The NBA Players Association has tentatively approved a plan for a Dec. 22 start to the 2020-21 regular season that will last 72 games, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Players took part in conversations with union executive director Michele Roberts throughout the week and finalized their vote Thursday evening.
Commissioner Adam Silver and the league proposed the Christmas week start date, with revenue being the driving force following a year in which the NBA lost billions. The union initially wanted to tip off next season on Jan. 18 — but likely had a change of heart when the potential for slashed salaries was floated.
Speaking of finances, the league and union will now meet to discuss terms on an amended collective-bargaining agreement, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. That meeting is expected to last until next week.
Training camps are likely to begin Dec. 1, which gives the NBA less than a month to squeeze in free agency and the usual dose of offseason signings and trades. The NBA draft is scheduled for Nov. 18, and Wojnarowski reported free agency will begin shortly thereafter, with several league sources suggesting it could tip off as soon as the next day.
Wojnarowski added the moratorium on trades could be lifted a few days before the draft.
