Report: NBA Continuing to Discuss Possible December Start to 2020-21 Season

The NBA is reportedly discussing moving the start of next season back until December.

As the NBA continues to weigh how to handle the remainder of the 2019-20 season, commissioner Adam Silver and the NBA Board of Governors continued its conversations on Friday about possibly delaying the start of next season until December, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. 

Per ESPN, the NBA is considering pushing the start of the 2020-21 season back to December "independent of whether" the 2019-20 season is completed. 

The NBA season usually starts in mid-to-late October.

While ESPN reports that there are no immediate plans to decide on the league's calendar, delaying the start of next season could allow fans to get back into league arenas for most of next year. 

On Friday afternoon, the NBA also announced that it has indefinitely postponed the draft lottery and draft combine in May due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The lottery was initially set to occur on May 19, while the combine was first scheduled to occur between May 21-24 in Chicago.

The NBA's decision to postpone the combine appears to be the first step in potentially moving the league's draft. The 2020 NBA draft is currently scheduled for June 25 in Brooklyn.

While the regular season is currently halted, the NBA is targeting May 8 as the earliest date for opening practice facilities in areas where stay-at-home orders have been eased.

The NBA became the first league to suspend its season and close practice facilities after Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus on March 11.