Account
NBA, NBPA Approve Voluntary Group Workouts for 8 Non-Qualifying Teams
August 19, 2020
The eight NBA teams that did not participate in the Orlando restart will conduct voluntary group workouts in campus settings after an agreement between the league and players association Tuesday.
The players will take part in individual workouts with full testing of all personnel from Sept. 14-20. They will have group training from Sept. 21 to Oct. 6, which could include "practices, skill or conditioning sessions and intra-squad scrimmages."
The league will provide living situations for each participant to remain on campus in the team's home market.
Player participation in these camps are voluntary.
The league had been working toward creating an opportunity for the non-playoff contenders similar to the "bubble" situation that took place in Orlando. This could keep players safe while providing an opportunity to help teams prepare for the upcoming season.
Team personnel like Charlotte Hornets coach James Borrego argued that going without workouts put his team at a disadvantage compared to other teams.
"We need the door flung open, so we can get after this thing," Borrego said in July, per Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.
The Hornets, New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves are the eight teams that would take part in these workouts. They each last played in March before the season was suspended because of the coronavirus, and it would've been over seven months apart before returning for training camp leading into the 2020-21 season.
Though a veteran team like the Warriors might not have full participation in this event, younger squads like the Knicks, Cavaliers, Bulls and Hawks could benefit from extra practices.
With several teams bringing in new coaches like the Knicks and Bulls, it could be the first chance to prepare for the upcoming year.