Despite news a newly-approved coronavirus test may help speed the return of the 2019-20 NBA season, many questions linger on how the suspension of games in response to the pandemic will impact the current and future seasons.
On hold since Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the viral infection on Mar. 11, even optimistic projections suggest a June return to action at soonest.
With the NBA business year resetting at the end of that month, how will it impact contracts which end before the arrival of July 1st, the traditional start of NBA free agency?
Boston Celtics All-Star forward Gordon Hayward expressed concern speaking with retired forward Richard Jefferson on this and related issues on Instagram Live recently, and the potential loss of games if the season is not re-started could have other significant impacts for teams and players going forward.
For one thing, it could mean players won’t get paid beyond their April 1 paycheck, which the league has confirmed will be distributed to players it is due, reports NBC Sports.
The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement contains a clause that teams may withhold up to 1.08 % of a player’s salary for every game canceled in a season by uncontrollable events like war and pandemics such as the one we are experiencing.
Another related issue is the impact of all those lost games on the salary cap.
Without at least a partial recoupment of at least some of those games, the league could be looking at a historic drop in the cap in future seasons unless the NBA, teams and players can negotiate an alternative.
While some analysts are projecting losses to the tune of close to a billion dollars, NBA commissioner Adam Silver is hesitant to make any such prognostications.
Adam Silver: “It’s too soon to tell what the economic impact will be” https://t.co/x0BMBLIDpp pic.twitter.com/HxcL1TuC9F
— Kurt Helin (@basketballtalk) March 21, 2020
“It’s too soon to tell what the economic impact will be,” Silver explained .
“We’ve been analyzing multiple scenarios on a daily if not hourly basis and we’ll continue to review the financial implications. Obviously, it’s not a pretty picture but everyone, regardless of what industry they work in, is in the same boat.”
There is also the NBA Draft Lottery, Combine and 2020 NBA Draft to consider, with some teams already preparing for online interviews and previous scouting to take the place of the combine.
It is unknown how the league is considering dealing with the pandemic’s impact on these events at this time, but we can expect news to begin percolating out of NBA offices soon.
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