The NBA is beginning to pick up the pieces and continue to put together the puzzle that is the upcoming 2020-21 season. The global coronavirus pandemic has thrown the world out of whack for the moment and now everybody is scrambling to try and get things back together again.
The league needed a bubble to resume and finish the 2019-20 season which resumed in late July and is scheduled to finish in early October. Under normal circumstances, the league would be getting ready for preseason action around that time. However, things are obviously much different right now.
The original plan was for the 2020-21 season to begin on December 1, but now the plan is that the league is targeting a Christmas Day start time. The league would like some time for rest as well as figuring out the salary cap before the new season begins. On top of that, the NBA Draft date has been pushed back from October 16 to November 18. That also signals that free agency will begin in late November.
NBA’s league office informed Board of Governors today that the 2020-21 season won’t begin earlier than Christmas Day, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Nov. 18 Draft date, 20-21 start date remain fluid.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 10, 2020
The important factor in all of this is obviously health and safety so the league has a lot of questions to answer and figure out. Will teams be able to play in their home arenas but with no fans? Will the league need another form of a bubble for all 30 teams? There is a lot of issues to get together at the moment. [lawrence-related id=37557,37563,37554]