NBA wants to move draft to July, add awards show

By Chris Barnewall | Jun 27, 2014

Jun 26, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Julius Randle (Kentucky) shakes hands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number seven overall pick to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2014 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

The NBA draft is very interested in moving the draft back according to a source close to the situation. They’ve even considered adding an awards show to go along with it. What would be part of that awards show, remains to be seen. The reason the NBA is giving for wanting to move the draft back is to give them more time to advertise it as the way it’s currently set up, the draft and finals both happen in the same month, June.

More from NBA

While giving the draft more advertisement time makes sense, there are possible negative repercussions to extending the time. Most NBA fans are very happy with the way the draft works right now as there’s no long wait after the Finals are over and they just get to move right into draft preparations.

At the moment, July is the month fans see as the time free agency talk really starts to heat up. Players are able to communicate with teams and by July 10th, they can sign with them. Will all of this get moved to a later date with the draft?

There is one possible positive outcome about moving the draft back to a later date as this could be the NBA trying to make room for a shorter NBA season. At the moment, the season usually starts in late October. If the season started in late November or December, that would give them room to push all of their off season events to later times.

At the moment, the NBA’s consideration of this sounds like more of an idea they’re just throwing around instead of something they have their hearts set on. If there is anything to this, more will probably be heard about it at the board of governors meeting over the summer.