Adam Silver got his wish: the NBA will be back on a traditional schedule for the 2021-22 NBA season.
The NBA Board of Governors (read: the owners) voted on a schedule for next season that includes an October start and the return of the play-in tournament. Here are those key dates for the 2021-22 NBA season:
• Aug. 2: Teams can begin negotiating with free agents (6 p.m. ET)
• Aug. 6: Teams can begin signing free agents (12:01 p.m. ET)
• Aug. 8-17: MGM Resorts NBA Summer League in Las Vegas
• Sept. 28, 2021: Training camp begins
• Oct. 19, 2021: Regular season begins
• Feb. 20, 2022: NBA All-Star Game, Cleveland
• April 10, 2022: Regular season concludes
• April 12-15, 2022: Play-In Tournament
• April 16, 2022: Playoffs begin
• June 2, 2022: NBA Finals begin
• June 19, 2022: Game 7 of NBA Finals (if necessary)
• June 23, 2022: NBA Draft
It should be noted that the All-Star Game date was not on the NBA key dates sent out by the league reporters this week, the date above is when it was previously scheduled for. The All-Star Game likely will be that weekend, but like many things heading into next season, nobody is exactly sure what things will look like as the Delta variant of the coronavirus hits the nation hard.
