It remains unclear when the NBA’s 2020/21 season will begin and what form it will take, and that uncertainty applies doubly to the coming G League season. As Marc Berman of The New York Post writes, there’s no guarantee a standard NBAGL season will take place in ’20/21.
According to Berman, multiple scenarios have been discussed for a potential G League season, including the idea of not holding one at all and simply expanding NBA rosters instead.
As John Hollinger of The Athletic noted earlier this week and as Berman reiterates, one option for the NBAGL could be to put together multiple short-term “bubbles” and hold a handful of week-long events similar to the annual G League Showcase.
If the league attempts a more standard season, it would likely have to institute a regionalized schedule to reduce travel, sources tell Berman. Unlike NBA teams, who have private planes, G League clubs generally fly commercial or travel by bus, increasing the coronavirus-related risk associated with moving around the country.
The 2020/21 season was supposed to be an eventful one for the G League, which had intended to introduce an expansion team in Mexico City and a new “Select Team” made up of some veterans and top prospects who opted not to attend college. It’s unclear what the plan would be for those clubs – and the other 28 – if a season can’t be held.
[RELATED: G League Mulling Fall Tournament Featuring Select Team]
The NBA and NBPA figure to address this issue during their Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations, since it will have an impact on NBA rosters too. Teams often send young players on their 15-man roster to the G League on assignments and also carry a pair of players on two-way contracts who can be transferred back and forth between the NBA and NBAGL. If no G League season takes place, the rules for those two-way deals will have to be tweaked.
Select team going to get paid regardless if there is a G League season?
Why do you care? Do you get a cut?
That’s a drag. I live in the same city a G-League team plays in and it’s fun checking out some games. Even bigger drag for the guys trying to make the NBA on 10 days and 2 Ways.