Will the 2020-21 NBA season open without fans/ Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Report: NBA teams 'very much expect' to start next year without fans in arenas

By Blake Harper | Last updated 7/28/20

The NBA's bubble appears to be a massive success so far, with virtually no new coronavirus cases as they head into the resumption of the season. But as the league looks forward to next season, it will need to figure out if it will be a repeat of the bubble or if it will try to have a season that resembles normalcy.

"What's the NBA going to look like next season?" Adrian Wojnarowski said on ESPN's "Get Up." "Because those conversations are underway. Whether it's going to be a situation with fans in buildings at some point next season or, as they very much expect to start next year, without fans in the arena. How can they do it as a league in market cities, outside a bubble?"

.@wojespn says conversations are under way on what the NBA will look like next season.

"They very much expect to start next year without fans in the arena." pic.twitter.com/YFhEsnUqIZ
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) July 28, 2020

There are obvious benefits to being able to play in different cities rather than having everyone in the same place, but the NBA may be looking at the MLB's fiasco-filled start and wondering if that risk is really worth it. Would they be better off doing a bubble approach again?

Whatever the NBA decides, it seems their meticulous planning has paid off with players, who feel the league has actually taken care of them rather than just carelessly trying to make money off of them playing.

"I think there's an appreciation among the players and the executives and teams in this league that they have a blueprint here to finish the season [and] be able to crown a champion without ... fear of widespread outbreak of the coronavirus," Woj explained.

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