Report: NBA Draft Lottery Set for Aug. 25; 2020 Draft to Be Oct. 15 After Hiatus

The 2020 NBA draft has reportedly been given a new date as the league prepares to resume the season July 31. 

Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the lottery will be held Aug. 25, with the draft set to take place on Oct. 15. 

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported the NBA provided the board of governors with a schedule of events to finish out this season and targeted dates being looked at for the start of next season:

The decision comes after Wojnarowski and Jonathan Givony reported "many" teams across the NBA were united in trying to convince the league to push the draft until "no sooner" than Aug. 1. 

Wojnarowski and Givony noted multiple top team executives believe moving the draft back will give them more time to potentially salvage a number of key aspects of the evaluation process, including in-person workouts, interviews and medical evaluations.

The NBA announced May 1 the scouting combine (May 19-24) and draft lottery (May 19) had been postponed, setting up the possibility for the draft to be moved back. 

The 2019-20 NBA season was suspended March 11, but Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne reported on May 29 that the league's board of governors is expected to approve a proposed plan from commissioner Adam Silver on Thursday that would bring 22 teams back for an eight-game regular-season, starting July 31, and a full postseason. 

Given the original date for the draft, it seemed a given that it would have to be pushed back if teams were still playing out the season. 

Silver previously noted there's a possibility the NBA calendar could be permanently changed if the pandemic requires the start of next season to be delayed.