NBA Rumors: League Aiming for December 1st Training Camp

The NBA is aiming for a much earlier start to the 2020-2021 season than initially anticipated. Months ago, Adam Silver and the league office looked at December 1 as a potential start date for next season as the 2020 NBA Draft and free agency period was scheduled for October -- just a few days following the NBA Finals.

But after some pushback from team governors, the league decided to push the original October draft date back to November 18, inevitably pushing the December 1 tip-off back. At that point, it was reported the NBA wouldn't get started until Christmas at the earliest, but NBA Commissioner Adam Silver predicted a January start date.

Until last week approached, it seemed next season was guaranteed to start in 2021 as key offseason dates weren't becoming clear. However, after a Board of Governors meeting last Friday, it's being reported the league is still aiming for a December start date for next season. And according to the New York Times' Marc Stein, December 1 has emerged as the "likely" opening day for NBA training camps.

That's a quick turnaround for teams who just wrapped up their 2019-2020 season in Orlando this month. Considering a December 1 start date would cause such a short offseason for teams such as the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers, the December 22 target start date for the league could get shot down if the players' union desires a longer offseason.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_