCD, would call dealers about buying some of those pieces, using his written claim as the "hook" for why you should purchase his items (major conflict of interest).

In short, good reasons may exist, but it's also just as likely that the NBA is trying to limit the aftermarket in various ways for selfish reasons.

Dave Miedema