Inside The Rockets

Report: NBA Draft Set for October 15, Lottery to be Held on August 25

The 2019-20 season will resume on July 31 after the NBA's 22-team return-to-play plan was approved by the Board of Governors.

Michael Shapiro

The NBA's return-to-play proposal was approved by the Board of Governors on Thursday, and the league appears to have a timeline in place for both the 2019-20 season and the subsequent offseason. 

The 2019-20 season will resume on July 31, with 22 teams heading to Orlando for eight regular-season games before the playoffs. October 12 is the last possible date for Game 7 of the Finals, and a truncated offseason is expected before the 2020-21 season, per The Athletic's Shams Charania. 

The first offseason event will occur before the 2019-20 season is over, with the NBA Draft Lottery set for Aug. 25, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The 2020 NBA Draft will be held on Oct. 15.

There could be less than two months between the conclusion of the 2019-20 season and the start of 2020-21. The NBA is reportedly targeting Oct. 18 for the first date of free agency, with training camps slated to open on Nov. 10. Dec. 1 is the NBA's preferred opening night for 2020-21, though that date "can remain fluid," per Charania. 

The Rockets could have a relatively quiet offseason compared to their Western Conference counterparts. Houston does not have a first-round pick after sending it to Denver in the Robert Covington trade, and many of their top players are under contract through at least the 2020-21 season. Austin Rivers and Jeff Green are the only members of Houston's regular rotation who are eligible for free agency in November. 

Houston currently sits No. 6 in the Western Conference at 40–24. James Harden and Co. have clinched a playoff spot for the eighth straight season, though the Rockets have not reached the Finals since 1995.

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Michael Shapiro
MICHAEL SHAPIRO

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