The US basketball league informed the teams that the 2020-21 season will not start before Christmas. The Draft should take place on November 18th. But everything will depend on a lot of discussion until it is confirmed.
The outcome of the experience with the Disney Bubble seems to be positive. At least regarding covid-19. Months with no record of positive tests, going smoothly towards the end of the playoffs, to put an end to a calendar that was in danger of being canceled.
According to CBS, the NBA has determined that the next season can never begin before December 25th. The explanation is based on the time needed for athletes who play in the final – best of 7 games – to recover their fitness. But there is also a financial component to consider. After all, all the implications of the pandemic on the professional league revenues must be considered before moving on to the new schedule.
The East and West conference finals can run until the end of September, leaving a maximum of 7 games to be played in early October. Once the 2019-20 champion is defined, it’s time to move on to next year’s organization. And that implies setting up the Draft and selecting rookies, but also negotiating with free agents. Everything points to the beginning of the second half of October as the chosen moment.
However, the league requires rescpecting salary caps and this will be crucial for negotiations on renewals, hiring free agents and Draft choices.
Ultimately, it’s all about players and money. And that will require NBA and NBA teams to organize themselves so that the new season can begin.
