Report: Time Running Out On NBA Christmas Day Start

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The clock might be running short for those hoping to see the NBA return in time for Christmas. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the ongoing discussions between the NBA’s team owners and the Players Associations have left little time for the two sides to broker a deal for the Christmas start date.

In mid-October, a groundswell of support began to push for an abbreviated offseason with the NBA 2020-21 season opening on December 22. According to Wojnarowski, the league could miss out on between $500 million and $1 billion in revenue if it were to start in January rather than late December.

With no end to the coronavirus pandemic on the immediate horizon, the league is faced with playing an abbreviated season without fans in the stands, further amplifying the league’s financial losses.

ESPN story with @ZachLowe_NBA: Adam Silver to GM's on talks for a December start to 2020-21 season: "Time is running out." NBA-NBPA discussions, details on a play-in tournament and scramble to reach deal on pre-Christmas tip to spare $500M-plus in losses. https://t.co/pxBE9vbpdN

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 3, 2020

Commissioner Adam Silver had indicated he would prefer to have an eight-week window from the time the two sides agree to begin the season to the league’s opening day. However, as the negotiations drag on, Silver would have to be willing to operate in a shorter window if he hopes to capitalize on the Christmas Day start.

According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, there are currently two potential season-long plans being discussed by the league and its players.

The first date favored by many of the owners would see a 72 game season beginning on December 22 with the finals wrapping up in late July.

Sources: The NBPA will vote as soon as Thursday on the NBA’s 72-game, Dec. 22 proposal — growing belief around players is that Christmas week start is inevitable.

Details on @TheAthleticNBA: https://t.co/NdQw0PVi7r

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 3, 2020

A second start date, beginning on Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 18 would feature a 60 game season with the Finals being played through the Olympics into August. The players are expected to vote on the plan Thursday morning.

Original Deadline For NBA Christmas Day Start Date

October 30 marked the original cut off date for the league and its players to agree on important offseason issues. Those included how to handle revenue splits between the players and owners throughout next season, when to open free agency, and when the league should return to action.

In an appearance on ESPN’s “The Jump” on Thursday, NBA Players Association vice president Malcolm Brogdon said he expected the deadline to extend into this week.

The NBA's deadline to agree on important dates for next season was set to expire today.

However, negotiations are expected to be extended into next week. #TakeNote https://t.co/yNOWZZlJfh

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) October 30, 2020

“This is a super-complicated issue, and there’s a lot to balance,” Brogdon said. “[There are] a lot of minds working on this collaboratively, on both sides. So it’s going to take some time.”

Michele Roberts, the executive director of the NBA’s Players Association said players strongly opposed the proposed start date of October 22.

“Given all that has to be resolved between now and a Dec. 22 date, factoring that there will be financial risks by a later start date, it defies common sense that it can all be done in time,” Roberts told Shams Charania of The Athletic. “Our players deserve the right to have some runway so that they can plan for a start that soon. The overwhelming response from the players that I have received to this proposal has been negative.”

Changes To The Play-In Tournament

In addition to negotiation when the season would begin, the NBA is trying to sort out how it could execute a play-in tournament similar to the one featured during the league’s restart in Orlando.

Before the Western Conference Playoffs began in the league’s bubble, the Portland Trail Blazers and the Memphis Grizzlies were matched up in the play-in tournament to see who would face the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers in the postseason. Due to the Blazers owning the higher seed, they eliminated the Grizzlies by winning the first game of the potential two-game series 126-122.

Play-In

Mini Movie

Blazers vs Grizzlies #WholeNewGame pic.twitter.com/b5crv46fe7

— NBA Spain (@NBAspain) August 16, 2020

Under the proposed guidelines reported by ESPN, the tournament would expand to feature four teams, pitting the seventh and eighth-seeded teams against one another in a one-game matchup to determine who earned the seventh seed in the playoffs.

The ninth and tenth seeded teams would then face off in a one-game matchup to see would who earn the right to face the loser of the seventh and eight-seeded matchup for a chance to earn the final spot in the playoffs.

Unlike the tournament that took place in the bubble where the ninth-seeded team had to be within four games of the eight seeded teams to trigger the play-in games, the newly proposed tournament would be guaranteed each season in both conferences.