NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has reportedly told team GMs the league is “running out of time” to agree on a potential December 22 start date for the 2020/21 season.
The date noted above was proposed by the NBA but players are believed to be pushing for the campaign to get underway on January 18. The NBA and NBPA had a deadline of last Friday to agree to changes to the collective bargaining agreement, as well as a compromise as it relates to the date next season starts. The deadline has since been pushed back and Association vice president Malcolm Brogdon reckons talks will go on for a few more days.
On Monday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski noted that Silver told teams the league was losing daylight on a December 22 start.
Teams would need at least a month to run training camps before next season resumes, which could mean the NBA would have to cut it close to return to the court on December 22 if negotiations continue to stall.
On Friday, Wojnarowski reported the league stands to lose $500 million to $1 billion if the season starts in January as opposed to December.
