Commissioner Adam Silver and the Board of Governors continued Friday’s discussions in preparation for the next season and are already working on the option of not starting until next December.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and the Board of Governors continued talks Friday in preparation for the 2020-21 season and are already working on the option of not starting it until next December, according to information provided by several sources close to the league.
The final decision on the plan that was defended from the beginning by Silver will be made in the next few days, regardless of what happens with the resumption of the competition for the rest of the 2019-20 season, which was suspended last March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Recent discussions have reflected a breakthrough in NBA planning for the upcoming season while the development of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States is continually being assessed.
For the NBA, the main goal of delaying the start of next season is focused on the ability to buy more time so that fans can return to the fields and watch the best games, although there are no imminent plans to make a decision on the schedule, which will be discussed at upcoming meetings.
As the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic continues, the NBA anticipates a number of potential obstacles for fans to return to their fields immediately in the coming months and so on for up to a year.
In fact, starting the 2020-21 season in December is no guarantee you’ll see fans in the stands, but it’s more likely next March.
Moreover, if this season resumes and is completed sometime in September, or even in October, the delay of the 2020-2021 season is inevitable.
Discussions have focused on a season that will begin before Christmas and last until late July or early August 2021, followed by the university draw and free agency.
Meanwhile, the NBA’s board of governors also voted Friday to postpone the two events scheduled for this month in Chicago, the college lottery and the meeting of the players who are candidates for the college draw.
The league has not yet voted to postpone the college draw scheduled for June 25, but is expected to follow the same path of postponement, especially if regular-season competition resumes next month.