NBA free agency expected to begin Dec. 1

The NBA has done a remarkable job handling these unprecedented circumstances and is on the verge of successfully finishing its season in the Orlando bubble. But now that the season is almost over, people are naturally wondering what next season will look like, including when free agency will begin. According to National Basketball executive director Michele Roberts, free agency is slated to begin on Dec. 1.

"We can't go much beyond (Dec. 1) for (free agency)," Roberts told The Athletic's Shams Charania. "We had a projected BRI, which I think teams appropriately planned for. I don't think we can deviate much from where we projected the cap to be ($115 million, latest projection). It may not reflect what people think is the likely BRI, but since I'm of the view this game is not dead and it will rebound, we can do some things with the cap to allow for a free market and not completely destroy what the teams were expecting the cap to be as they were planning ahead. Frankly, I think that's going to be one of the easier negotiations, figuring out a cap."

While the NBA may have its free agency figured out, there still is the question of when exactly the season will begin. NBA commissioner Adam Silver already ruled out starting this year but expressed hope that the NBA will be able to play a full season in front of fans. Meanwhile, the NBA draft is slated to take place on Nov. 18.

Silver doesn't provide any details about how many fans he expects to be in attendance at games, but it could look something like what the NFL is doing, with stadiums being filled at partial capacity in order to limit the risk of COVID-19 spreading. Considering how the NBA has seemed to be miles ahead of other leagues when it came to preparing for COVID-19, Silver is surely formulating a plan to limit exposure.