NBA reportedly targeting July 31 return to play, to vote on format next week

NBA commissioner Adam Silver, shown here in 2017, held a call with the league’s Board of Governors on Friday, and according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Silver told the group that July 31 is a target date for play to resume. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

NBA commissioner Adam Silver held a call with the league’s Board of Governors on Friday, and according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Silver told the group that July 31 is a target date for play to resume.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Friday that the Board of Governors will vote next Thursday on the format the league will return to play in, and the group is expected to approve whatever plan Silver and the NBA Players Association decides upon (play will occur in Orlando).

Charania said four competition scenarios were discussed on the call Friday: 16 teams going directly to the playoffs, 20 teams playing in a group/stage format, 22 teams with games to determine seeds and a play-in tournament for final seeds and all 30 teams getting to 72 regular season games, plus a play-in tournament.

That final scenario is “unlikely,” Charania reported.

Wojnarowski reported that teams “expect to include invitations for 20-to-22 teams to resume the season.”

Charania also reported Friday that team general managers were sent the results of a survey they received earlier this month. According to Charania, 53% of general managers voted in the survey to go straight to the playoffs when the season resumes, with 27% voting for a play-in before playoff teams are finalized.