Right, it’s not just one reason,As usual:
Load management
Foul baiting
Laod management creates more unwatchable games, which hurts regular season interest
Foul baiting makes certain players uninteresting to watch
All this creates a cycnical aura that hurts interest
I would also add that their was clear player movement fatigue from fans starting with KD leaving for GS.
Silver hurt the college to nba pipeline which helps build fans with the g league ignite stuff
Americans do not care foreign players in a real way.