Report: NBA Draft, Free Agency, and 2020-21 Season Dates Pushed Back

Don’t worry, Elton. You now have even more time to conduct your “evaluation of the front office and that infrastructure.” Per The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the NBA and NBPA are pushing back the dates for the draft, free agency, and the 2020-21 season:

This news can only be good for the Sixers, as those NBA draft and free agency dates were really creeping up. If Brand was sincere about his front office evaluation, any new faces brought in would have had very little time to conduct adequate preparation for those key dates on the NBA calendar. Of course, if nothing ends up changing from this past season except for Marc Eversley having left for Chicago, then none of it really matters anyway.

Based upon Shams’ reporting, the draft will still be in the not-too-distant future. With the Sixers holding the 21st overall pick and four selections in the second round, Brand has plenty of college tape to watch in the next 5-7 weeks. Free agency will purportedly be pushed back even further, giving Elton time to run every single Al Horford-to-anyone-else scenario through the NBA trade machine. The best time to strike on a deal would seem to be before new free agents are signed, soaking up cap space and being ineligible to be moved for at least three months.

As to when the 2020-21 season will begin, that date is likely up to global events as much as the NBA. We don’t know when we’ll next see the Sixers out on the court. Good thing we have such fond memories of the last time they played to tide us over!