The NBA regular season will get underway a little later next year.
According to Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer, the start of the 2019-20 season will be moved back one week and begin on Oct. 22. The playoffs will also begin a week later as a result.
The 2019-20 NBA season will move back one week next year and begin October 22, per league sources. This means the playoffs will also begin a week later. The change is to prevent opening night from occurring too early moving forward each year. The FIBA World Cup was also a factor.
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) October 29, 2018
The 2018-19 season kicked off on Tuesday, Oct. 16 with a matchup between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers.
According to O'Connor, the change to the schedule was made in order to prevent opening night from occurring too early moving forward each year, with player's participation in the FIBA World Cup also being a factor. The FIBA World Cup begins on Aug. 31 in China and runs through Sept. 15. Delaying the start of the season will provide the participating players with additional rest time.
In 2017, the NBA moved up the start date of the regular season in order to extend the season, reduce travel stress for the teams and players and limit the number of back-to-back and four-game, five-night scenarios.
The 2019-20 season promises to be an extremely intriguing one, as there is the potential for several of the league's top talents to change teams in free agency next summer. Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler, Klay Thompson, Kyrie Irving (although he has already announced his intention to remain in Boston), Kemba Walker and DeMarcus Cousins will all be on the market come July. The extra week of offseason will only add to the anticipation.
