The NBA is considering a whole bunch of options as they look to resume the season this summer. Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports

Report: NBA eyes July 31 return, 30-team return 'unlikely'

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 5/29/20

While speaking with CNBC on Thursday, Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry said he wasn't sure the league's board of governors would recommend that all 30 NBA teams return to courts at a bubble site such as Orlando's Walt Disney World Resort for the completion of the 2019-20 season that's been suspended since March 11 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

On Friday, The Athletic's Shams Charania tweeted it's unlikely all clubs would be required to play out the remainder of the campaign:

Hornets owner Michael Jordan advocated on the call for player safety, and not simply having players return for meaningless games, sources said. Given the NBA is prioritizing health and safety first and foremost, 30 team return is unlikely. https://t.co/03pAvpDPi7
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 29, 2020

Charania added that July 31 is the Association's penciled-in return date, and that the league is preparing for multiple scenarios to finish the season. A 16-team postseason, stage play and play-in games, and also a 72-game regular season featuring all 30 franchises are proposals still under discussion:

NBA commissioner Adam Silver and the league office informed Board of Governors that July 31 is a target date for return of season, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 29, 2020

Sources: The NBA discussed four competition scenarios for restart with Board of Governors today:

- 16 teams: Directly to playoffs
- 20: Group/stage play
- 22: Games to determine seeding, play-in tournament for final seed(s)
- 30: 72-game regular season, with play-in tourney
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 29, 2020

ESPN's Tim Bontemps reported that the majority of NBA general managers wish for the league to jump right to the playoffs whenever clubs and players are ready to get back to action.

Earlier this week, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced that league's 24-team model to crown a 2020 Stanley Cup champion. On Thursday, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman‏ tweeted players were informed training camps won't begin until at least July 10.

Theoretically, the NBA and NHL could resume play on the same weekend.

While speaking with Yahoo Sports on Tuesday, Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard said he didn't want to return for summer games if the ninth-place Trail Blazers didn't have a realistic chance of participating in a postseason tournament.

He isn't alone in that mindset.

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