The National Basketball Association (NBA) and its players’ association (NBPA) agreed on Monday to start the next season on December 22, the league reports.
It is planned to play 72 games in the NBA Main Event, which is ten less than usual. It was previously reported that then the regular championship would end in May, but the elimination tournament – around July 22, without overlapping with the Olympic Games.
Negotiations with the free agents will start on November 20, or two days after the draft, but contracts can be concluded from November 22. Meanwhile, training camps could start on December 1.
The league and NBPA have also agreed on changes to the collective agreement, which stipulates that the salary ceiling will be 109.14 million US dollars, and the luxury tax – 132.627 million dollars. In the next season, these amounts will increase from three to ten percent.
The league plans to start the season without the presence of spectators in the arenas, as the restrictions of the coronavirus prohibit larger public gatherings in the premises.
The NBA said in June that the next season could begin on December 1, but the NBPA never supported it as a start date.
The final phase of last season took place at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando. The last match of the season took place on October 11, when the Los Angeles Lakers secured a 4-2 victory over the Miami Heat in the final series.
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