Report: Adam Silver Said NBA Is 'Running Out of Time' for Potential Dec. Restart
The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association have yet to agree on a timeline for the start of the 2020-21 season, and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is aware that the clock is ticking.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Silver told teams Monday that the league is "running out of time" for a Dec. 22 restart, which would require training camps to start within a month. Per Wojnarowski and ESPN's Zach Lowe, the league fears it only has "several days" left before Dec. 1 becomes an unrealistic start date for training camps.
Wojnarowski reported that the NBPA is talking with players about the two proposed start dates, Dec. 22 or Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Jan. 18), and continuing to work with the NBA on financial changes to the collective bargaining agreement.
There is reportedly still optimism that an agreement can be reached, though that "has been tempered" recently.
The two sides initially had a Friday deadline in place regarding changes to the CBA, but NBPA vice president and Indiana Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon said he "absolutely" expected the original deadline to move back, as it did (h/t Tim Bontemps of ESPN).
"The way talks are going, this is a super-complicated issue, and there's a lot to balance," Brogdon said on ESPN's The Jump. "[There's] a lot of minds working on this collaboratively, on both sides. So it's going to take some time."
Brogdon said Thursday he expected the talks to continue for "at least a few more days" and noted a difference in revenue between the two start dates as a major factor in the decision. He said he believed "a lot of the players are leaning towards" a January start, which would result in a loss of Christmas Day games and possibly conflict with the Tokyo Olympics.
Of note, the NBA and NBPA have continued to discuss the possibility of a play-in tournament to determine the final two seeds in each conference, per Wojnarowski and Lowe:
"The tournament would begin with No. 7 hosting No. 8, and the winner locking into the No. 7 spot. Meanwhile, No. 9 would face No. 10, with the winner advancing to play the loser of the 7-versus-8 matchup for the No. 8 seed, sources have told ESPN."
Wojnarowski reported Friday that a January start date could result in a loss of $500 million to $1 billion next season, while a lack of fans could increase the league's losses to more than $4 billion.
