76ers GM Elton Brand Reiterates It's 'Too Early to Speculate' on NBA's Return

Philadelphia 76ers General Manager Elton Brand has been in direct contact with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver lately. From what he's gathered after numerous meetings, Brand reiterates it's too early to tell when the NBA will return.

When the NBA began its league suspension on March 12th because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many didn't know what to expect. For precautionary reasons, the league collectively decided that a 30-day hiatus was necessary.

It was assumed the NBA wouldn't return to action in precisely one month from the suspension, but not too many fans, players, and team staffers anticipated a long-term hiatus either. Next week, we'll officially reach the two-month mark since the NBA postponed the rest of the regular season.

While the idea of a potential late June/early July return in a neutral bubble city is being considered, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has mentioned countless times that nothing is off the table -- not even a canceled 2019-2020 season.

On Tuesday, Philadelphia 76ers General Manager Elton Brand confirmed what we've been hearing for weeks now. As the Sixers GM is on a weekly call involving Adam Silver and other NBA General Managers, Brand is well-aware of the fact that the NBA is far from ready to continue the current season.

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"I'm on a committee for a return to play, and they are looking at all options," Brand said on Tuesday. "It's too early to speculate on what it's going to be this year. It will be based on safety and health. To steal a line from Adam [Silver] directly, he said it's going to be about data -- not a date. And we'll figure everything out from there."

What does the NBA need in order to consider returning to action? To summarize, they need tens of thousands of COVID-19 tests -- and the number of country-wide coronavirus infections to go down to a point where health officials can deem it safe to play ball. As long as cases continue to grow, and on-demand tests aren't available, the NBA won't even consider working on a full return.

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