ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski has presented a comprehensive summary of how the season hiatus might impact a number of upcoming significant dates for the current season and the offseason. This includes the actual resumption date of the current campaign and then the 2020 NBA Draft and free agency.
Woj went on ESPN's “Get Up” program to discuss the projected shifts in the aforementioned dates:
🔹 Potential Game 7 of the NBA Finals on Oct. 12
🔹 Draft and free agency in late October@wojespn outlines a potential schedule shift for the NBA if it resumes. pic.twitter.com/E2URjJC6I0— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) June 3, 2020
Woj again noted that July 31 will be the target of the resumption of the current season. This gives teams a little less than two months from now to prepare for the start of the season In particular, these will be the top 22 teams in the league as of the start of the hiatus, with the bottom eight set to be done for the season. These bottom-feeders will be looking ahead to the NBA Draft Lottery and Combine, which are expected to be in August, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic:
The NBA is planning to propose a 22-team return to the 2019-20 season in a Board of Governors meeting on Thursday, sources told The Athletic, with the draft lottery and combine expected to be in August. The NBA’s proposal will be based on feedback, collaborative discussions and input from constituents around the league.
This provides roughly two and a half months for the remainder of the regular season, the proposed play-in tournament, and the actual playoffs. This is under Woj's presumption that the season will end no later than Oct. 12.
It's going to be an extremely short offseason, with Woj projecting the NBA Draft to take place sometime in late October, which will be followed shortly by the opening of free agency.
Finally, Woj confirmed earlier reports that the league will be looking at Christmas Day as the potential start date of the 2020-21 campaign.
There's no denying that the proposed timetable is rushed, to say the least, but at this point, we're all just glad that there now appears to be a light at the end of this dark tunnel.
Follow Us
Subscribe