© Stan Szeto | 2020 Mar 5
It looks like we’ve got a date.
Despite pushback from prominent players about starting the season before Christmas, the NBA and NBA Players’ Association are expected to agree on a Dec. 22 start date in the coming days, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe. The agreement would likely stipulate a reduced 72-game schedule. The NBAPA will take a formal vote on Thursday.
The NBA Draft would take place as planned on Nov. 18, with free agency and training camps beginning on Dec. 1. The NBPA is holding team conference calls this week to discuss a salary escrow for players around 18 percent for the next two years, sources told Wojnarowski and Lowe.
The escrow withholdings are an attempt to offset major losses in league revenue during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sides are working toward spreading out the players’ losses over multiple seasons, so the players don’t take such a substantial financial hit in one year, according to ESPN.
The NBA’s basketball-related income was down $1.5 billion last season.
