Wbd CEO David Zaslav considers NBC’s bid of $2.5 billion an overpay for NBA rights, and could go after the newly-created “C” package of NBA rights.

The saga of the NBA’s latest round of contract negotiations has had more twists and turns than a seven-game playoff series. As talks have progressed, signs have increasingly pointed to a scenario in which Warner Bros. Discovery — which currently owns the NBA’s “B” broadcasting package — loses its status as an NBA partner, as NBC has bid as much as $2.6 billion per season to snag that package for itself. The league has also created a new “C” package of broadcast rights, and a new report from CNBC reveals that Wbd may try to secure this package for itself instead of trying to use its matching rights to wrestle the “B” package away from NBC.

Key Details: Wbd has the contractual right to match...