The NBA and NBPA came to an agreement late Monday night that amended the collective bargaining agreement, hammering out all the key dates for the 2020-21 NBA season. After a year-long wait to crown a champion in October, the NBA was looking for a quick turnaround to try and salvage revenue for the 2020-21 season. The quick turnaround will allow for more of a normalized calendar, which will include a 72-game season and potentially another play-in tournament like in the NBA bubble this past season.
So now that all of these details have been finalized, we can look ahead to the 2020-21 season. Here is a list of all the key dates to keep in mind:
Nov. 18 — 2020 NBA Draft, 7 p.m. ET ESPN headquarters
Nov. 20 — NBA free agency begins at 6 p.m. ET
Nov. 22 — Moratorium period lifted, players allowed to sign (12:01 p.m. ET)
Dec. 1 — Training camp begins
Dec. 22 — Opening night
March 5-10 — All-Star Break (no game)
May 16 — Regular season ends
May 17-21 — Play-in tournament for 7-10 seeds
May 22 — First round of playoffs
June 7 — Second round of playoffs
June 22 — Conference Finals
July 8-22 — NBA Finals
Note: The freeze on transactions is expected to be lifted 2-3 days prior to the NBA Draft. Teams will be allowed to make trades, contract opt-ins and opt-outs, etc.