The NBA and NBPA continue to discuss offseason workout options for the eight teams not invited to the Orlando bubble.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski first reported Friday that the discussions center on in-market workouts starting in September:
The discussions for the eight teams left out of Orlando restart continue to center on in-market workouts starting in September, sources tell ESPN. Those teams remain anxious for chance to get teams back in gym during long hiatus — especially with no summer league.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 14, 2020
Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium offered up a few more details about what this program would look like:
Sources: The NBA and NBPA are in serious talks on in-market bubble program in September for the eight franchises that were not part of Orlando restart, with framework:
– Daily testing
– One week of individual workouts
– Two weeks of group practices
– One hour of 5-on-5 per day— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 14, 2020
The Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls and Charlotte Hornets are the eight teams that didn't get an invite to the official NBA restart. These so-called “Delete Eight” clubs have been clamoring for some type of offseason program so they're not at such a competitive disadvantage whenever next season starts.
Remember, these eight teams haven't played a game since March, and it's unclear when the 2020-21 NBA season will begin. There are even rumors suggesting it won't begin until as late as next March. That would be a long time off.
There was initially some talk of a second NBA bubble in Chicago, which would have featured workouts and scrimmages. Those discussions soon faded, though, and rumors started to pop up about possibly sending these eight teams to the Disney bubble once some of the eliminated teams cleared out.
However, the NBPA didn't want any part of that, leading to these discussions about in-market workouts. While going to Disney would have made some sense to these teams, it's also understandable that the players didn't want to do it. Going to their own markets and playing is easier than having to deal with a full-blown bubble situation down in Florida.
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