The 2020-21 NBA season may simply become the 2021 NBA season.
A day after ESPN reported that draft day may be pushed back to November, The Athletic’s Shams Charania tweeted that the league is planning to start the NBA season no earlier than Christmas Day.
Charania said that both the season start date and the day of the draft is fluid, meaning it could start later.
A big reason why the NBA is pushing back the season, according to an ESPN report last month, is that they would like to get fans in the stadium for as many games as possible to help boost revenue.
The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor quote-tweeted Charania with a similar message, but warned the league may wait even longer before beginning next season.
Don't be shocked if the 2020-21 season doesn't start until February. Maybe March, at the latest. It's all TBD, but the longer the league pushes the start, the higher the likelihood of better testing or even a vaccine. And that'd mean better odds of getting fans back in arenas. https://t.co/Zwc9FPT31f
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) September 10, 2020
The current tentative opening game of the 2020-21 season is Dec. 1, but with these new reports, that will not be the case.
ESPN reported that 40% of league revenue comes from game-day sales. Following a season in which finances are down due to the coronavirus and strained relations with China, there is importance in generating as much income as possible.
Additionally, the further back offseason activities are pushed, the further back the start of the season needs to be.
If the draft is not until Nov. 18, as Charania reported, and free agency starts shortly after, teams will need time to gel and game plan for their new rosters.
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