Coronavirus and the suspended NBA season: FAQ

The season has been suspended and the coronavirus outbreak has things changing day to day. Here’s everything you need to know about how the virus is affecting the NBA.

The NBA season is suspended indefinitely and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic is keeping everything up in the air. As the situation continues to evolve, here are the biggest questions about the season, the schedule, potential return dates and more, with everything we know at this time.

When will the NBA return?

When the season was initially suspended on Mar. 11, the league said they would revisit the decision after 30 days. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention subsequently released guidelines discouraging gatherings of more than 50 people for the next eight weeks. Even if the league planned on playing games without fans it would be nearly impossible to run a game under league rules with less than 50 people in the building, considering rosters, officials, coaches and support staff. Because of that, it seems like mid- to late-June is the earliest possible date the league could resume play.

What will the schedule look like when the NBA returns?

Assuming mid-June is the earliest time that play could resume, the NBA would have to either abandon the 2019-20 season completely or play an abbreviated version of the playoffs. Even if the following offseason is compressed, trying to fit in some version of the playoffs will almost certainly necessitate adjusting, compressing or shortening the schedule for the 2020-21 season.

While there are questions of legacy to consider, the decision on how to proceed will be decided by balancing health and safety with financial considerations. ESPN has reported that the league will be providing owners with financial projections for a variety of options in the near future. But a final decision probably can’t be made until the coronavirus pandemic begins to subside, which means we may not know the answer to this question for some time.

Will free agency still happen? What about the draft?

Yes, we just don’t know when or where, in the case of the draft. The NBA Draft was scheduled to be held on June 25, with free agency negotiations opening, as usual, on July 1. If the season is canceled, these events may be just slightly delayed. If the NBA returns and plays some version of the postseason, they could be moved towards the end of the summer or even into the early fall. Free agency can mostly be conducted remotely and we’ve seen NFL free agency move full steam ahead this week in the midst of the pandemic. The draft is slightly more complicated because of things like private workouts and the scouting combine.

Can players be signed or traded during this pause?

Soon after the season was suspended, the league and the NBA Player’s Association reached an agreement to place a moratorium on all roster moves. The trade deadline has already passed but the moratorium also covers things like free agent signings and 10-day contracts. The moratorium is supposed to be reviewed in mid-April at the end of the initial 30-day suspension in play but it likely won’t be lifted unless the league is canceling the season completely or until a plan is in place for how to proceed with the draft and free agency period.

Are the players still being paid?

Currently, NBA players are being paid as normal. However, the NBA Player’s Association has communicated to its members that there is a provision in the current CBA that the owners could trigger giving them legal cover to stop paying players. If it was used, the players’ base season salaries would be reduced by 1.08 percent for each canceled game. The “Force Majure Event” provision could only be engaged if the league commits to fully canceling the rest of the 2019-20 season so even if it’s used, it likely won’t be for a while.

Will the suspended season affect the salary cap?

Absolutely. The salary cap is set as a percentage of the league’s basketball-related income and losing games and/or playing future games without fans will inevitably depress that figure. The league’s salary cap was already projected to decline for next season because of a drop in revenues from the confrontation with China before the season began over Daryl Morey’s comments supporting pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong. However, the process for determining the actual salary cap figure involves projections and we’re in unfamiliar territory which will necessitate negotiations with the NBA Player’s Association. The financial landscape of the league will be altered, we just don’t know yet by how much.

Are non-player employees still being paid?

There has been no reporting to indicate that non-player team employees under contract (coaches, trainers, marking staff, etc.) will not be played. Spurred by personal financial donations from players like Kevin Love, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Zion Williamson, many teams have also stepped up and made plans to continue paying hourly support staff like arena workers.

Which players have tested positive for COVID-19?

As of right now, 10 NBA players have tested positive — Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz, Christian Wood of the Detroit Pistons, Kevin Durant and three other Brooklyn Nets players, two unnamed Los Angeles Lakers and Marcus Smart of the Boston Celtics. Gobert was the first NBA player to receive a positive test, on Mar. 11, and he played against Wood and the Pistons on Mar. 7. All other Pistons’ players received a negative test result and every member of the Toronto Raptors, who played Gobert and the Jazz on Mar. 9, also tested negative.

On Tuesday, March 17, the Nets announced that four of their players have also tested positive. The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Kevin Durant is one of the four players, but is showing no symptoms. As of now, they have not made the identities of the other three players public.

On Thursday, March 19, the Lakers announced that two of 14 players who were tested came back with positive results. They had played the Nets the night before the NBA shut down. The identities of those two players have not been made public. Not long after the Celtics announced one confirmed case, Marcus Smart publicly announced it was him on his Twitter account.

Former NBA player, Trey Thompkins — who played 24 games for the Clippers during the 2011-12 season and currently plays for Real Madrid of the Liga ACB — has also tested positive in Spain.

What is happening to the G League?

The NBA hasn’t formally announced the end of the G League season but they will almost certainly not play again this year. ESPN has reported that teams are expecting that the season is over and players have been told they will receive their entire base salary for the season, regardless of what happens.

For more information about COVID-19, visit the CDC’s website or the website for your state’s Department of Health.