A flurry of loose ends were tied up on Friday morning around the NBA, as teams now have a firmer idea of when players have to be in their home markets, as well as when they will begin on-court work in Orlando.
The most pertinent information is that training camps, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, are due to start on July 9 in Orlando, and teams will participate in three contests that amount to preseason games between July 9-29. Players have gotten their way when it comes to the runway back to playing again, as the NBA’s desire to hit the court after two to three weeks has turned into nearly two months from when facilities were allowed to reopen and when official preseason games will begin.
In addition, the NBA is upping what is allowed on the court in practices. Now, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania, up to two assistant coaches can work with a player at one time, with head coaches allowed to “supervise” workouts beginning June 23. That late-June date is the same day that the league will begin orchestrating its league-wide coronavirus testing plans.
Health and safety: The NBA’s required coronavirus testing window for teams: June 23-30, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 12, 2020
In the interim, players who’ve traveled internationally since the NBA pressed pause on March 11, such as Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic, must be back in the United States by June 15.
All other players have until June 22 to get to their home markets.
Players traveling outside of the U.S. need to report by June 15 to team markets — rest of players need to arrive by June 22, per sources.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 12, 2020
The same urgency likely applies to all members of the Toronto Raptors as well, with travel restrictions still in place around the world and, until at least July, between the United States and Canada. An even playing field is the priority when it comes to the schedule over the next few weeks, and it seems the NBA will be able to keep that intact.