On Thursday, the NBA and Players Association agreed to a deal to begin the 2020-21 season on Dec. 22, playing a 72-game regular season with the Finals scheduled for July.
That decision will lead to the shortest offseason in league history, with training camps scheduled to begin in just over three weeks. The entire offseason will now have to fit into that three-week span.
The 2020 NBA Draft is already scheduled for Nov. 18, and free agency — which does not currently have a start date — will begin some time after that. The league is hoping to begin free agency early enough to allow players to get to their new home markets prior to Dec. 1.
Because of this, that period is likely to begin as soon as possible following the conclusion of the NBA Draft, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
The NBA and NBPA are planning to discuss the opening of free agency as quickly as possible after the November 18 NBA draft to accommodate player movement with such a short window to the opening of training camps on Dec. 1, sources said.
This offseason will move at an unbelievably fast pace, meaning teams might be hesitant to make big moves. Luckily, the 2020 free agent class is nothing remarkable and could lead to teams most likely be filling out their respective rosters with role players.
The Los Angeles Lakers — who along with the Miami Heat will have a two-month offseason — may look to run it back with the same roster, or make some slight adjustments. It seems unlikely that a blockbuster deal will be agreed to with such a short offseason.
If they do wish to make a trade, the Lakers have been linked to names like Chris Paul and Victor Oladipo, but have not been as active in the free agent rumor mill.
Executives believe Anthony Davis will sign short term contract with Lakers
Anthony Davis is by far the biggest name in this season’s free agent class. However, there have been little to no rumors surrounding him as it is widely agreed upon that he will re-sign with the Lakers. The only question there is the length of the contract.
Executives believe Davis will re-sign with L.A. on a 2-plus-1 deal: two guaranteed years and one year on a player option so he can potentially re-enter free agency before age 30.
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