I would have preferred that NBA and NFL had development leagues that actually worked and left college more as an optional avenue for those that specifically didn't want to turn pro. Maybe in that case, NIL could have been avoided and we wouldn't have ended up with the college UFA we have.
But Americans don't care about developmental leagues unless it's college. So, realistically it was always going to be a money loser. And why should they lose money on this when college athletics are just right there to do the work for you? Stuck around just long enough to poach Green, Henderson, and Kuminga. Who'd want to see those guys participate in March Madness, right?