Report: Play-in tournament for teams on cusp of a playoff spot still under consideration by NBA

As momentum builds for the return of the 2019-20 NBA season, the league is debating the fate of the teams on the cusp of a playoff spot.

The current options still under consideration, according to Adrian Wojnarowski, include a play-in tournament for teams in the hunt. Those teams, theoretically, would include the Memphis Grizzlies, Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings and San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference, which are all separated by 3.5 to 4 games. (The Washington Wizards are 5.5 games back on the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference for the 8th seed.)

“On Thursday’s call, the league was vague in detailing several resumption scenarios still under consideration, including a modified 30-team regular-season schedule directly to the playoffs, pool-play rounds of a play-in tournament and play-in models with fewer than 30, but more than 16 teams, sources said. Several members of the league’s board of governors believe that the NBA’s preference isn’t to bring every team to resume the season, but that remains undecided. First, the fewer teams, the fewer people at risk to spread or contract COVID-19. Also, with little chance to play more than five to seven regular season games, a month of preparation seems like an excessive investment for teams at the bottom of the standings.”

There appears to be little support for teams at the bottom of the current standings to participate in the resumed season, both from the teams’ perspectives and the league’s.

“And the idea of rewarding the league’s very worst teams in a play-in tournament has been met with scant enthusiasm. Among the teams at the bottom of the standings, most privately want nothing more than to keep their draft lottery odds strong — not dilute those percentages trying to win a handful of meaningless games. They’re even less enthusiastic about including key, veteran players and risking injuries in those games.”

The NBA lottery odds do complicate things, however.

“Nevertheless, 30 teams completing a comparable number of regular-season games prior to the playoffs makes for a more equitable weighting of lottery odds for the NBA draft — and gives the league a chance to maximize revenue streams for regional sports network television contracts.”

Wojnarowski reports that the league is expected to inform teams to allow player recalls to their respective markets around the beginning of June. There is debate over whether players should first return to their team cities or skip that step for the site of the actual tournaments when considering the need for a potential 14-day quarantine. Wojnarowski also has reported that we can expect to see games beginning before July ends.

Additionally, the league is currently involved in discussions for games to be help in Florida at Walt Disney Disney World Resort.

The following is a statement from NBA Chief Communications Officer Mike Bass: pic.twitter.com/8gfK5iVXs8

— NBA (@NBA) May 23, 2020

Hopefully the league figures out a way to do that with everyone involved remaining healthy.