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NBA Rumors: Board of Governors Discussing Moving Free Agency Ahead of 2020 Draft
May 29, 2020
When the NBA Board of Governors convene for a conference call Friday, the dates for free agency and the draft are expected to become critical discussion points.
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey, the league will look at moving the start of free agency ahead of the draft. Traditionally, free agency has not opened until after the draft concludes.
The 2020 NBA draft is scheduled for June 25, while free agency is set to open June 30. Both will be postponed, per Pompey, as the league continues to look for ways to resume the 2019-20 season this summer.
One unnamed source told Pompey they would not be surprised if the change is made.
The NBA has already postponed the draft lottery and combine. Similarly, the NCAA has pushed the deadline for athletes to withdraw from the draft pool pending the league's rescheduled timeline.
During a call with general managers Thursday, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver noted Friday's Board of Governors meeting would not include a formal vote on a return-to-play plan, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Talks are scheduled to continue through the weekend.
Silver reportedly hopes to make a determination on whether or not the league will resume play in early June.
As the NBA continues to have exploratory conversations with Disney about resuming play at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida, a final decision on the dates for the draft and free agency will have to wait.
The pre-draft combine, which for the past few years has taken place in Chicago, was previously held at the Wide World of Sports Complex, giving the league familiarity with the campus.
In looking at the benefits of moving up the start of free agency, Pompey points to the situation the Cleveland Cavaliers found themselves in during the 2014 offseason. Cleveland used the No. 1 overall pick on small forward Andrew Wiggins only days before LeBron James announced he would return to his hometown team.
Wiggins was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of a deal to acquire Kevin Love shortly after.
Moving up the start of free agency would allow teams to make more informed draft-day decisions, the theory goes.
There is currently no timeline for when the league will announce its decision on whether or not it will make the change.