The National Basketball Association will be back before Christmas Day. According to multiple reports, from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe, as well as Marc Stein of the New York Times, representatives for teams across the NBA are expected to approve the league’s proposal of a 72-game 2020-21 season that will begin on Dec. 22. The league is on the clock to get a deal done soon so that teams can have enough time to plan their rosters and for players to know where they will be playing by December 1.
According to Woj and Lowe, the league and the players are negotiating on the finer points of how much of player salaries will be held in escrow.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and the Board of Governors are awaiting a formal acceptance on the Dec. 22 date and both sides expect that’ll happen this week, sources said.
We’ve already heard how LeBron James feels about approaching the start of next season after just finishing the longest season in NBA history. But it appears that the players are okay with the quick turnaround, both for the revenue pool being larger and for getting back to the regular NBA season schedule, which usually includes a full summer vacation that players can spend with their families or on vacation.