The 2019-20 season was the longest in the NBA’s history. With what should be a shortened offseason, let’s take a look at how that may work out from a logistical perspective. However, we only know some key dates and there is many things that need to be figured out.
Figuring out the Salary Cap
The Athletic’s John Hollinger put up a road map for next season, outlining a lot of this type of information. The first thing the league needs to make clear is what the Salary Cap will be heading into the Draft on November 18 and free agency after. The cap is usually impacted by how well the league is doing to an extent, so with the COVID-19 pandemic causing a lot matter, we might see the Salary Cap stay around the same or go down. This is necessary to figure out before the NBA Draft and free agency for many reasons.
Pre-Draft Process
The pre-draft process is expected to start on October 16 and run through November 16. Teams can have two visits per player. The prospects must be tested for the virus and come up negative within 72 hours of their visit as long as all individuals involved have negative tests to conduct meetings.
As a result, it seems that NBA teams can’t have a look at every single prospects in-person. Teams are really going to have to choose which prospects they like most and initially bring them in. There’s surely plenty of tape and the ability to make video conference calls to interview prospects and phone calls throughout this process.
When will the 2020-21 NBA season begin?
The last info Adam Silver released was that the 2020-21 NBA season won’t start until January. Silver also mentioned Christmas Day as a potential target, but that seems like a pipe dream, considering the hypothetical timeline.
The league needs to decide whether it wants to completely alter the calendar or do another condensed season to realign the previous calendar. Due to the global health crisis, we may see the NBA calendar altered forever.