NBA's 2021-22 Schedule Should Give Raptors Plenty of Time to Reopen Scotiabank Arena

The NBA's 2021-22 season schedule should give the Toronto Raptors enough time to get approval from the government to reopen Scotiabank Arena

Aaron Rose | Jun 10, 2021

Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

If things go as planned, the Toronto Raptors will be back in Scotiabank Arena for the home opener in mid-October.

The NBA has reportedly informed teams that the 2021-22 season will commence on October 19 and run as late as June 19, the scheduled date of Game 7 of the NBA Finals, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.

Sources: Key dates for the 2021-22 NBA season:

Sept. 28: Training camp starts
Oct. 19: Regular season starts
April 16: Playoffs start
June 2: Finals Game 1
June 19: Finals Game 7
June 23: 2022 NBA Draft
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 10, 2021

While no announcement has officially been made regarding the team's return to Toronto, an October start should give Ontario plenty of to fully vaccinate all Ontarians who want the COVID-19 vaccine. The Canadian government has long said that all Canadians who want to be vaccinated will be able to get a COVID-19 vaccine by September.

MLSE and a committee representing Ontario's professional sports teams have reportedly already asked the provincial government for approval to start admitting fans into arenas once the province enters stage 2 of its reopening plan, according to TSN's Dave Naylor.

A committee representing 7 Ontario pro teams (MLSE’s 4, Jays, Ticats, Redblacks), submitted proposal last week seeking up to 35 % of stadium capacity open for Ontario’s stage 2 reopening and up to 100 % for stage 3. Stage 2 could be early as July 2. Stage 3 as early as July 23rd.
— Dave Naylor (@TSNDaveNaylor) June 8, 2021

If approved, stadiums could return to full capacity as early as July 23, giving the Raptors plenty of time to prepare for their home opener in mid-October.

For the NBA, the 2021-22 schedule is a return to the league's pre-pandemic timeline. The league had played a condensed 72-game season starting on December 22 and potentially running through July 22.

Free agency will officially commence on August 6 at 12:01 p.m. ET, meaning players will have almost two months between the start of free agency and the beginning of training camp on September 28.

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