The NBA has set itself the goal of starting the new season 2021-22 before Christmas and a reduced regular season schedule, abandoning plans to delay opening in hopes of bringing fans back to the arenassources reported to ESPN.
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, The NBA proposes several changes for next season including a 72-game regular season, an entry tournament and the probability that there will not be an All-Star Game or All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, the sources assured. The league is considering a two-week hiatus mid-season.
The NBA shared these plans in a call with the league’s Board of Governors on Friday afternoon, and the league plans to move quickly to complete negotiations with the National Basketball Players Association to implement the plan, the sources said.
Arrive in time for the Games
The reduction in regular season games, which would help accommodate a tournament format of play for both conferences, allows the NBA finish the season before the Olympics in Japan.
As the coronavirus continues to sweep across the country, the NBA strongly prefers to stay out of a bubble format and goes on to discuss travel and game schedules that would keep teams in a market longer and playing multiple games, similar to the Major League Baseball series, sources said.
There seems to be consensus to play again at Christmas, but the realization that it will become a chaotic challenge coming out of the Nov. 18 draft, free agency and training camps that should be open shortly after Thanksgiving. Without a bubble environment, The NBA will face positive coronavirus tests for players and staff.
October 30 is shaping up to be a key date. The NBA and NBPA agreed that day would be the deadline to complete ongoing discussions on amendments to the collective bargaining agreement for the 2020-21 season, a deadline that requires the league or union to provide a 45-minute notice. days if anyone decides to terminate the collective agreement. – a scenario that sources continue to believe is a long shot.
