NBA officials, players, and fans were left with many questions about how the NBA offseason would unfold compared to years prior.
With the previous season being pushed back four months from the usual time frame due to the global pandemic, all of the normalities of an NBA season were thrown away.
Joey Fernandez
Sports Editor Intern
The 2019-20 NBA season came to a close on Oct 11. The new season is scheduled to begin on Dec. 22, just 71 days later.
Keep in mind, the normal NBA offseason is 27 weeks. Athletes need time to heal their bodies, and this break doesn’t seem to be long enough for some key players. LeBron James aired out his frustration via Twitter.
Most of the uncertainty was not due to whether free agency and the draft would have enough time to take place, but because some of the players are only going to have two months for their bodies to recover and to improve for the next season.
LeBron and many other star players have discussed sitting out for the first few weeks of the season due to the lack of time to recover.
To kick off the NBA off-season, the first virtual NBA Draft took place on Nov. 18.
With some of the most star power that the top of the draft class has seen in recent years, the top three selections were thought of as a locked order: complete guard Anthony Edwards out of Georgia, athletic big man James Wiseman out of Memphis, and the flashy, already famous point guard LaMelo Ball out of the NBL (Australian league).
As all of the draft picks were announced by commissioner Adam Silver at a remote studio, live streams aired from the locations of all 60 players who were selected reacting with their families as their childhood dream finally became reality.
The latter half of the shortened offseason will be filled with many rumors of the locations that some players will be traded or signed to, as NBA free agency officially began Nov. 20.
One impactful move so far is the trade between the Phoenix Suns and the Oklahoma City Thunder that moved veteran star point guard Chris Paul to Phoenix to pair up with young superstar Devin Booker.
Lots of speculation has started with both of the Houston Rockets superstars Russell Westbrook and James Harden, who seem disgruntled with the trajectory of the team.
Harden is believed to have requested a trade to the Brooklyn Nets to team up with all-world talents Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, but the details have yet to transpire.
As far as the most high profile free agent, reigning champion Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers, he’s an unrestricted free agent and is free to sign with any team.
Many reports indicate he is resigning with L.A. Davis opted out of the last year of his contract, but only because of the amount of his salary. The man wants to be paid, and rightfully so.
While the pandemic may continue to be an issue for many people around the league, the NBA will do its best to find a safe way for the off-season, and the season itself, to continue to go on as planned.
