NBA Targeting No Earlier Than May 8 for Reopening Team Facilities Amid COVID-19

The NBA announced Monday it will target "no earlier than May 8 to allow limited, individual workouts" in cities that have less stringent stay-at-home orders and were not as severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Marc Stein of the New York Times shared the guidelines that were sent to teams:

On Saturday, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the NBA was planning to reopen practice facilities in states like Georgia, where restrictions had been loosened. 

But Wojnarowski reported Monday that the league received "significant pushback" from teams regarding that plan:

Woj added that not every team is against the idea, however.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported that only one team staffer would be permitted at the workouts in person and that one senior executive per team would need to be assigned the position of "facility hygiene officer."

Charania also provided an update on the NBA's stance on coronavirus testing for its players and staff members and the precautions that would be put in place for opened practice facilities:

While Monday's news could be seen as the first step in the NBA eventually returning for the 2019-20 season, it's a small step. There will need to be practices and scrimmages, and all teams will need to be in a position to participate. 

It could be well into the summer before the league is able to authorize full practices. That could push the season and the playoffs well into the fall. At some point, the NBA may need to decide whether it's willing to push back the start of the 2020-21 season or if the best plan is to simply cancel the 2019-20 campaign.