NBA Rumors: 2020-2021 Season Likely to be Moved Back

As the 2019-2020 NBA season is in play still in late August, next season is guaranteed to start at a later date. Typically, we can count on the NBA to be in action by late October, but the current season won't actually conclude until then.

The COVID-19 pandemic created an unusual scenario for sports, and the NBA is trying its best to adjust. After suspending the league for months beginning back in March, the league had to come up with a safe and unique way to finish the season.

As we know, the league came up with a plan to have 22 teams, all of which had a shot at making the playoffs, to go down to Orlando, Florida, to play in a bubble city. While everything about the bubble has been as perfect as possible so far, the NBA doesn't want to go down that road again.

Adam Silver and the NBA had December 1 as a target date for the start of next season. Lately, though, the NBA Commissioner has been feeling like that may be too early. "I'd say [December 1], now that we're working through this season, is feeling a little bit early to me," Silver told ESPN on Thursday night.

"I think our No. 1 goal is to get fans back in our arenas. ... So my sense is, in working with the players' association, if we could push back even a little longer and increase the likelihood of having fans in arenas, that's what we would be targeting."

NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Thursday that the NBA could be willing to wait as long as January or even February to tip-off next season if it meant getting fans back in the stands. While the future beyond this season remains unclear, there's a high chance that this is the first and last time we've witnessed the NBA playing in a bubble.

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