NBA prefers live games with limited fans for 2020-2021 season

The NBA has informed teams that the league will be pushing for local games with reduced fans and travel for the 2020-2021 season over the bubble concept currently being used to finish the 2019-2020 season.

The bubble format focused on the safety of the league participants and the general public as a whole. However, it prevents fans from watching live NBA games. Only a minimal number of invited guests were allowed to enter the NBA bubble after passing health and quarantine protocols.

A lot of players complained about loneliness in the early part of the season restart, and some members of the league, such as coaches, are still not allowed to invite their family members to join them in the bubble. Players were very vocal that if the next season will use the bubble template, they will not accept terms where family members are not included in the bubble.

The NBA restarted on July 31, but players started arriving as early as the first week of July to complete quarantine procedures and practice before the official start of the games. By the end of the season in mid-October, NBA personnel would have stayed in the bubble for three and a half months.

A full season, even a shortened one as predicted for the incoming 2020-2021 season, could last as long as seven months. Many analysts have predicted that the league will use the current bubble as a template for the next season and correct its shortcomings. Apparently, the NBA is looking into a "new normal" version of the games.

According to Blazers Edge, the number of fans allowed to watch the games in arenas would be determined by COVID-19 safety concerns.

Ticket sales account for most of the income for NBA teams. Players are guaranteed a salary paid by their respective teams and any brand endorsement deals.

A 25% salary cut has been in effect since the hiatus to help alleviate the financial burden on NBA teams as negotiated by the league and the players union.

However, without ticket sales, teams would continue to operate in the red. Team gross income is one of the significant determining factors for salary caps. While teams are allowed to go over those caps based on existing contracts, it would prevent them from re-signing new players or even players with expiring contracts in their rosters if the salary cap is lowered.