NBA Commissioner tells teams to start preparing for the league to resume

A final decision about the current 2019-2020 season will be made by as late as June.

In a conference call last Friday, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver gave NBA teams and players a road map of what's to come and told them to start preparing for the games to resume.

Big changes are expected. The NBA has been on hiatus since March 11. Almost two months have passed and the league does not yet see an end to the coronavirus pandemic situation. According to Silver, the risk of infection from the virus will continue to remain in the foreseeable future.

However, a few decisions have been made by the league. If the season does resume, it will be played in empty arenas and they will play in a centralised location. Currently, there are two options: Las Vegas and Disney World, Orlando. Despite all the risks involved in playing in an isolated "bubble," it is a better option than having teams fly to different cities twice a week.

A final decision about the current 2019-2020 season will be made by as late as June. That decision effectively tells teams that the NBA Draft will be pushed back until further notice. It was initially scheduled for June 25, but with the draft lottery already postponed, it didn't come as a surprise that the draft itself will be pushed back.

According to Bleacher Report, Silver admitted that the decision is heavily influenced by the financial burden the pandemic has brought the league. Players will start receiving a pay cut beginning mid-May, but it is still not enough to cover the league's near-zero income. Recouping broadcasting rights from networks and to bring content to fans may help the situation.

He emphasised that players should also be concerned about the league's financial situation. Team earnings determine salary caps, and the crisis would mean lower salaries for everyone. Once the league finalises the salary cap for the 2020-2021 season, a lot of players may need to renegotiate their salary to stay on their teams.

The details of the bubble are still being discussed. There is a proposal that players' families should be included in the bubble, and the league is leaning towards agreeing to it.

ESPN's senior writer Ramona Shelburne speculates that the bubble may include 24-hour surveillance and armed guards. Lax security could lead to an infection inside the bubble and the league would suspend all the games again. Not everyone is on the same page at the moment, but Commissioner Silver is working hard on finding a way to get the players back on court.