The NBA has issued new guidelines outlining how front offices can navigate certain aspects of the pre-draft process amid the unique obstacles presented by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, the league's revised guidelines state that “teams are allowed to conduct virtual meetings with prospects” but are “prohibited from in-person workouts or requesting/watching live video.”
The 2020 draft is currently slated for Thursday, June 25th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, but the unprecedented times has the entire NBA schedule clouded in uncertainty — including the machinations of the pre-draft process, which typically features teams inviting multiple prospects in for individual and group workouts, interviews, and meetings.
In fact, whether there will be any in-person workouts or even a scouting combine at all remains a mystery. The NBA Draft combine is supposed to take place from May 21-24 in Chicago.
On Monday, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver reiterated his desire to complete the regular season before jumping directly into postseason play, but he also acknowledged that no decisions on returning to basketball could even be considered until after April.
Of course, the league can't have a draft until an order is decided upon, which theoretically can't be determined until the season standings are finalized. Considering that any scenario involving resuming the 2019-20 season wouldn't commence until mid-to-late June (at the earliest), it's hard to conceive the 2020 draft being held on time.
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