The 2020 NBA Draft is just over two months away, but some teams reportedly believe it should be held at a later date.
The NBA indefinitely suspended its season March 11 after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. The pandemic has swept the globe, causing other professional sports leagues to follow suit and put their seasons on hold.
As it stands, the NBA still intends to hold its draft lottery on May 19, with the draft following on June 25. But according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Jonathan Givony, some NBA teams are hopeful to get league officials to push the event to no earlier than Aug. 1.
Check out this excerpt from the ESPN report:
As information gathering on draft-eligible prospects remains limited during a pandemic, many NBA teams are united in hopes of encouraging the league office to push the date of the June 25 draft until no sooner than Aug. 1, sources told ESPN.
An Aug. 1 date would be flexible, based on whether the league restarts and advances the regular season and playoffs through the summer. In that case, most envision a September draft and free-agency period based on a season that concludes around Labor Day weekend.
No decision will be made until at least May 1, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said earlier in the week.
There’s no timeframe as to when — or if — the NBA will resume play.
