NBA free agency officially set to begin Nov. 20
The NBA defending champion Lakers finally have the answer to their biggest offseason question — how quickly can they re-sign star big man Anthony Davis?
The NBA and the NBPA, the union that represents the league’s players, announced that free agency for the upcoming season will officially open Nov. 20, with teams able to officially sign deals starting Nov. 22.
It’s all part of the NBA’s condensed offseason, with the NBA draft, free agency and the opening of training camp all coming within a two-week window.
Monday’s late-night announcement detailed some of the plans for the upcoming 72-game season that’s set to tip off Dec. 22.
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The NBA suffered revenue shortfalls of around $1.5 billion due to the shutdown of the 2019-20 season caused by the coronavirus pandemic, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. Still, the salary cap and the luxury tax numbers will be identical to what they were a year ago ($109.140 million and $132.627 million, respectively) thanks to a reworking of the league’s split of basketball-related income between the league’s players and ownership.
The league’s board of governors will vote to finalize the deal, which is viewed as a formality.
No formal date has been set for players like Davis or for teams to exercise contract options, though that’s expected to happen in the days immediately before the league’s Nov. 18 draft.
The NBA and the NBPA tentatively agreed on the framework for a 72-game season last week. Desires to begin the season in mid-January or later were offset by potential revenue losses of $500 million if the league didn’t start close to a full schedule in late December, sources said.
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