2020 NBA Draft Officially Set for November

As expected, the 2020 NBA Draft has been pushed back from its October date to November 18.

The 2020 NBA Draft has a new date set, officially. On November 18, 2020, the Philadelphia 76ers will have the opportunity to make their next round of picks. Originally, the NBA planned to hold the draft in October just days after the 2020 NBA Finals conclude. 

Following the draft, the league anticipated free agency to open up also just a couple of days later. Unfortunately, with the COVID-19 pandemic still in effect, NBA teams and decision-makers decided it would be best to push everything back, so there are fewer limitations when it comes to interviewing and working out prospects before draft day.

An Official Statement from the NBA 

"The National Basketball Association announced today that the date of NBA Draft 2020 presented by State Farm has been moved to Wednesday, November 18, and will air on ESPN. The date remains subject to change as circumstances warrant."

"The revised date allows additional time to conduct the 2020 pre-draft process, gather information about the potential start date for the 2020-21 season, and advance conversations between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association regarding related Collective Bargaining Agreement matters."

When the initial draft date was set, free agency was supposed to follow two days later. This time around, it's unclear if free agency will occur in November or not. Although the draft is re-scheduled, the league doesn't have any predicted dates regarding free agency at this point.

Typically, the free agency signing period occurs about a month following the draft. While the NBA was hopeful of firing up the 2020-2021 season by December, it's unclear if that will be possible since the pandemic is still a factor. Therefore, free agency could see a later date that runs past November this season.

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