No one wants to get injured in a meaningless game
This.
I really don't know what the solution is. You can have only so much entertainment with the 3-pt and dunk contests (the latter has its own risks).
It would be foolish for a professional athlete getting paid millions of dollars a year to injure himself in such a game.
Maybe in an earlier era, when pro ball players didn't make nearly so much and had to sell used cars in the off-season to make ends meet, they would put out for the game.
Fact is, nobody cares if East beats West, or vice-versa in an All-Star game.
Injured? It is really quite rare to be injured at B ball. Sprain an ankle? Blow out a knee? I can’t remember the last time an NBA player blew a knee out. Of course I haven’t watched since around when Bird retired.