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LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 11: Rajon Rondo # 9 of the Los Angeles Lakers drives the ball against Jae Crowder # 99 of the Miami Heat and Andre Iguodala # 28 of the Miami Heat during the second quarter of Game Six of the 2020 NBA Finals in AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on October 11, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. (Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images / AFP)
NEW YORK – NBA team owners and the players’ union will hold separate meetings on Thursday that are expected to produce an agreement to begin the 2020-21 campaign on December 22, according to various reports on Wednesday.
The National Basketball Players Association and the league are expected to agree to a reduced season to 72 games per club, ESPN and The Athletic reported, with a formal vote by player representatives Thursday night or early Friday.
The NBA reportedly says that starting before Christmas Day and keeping up those traditional Christmas TV games while finishing the playoffs before the Tokyo Olympics in mid-July will be worth between $ 500 million and $ 1 billion for a league that is already ready to lose money. playing without spectators in the stands due to Covid-19.
Television broadcasters and advertisers would like the Christmas matchups and would like to avoid playing in front of the Olympics.
Players would face a salary security deposit of roughly 18% over the next two years, sharing losses and keeping salary cap levels in place to avoid lineup issues for teams.
NBA players had been reluctant to start so soon after ending an NBA finals in October played in a quarantine bubble in Orlando, some instead pushing to start in January on Martin Luther King Jr.’s vacation. even if it meant less money for fewer games and a late August.
Having a season ending in July would allow the possible return to the previous NBA schedule of an October start to the season for the 2021-22 campaign.
An agreement would be needed quickly to begin a turnaround for the 2020-21 campaign, including an NBA Draft planned for November 18, the start of free agency, and preseason training camps that will open around 1 from December.
The league and players are looking to spread Covid-19 losses to players over multiple seasons to avoid a major hit in one season.
The deadline to keep open the option to end the collective agreement was delayed until Friday to allow time for an agreement.
The NBA has warned players that 40% of basketball-related revenue could be lost without ticket buyers in games after the league lost $ 1.5 billion last season.
The league plans to start the season with no spectators allowed in the team arenas as virus safety restrictions prohibit major indoor public gatherings.
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