What we know about the NBA's July return

On Thursday afternoon, the NBA Board of Governors approved a league proposal for a 22-team format to restart the 2019-2020 season in Orlando at the end of July.  

The plan calls for 13 Western Conference teams and nine Eastern Conference teams to head to Walt Disney World Resort, where each team will play eight regular-season games for seeding purposes. There is also a possibility of a play-in tournament for the eighth seed, before the NBA Playoffs start in September.

Which NBA franchises are invited?

The top 16 teams in the league will participate, as well as New Orleans, Portland, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Antonio, and Washington, who are all within six games of eighth place in the two conferences.

A play-in tournament for a spot in the postseason will include the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds, if the ninth seed finishes the regular season within four games of the eighth. The No. 8 seed would then enter a double-elimination tournament, and the No. 9 seed would face single elimination. If the ninth seed is more than four games behind the eighth, No. 8 would automatically make the playoffs.

Who’s favored to win the 2020 NBA playoffs?

The 53-12 Milwaukee Bucks (+250) are the frontrunner to win the 2020 NBA championship, while LeBron James and the Lakers (49-14) head the Western Conference, with +270 odds.

You can find the complete list of championship odds at BetAmerica.com.

When will the teams arrive in Orlando?

Next month, teams will begin training at their own facilities, then embark on full training camp in Orlando in late July.

When will the playoffs start?

According to the plan, regular-season games would pick up July 31. The last possible date for an NBA Finals Game 7 is Oct. 12.

As for the eight regular-season games each team will play, the idea is to pick up where the old schedule left off, but remove the teams not in Orlando. There are still several challenges to overcome with this format.

What will happen to home-court advantage?

That’s a million-dollar question. Several of the top-seeded franchises reportedly have discussed a plan to retain some modicum of home-court advantage — which they fought for during the regular season.

Some of the scenarios floated around include:

• The higher-seeded team gets the first possession of the second, third, and fourth quarters.
• Transporting the higher-seeded team’s actual hardwood home court from its arena to preserve the feel of the home-court experience.
• The higher seed would have first choice on which hotel the team stays in at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and Disney World Resort.

What will happen to the eight teams not invited to Orlando?

According to Adrian Wojnarowski, several of the teams left out of the Orlando trip are concerned they will face a competitive and financial disadvantage, as they endure a lengthy hiatus between the NBA’s March suspension and the start of the 2020-2021 season, which will likely be pushed back to Christmas Day.

One potential solution could be mandatory summer training camp and regional fall leagues to help bridge the gap. The NBA is expected to discuss possible scenarios with the players' union.

What measures are being taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19?

The NBA and National Basketball Players Association are negotiating details of safety protocol for the players, coaches, and staff residing in Orlando throughout the duration of league play.

Players and coaches will be allowed to golf or eat at outdoor restaurants, but they must practice social distancing, according to Ramona Shelburne.

The NBA is also planning to have uniform, daily testing for the coronavirus. The league would remove any player with a positive COVID-19 test from the team to quarantine and treat individually. Other team members would undergo continuous testing as they play on.

Additional updates on the NBA draft

According to Wojnarowski, the board of governors agreed on an Aug. 25 draft lottery and an Oct. 15 draft. Here are the latest odds on which player is most likely to be selected first:

Find the latest NBA odds at BetAmerica!