Report: NBA targeting July 31 for return of season

The NBA is reportedly targeting July 31 for the league to return to play, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver and the league office informed the Board of Governors of the new timeline during a call Friday, Charania reports. Earlier this week, there were reports that the NBA was projecting a return in late July or early August.

According to ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski, the NBA is planning a Board of Governors vote on Thursday, with an expectation that owners will approve Silver’s recommendation on a format to re-start the season in Orlando.

During the call, Charania reports that the NBA also discussed four possible competition scenarios to use if the league resumes play, with one idea including 16 teams going straight into the playoffs and another involving 30 teams playing a 72-game regular season and a play-in tournament. The other scenarios include a 20 team return with group/stage play or a 22 team return with games to determine seeding and a play-in tournament for the final seed(s).

Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan reportedly advocated for player safety on the call and not having players return for meaningless games, Charania reports. With health and safety as a top priority for the NBA, Charania says the 30 team return scenario is unlikely to be chosen.

Wojnarowski reports that Silver and the NBPA will continue talking about details for a return-to-play proposal. Wojnarowski adds that the financial implications of the proposals were also discussed on the call.