NBA postpones draft lottery and combine

The NBA announced on Friday that the 2020 NBA Draft lottery and combine have been postponed. Both events were scheduled to occur in May, in Chicago, Illinois.

Here’s the NBA’s full statement:

NEW YORK, May 1, 2020 — The NBA today announced the postponement of NBA Draft Lottery 2020 and NBA Draft Combine 2020, both scheduled to take place later this month in Chicago.

More information on each event will be shared at a later date as the NBA continues to closely monitor the coronavirus pandemic and consult with infectious disease specialists, public health experts and government officials.

Nothing about the announcement is surprising, as it was only a matter of time. Due to the severity of the coronavirus pandemic, there was simply no way that the combine was going to happen. And since the regular season hasn’t been concluded or cancelled yet, there was no reason to have a draft lottery.

The draft lottery impacts the Golden State Warriors, who will be one of the 14 teams to earn a lottery pick, and thus have a shot at the number one overall selection.

For now, the 2020 NBA Draft remains scheduled for June 25, though it seems inevitable that it will be postponed eventually as well.

In addition to discussing the draft, the NBA’s Board of Governors reportedly discussed a tentative plan to push back the start of the 2020-21 season, which, again, shouldn’t be surprising.

Right now we have no idea what the rest of the 2019-20 season will look like, let alone the draft and next season. But hopefully we’ll know soon.