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Report: NBA draft date set for Nov. 18 after COVID-19 delays

The 2020 NBA draft now has a date.

The league will host the draft on Nov. 18, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The draft had been delayed several times already due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The draft was initially scheduled for June 25, though was pushed back to Oct. 15 due to the pandemic. Teams had reportedly wanted to delay the draft in order to have more time to negotiate the salary cap after the season ends.

The NBA had initially said it wanted to start the 2020-21 season by Dec. 1, roughly two months after the the NBA Finals will end inside the bubble at Walt Disney World. The league office reportedly told the Board of Governors last week that the season won’t start before Christmas Day.

Though the league still has plenty to figure out before next season can officially begin — commissioner Adam Silver has said that he wants to have fans back in the stands in some capacity, which adds even more logistical hurdles to the mix — having an official draft date is a good step in the right direction.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver
The NBA draft now finally has a date. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

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