The NBA is continuing to discuss the possibility of delaying the start of the 2020-21 season.
This is in conjunction with its official decision to postpone the draft lottery and the draft combine. On Friday, the NBA board of governors voted to postpone the two May events set for Chicago.
The league hasn’t yet voted to delay the NBA draft on June 25. However, many insiders believe that it’s only a matter of time.
The NBA needs to delay the start of next season to get fans back into arenas. If games return in empty arenas, valuable team revenue from ticket sales, in-arena merchandise sales, and concessions are lost.
“If you start in December, that doesn’t mean the people are coming back in December, but maybe they’re back by March,” a member of the board of governors said to ESPN.
If the season returns and is completed in September or October, the 2020-21 season will be delayed.
Currently, the chatter surrounds a scenario where the season starts before Christmas and extends into late July or early August. The NBA draft and free agency would follow the end of the season.
