:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66743573/1143932204.jpg.0.jpg)
The 2019-20 NBA season’s hiatus is now pushing into offseason activities. On Friday, multiple reports came out stating that the 2020 NBA Draft Lottery will not happen on May 19 in Chicago as originally planned. Since the season isn’t officially over yet (I think the season will ultimately be cancelled anyway), it would be illogical to hold the lottery until an official season conclusion happens, one way or the other.
The Washington Wizards are ninth in the Eastern Conference, 5.5 games behind the Orlando Magic for the eighth and final seed for the playoffs.
Like a lot of other businesses, the NBA is also conveniently using the coronavirus pandemic as a guise to possibly change when the season starts.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, there is more traction around the NBA to start the season closer to December and finishing it in July or August. This could also allow the current NBA season to finish in the fall.
If the NBA regular season falls into the summer, it will overlap into the WNBA regular season. That may give some WNBA fans concern. If there are cities with NBA and WNBA teams, a season overlap could theoretically hurt WNBA team attendance and coverage in favor the NBA team.
Washington is definitely a city in that category, but I don’t think the Wizards and Mystics will have that problem, at least in 2020.
If both teams play games this summer, the Mystics are the defending WNBA champions and will likely be in position to do so again. They are gaining more of a following because of superstars like Elena Delle Donne.
The Wizards, however, are likely going to play out a short end to their regular season. After all, their chances of sneaking into the eighth seed are slim with an 82-game regular season as it is.
Finally, the NBA and WNBA also have an opportunity to do events like they never had before like doubleheaders, which Mechelle Voepel of ESPN noted in an article on April 17.
It was inevitable that the NBA Draft Lottery was going to be postponed. But do you like the idea of the NBA season starting toward Christmas and ending in the midsummer months? Let us know in the comments below.