THE NBA and its players’ association (NBPA) agreed on new provisions to the current collective bargaining agreement and set the official start of free agency Monday night. Free agency ahead of the 2020-21 season will begin at 6 p.m. Nov. 20, just two days after the NBA draft. Signings can then start Nov. 22. The NBPA approved the 72-game regular season last week, which is set to start Dec. 22 and wrap up just before the Olympics kick off in Tokyo next summer. Training camps will open Dec. 1, just 51 days after the end of the NBA Finals, which marks by far the shortest offseason in league history. Rookies who are drafted Nov. 18 will have just more than a month before their respective season openers. It is expected that the NBA will include baseball-style road trips to limit travel amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. (SD-Agencies) |