As the NBA finalizes the makeshift calendar in place for the remainder of the 2019-2020 season, it has also reportedly settled on dates for the draft lottery and the draft itself. A report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski listed Aug. 25 as lottery day and Oct. 15 as draft day.
NBA has set an August 25 Draft Lottery and October 15 Draft, sources say.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 4, 2020
Should the NBA Finals go seven games, the latest they would end is Oct. 12, which would put the draft a quick three days afterward. The lottery teams will be set in stone by Aug. 25, as this is likely around the time the regular season portion of the NBA’s Orlando bubble league will finish, locking in who makes the playoffs and who gets ping-pong balls designated for them for the lottery.
Expect that the next details to emerge will be how to restructure free agency, which would likely come shortly after the Oct. 15 draft. Currently, contracts are set to expire June 30, a full month before the restructured season is even due to begin. The NBA also will, according to Shams Charania, continue to explore its options to run a draft combine. The annual April event in Chicago was canceled shortly after the NBA season was put on pause.
In addition, everything from player and team option dates to trade exceptions to the moratorium will have to be reconsidered, but establishing a firm calendar when it comes to the draft will allow players, agents and scouting departments more clarity about what to expect this year.