LeBron James

SF, Los Angeles Lakers

Shams Charania is reporting that the NBA is targeting a December 22 start date for a 72-game season.

Earlier today it was reported that the league was looking at Christmas day as its start, with the potential for a shortened schedule. With the draft going down on November 18 this would be an insanely short runway, and it's unclear at this point if the NBPA would agree to such a condensed offseason. The league is trying to get as close to a "normal" schedule as possible but would still need to figure out how games will be played. A December start likely means no fans in arenas, and the NBA is hoping to play games in-market (i.e., no bubbles) while also reducing travel.

Source: Shams Charania on Twitter