NBA moves draft to Oct. 15, targets Dec. 1 for 2020-21 season opener
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Following Thursday's decision from the NBA Board of Governors to continue the season with 22 teams at Walt Disney World near Orlando, the league's calendar has been adjusted with new target dates to accommodate the 2019-20 season extending into autumn.
The 2019-20 season is tentatively set to resume on July 31 with Oct. 12 being the latest possible date for Game 7 of the 2020 Finals, the league confirmed.
International players for the teams that are still active are expected to return to their home markets for June 15, with all other players reporting June 21, sources told The Athletic's Shams Charania. Testing for the coronavirus would reportedly begin June 22.
Next, training camps would begin June 30 with teams traveling to Florida on July 7, Charania reports.
Additionally, the league confirmed that the draft lottery will take place Aug. 25 and the draft itself will be held Oct. 15. The 2020 draft was originally scheduled for June 25, which would have taken place shortly after the 2020 Finals under normal circumstances.
Free agency would reportedly begin Oct. 18, according to Charania; training camps for the 2020-21 season would reportedly begin Nov. 10 in anticipation of the NBA's prospective Dec. 1 season opener.
Here are the target dates from now until opening night of the 2020-21 season:
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| June 15* | Int'l players report |
| June 21* | Domestic players report |
| June 22* | Coronavirus testing begins |
| June 30* | Start of training camp |
| July 7* | Teams travel to Orlando |
| July 31 | 2019-20 season continues |
| Aug. 25 | Draft lottery |
| Oct. 12 | Latest date for Finals Game 7 |
| Oct. 15 | 2020 draft |
| Oct. 18* | Free agency begins |
| Nov. 10* | 2020-21 training camps begin |
| Dec. 1 | 2020-21 opening night |
* Reported
The National Basketball Players Association's team representatives will vote on the proposed restart framework in a conference call Friday, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports.