Report: Philadelphia 76ers' Schedule Could be Condensed in 2021

The Philadelphia 76ers could play a condensed schedule next season so the NBA could remain on a similar timeline as usual.

Nothing is going to be normal over the next year for the Philadelphia 76ers' schedule. Typically, the team would be wrapping up the season around this time every year and getting prepared for the NBA Draft and free agency. This summer, though, the Sixers will partake in another training camp and will battle in the postseason during the summer and the fall, depending on how far they go.

Knowing that the 2019-2020 NBA season will carry into October, it's become evident that next season will start later than usual. The NBA has targeted December 1st as a possible start for the 2020-2021 season, but the NBAPA will likely look to push that back. Since next year's start date will occur later than usual, it's clear the timeline will be different once again. However, the NBA will reportedly try to get things back to normal with a condensed schedule for the 2020-2021 season, according to a report.

From the Atlanta Hawks' front office, General Manager Travis Schlenk mentioned on a conference call that the NBA notified all GMs that the league has "indicated" next year's schedule could be "condensed in order to try to keep the league as close to its usual timeline as possible," according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN.

That means next season could have a lot more back to backs along with additional four games in five nights scenarios next season. Next year could be problematic for the Sixers, who utilize load management often for specific players. While it's definitely not an ideal scenario for Philly, a condensed season makes the most sense for the NBA if they aren't open to changing the traditional timeline at all.

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