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When the 2019-20 NBA season was suspended on March 11 due to the coronavirus pandemic, one unintended consequence meant the 2020 Summer League in Las Vegas would also be canceled due to the uncertainty of hosting live sports.
Now that the season has officially been completed, the NBA is full-speed ahead in determining the salary cap and key dates for next year, including free agency and the start of the 2020-21 season itself. However, the NBA reportedly has no plan to host a winter version of Summer League, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.
The NBA’s restart in the bubble began during what would typically be the time for the offseason Las Vegas Summer League, which meant the 2020 version was canceled. Currently, there are no plans to stage a winter version of the event before next season. It’s too early to tell what might happen to the 2021 edition.
Summer League typically begins roughly 1-2 weeks following the NBA Draft but with the league targeting Jan. 18 to start next season, it seems highly unlikely the event will be held prior to that date. When you consider that the NBA wants to give teams an eight-week notice before the start of next season, there just doesn’t appear to be enough time to hold it.
While the shortened offseason certainly presents challenges of holding Summer League in its own right, the question of player safety also makes it unlikely the event will happen. The league could look at hosting it in another bubble environment but it doesn’t seem like a high enough priority to expend the resources required to pull it off.
Summer League serves as a tremendous opportunity for players — draft picks, undrafted players and free agents — to showcase their abilities on the court but holding the event this year doesn’t seem feasible given the circumstances.
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