Report: NBA teams pushing for draft to be moved to at least August 1

NBA teams are pushing the league to delay the 2020 NBA Draft to August 1st at the earliest, according to ESPN. The draft is currently scheduled for June 25th, but teams want to have more time for the traditional pre-draft process that includes in-person workouts, interviews, and medical evaluations. The Covid-19 pandemic requires social distancing that prevents much of this from happening.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has said that May 1st is the earliest that decisions on the remaining league calendar can start to be made. ESPN is reporting teams would be flexible on an August 1st draft if the league is able to restart and complete the 2019-2020 season. If the season restarted and played through the summer, team officials see a September draft and free agency period as the most realistic scenario.

ESPN obtained a memo in which the league informed teams, “organizations are prohibited from conducting in-person workouts or interviews with draft-eligible players until further notice.” The league is allowed virtual interviews with prospects, that are limited to four hours total for any single player.

The NFL has pushed forward with its draft April 23rd to 25th in spite of the fact that traditional in-person events like pro days, private workouts, and draft visits were all cancelled and turned into semi-virtual options.