Report: NBA Rescheduling Draft In November
Sep 9, 2020, 3:32 PM | Updated: Nov 12, 2020, 11:44 am
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – After several months of rumors, it appears the NBA draft is once again on the move. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the NBA and the league’s Players Association are working rescheduling the draft to November 18 after originally rescheduling the event for October 16.
The draft traditionally takes place in late June, but was delayed along with the rest of the NBA season amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“The league has informed teams of a potential revised 2020 NBA Draft date of November 18, sources tell ESPN,” Wojnarowski tweeted. “The NBA and NBPA have been negotiating on that new date.”
The league has informed teams of a potential revised 2020 NBA Draft date of November 18, sources tell ESPN. The NBA and NBPA have been negotiating on that new date.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 9, 2020
In light of the pandemic, the league and the NBAPA have been forced to negotiate a series of important issues, including the league’s salary cap. With the playoffs set to end by October 13, the league would have had only three days to tally the final accounting numbers for the season and relay that information to the teams.
As the future salary cap changes, so too may the strategies of teams drafting in the first round. Some teams may prefer to avoid adding guaranteed salaries with a first-round draft pick, while others may prefer to move into the first round of the draft to find cost-controlled deals.
A significant part of why teams wanted that draft pushed back — in this case, likely a month to November 18 — was to allow the NBA and NBPA more time to negotiate the new salary cap numbers for 2020-2021. Teams need those figures to be able to conduct trades around the draft.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 9, 2020
“A significant part of why teams wanted that draft pushed back — in this case, likely a month to November 18 — was to allow the NBA and NBPA more time to negotiate the new salary cap numbers for 2020-2021,” Wojnarowski said. “Teams need those figures to be able to conduct trades around the draft.”
The Utah Jazz own the 23rd pick in the upcoming draft, their only selection in either the first or second round.
The league hopes to host virtual a pre-draft combine for teams to analyze the draft prospects ahead of the draft.
