he NBA has quite a tall task in front of them in terms of trying to figure out how to move forward with the 2020-21 season. There are still several key questions regarding what next season will look like, and it appears everything is still very fluid at this point.
While commissioner Adam Silver said last month that the upcoming season could most likely start mid-January, with Martin Luther King Jr., Day as a possibility, starting next season on Christmas Day is still a possibility, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Several owners are reportedly in favor of starting sooner rather than later, and playing a schedule that is fewer than the traditional 82 games, regardless of if fans are allowed inside of arenas or not.
Per the report:
“…in recent days some governors have pivoted and begun considering the quicker timeline. Others continue to want to hold out for fans to be permitted into more arenas.
The league also continues to discuss tournament and play-in scenarios. The NBA has long-planned to use this upcoming 75th anniversary season to experiment with new revenue-generating formats.”
Starting the season sooner — specifically on Christmas — is reportedly gaining momentum, per the New York Times’ Marc Stein.
The Board of Governors are expected to have a call on Friday to discuss plans for the upcoming season, and anything decided upon must be approved by the National Basketball Players Association. The league and the NBPA previously were on the same page when it came to next season, in that it should be 82 games, take place in each team’s home market and require less travel. However, this latest report suggests that everything is still on the table with regard to these decisions.
Whatever is decided upon, though, the league is required to give the players union an eight-week notice ahead of when the next season will start. So if the start date does ultimately fall on Christmas, that means that the league would have to make that decision by Oct. 30. Similarly, if Martin Luther King Jr., Day becomes the opening day for the 2020-21 season, then players would need to be informed by Nov. 23.
—CBS SPORTS