The NBA is planning to propose a 22-team return to the 2019-20 season in a Board of Governors meeting on Thursday, sources told The Athletic, with the draft lottery and combine expected to be in August. The NBA’s proposal will be based on feedback, collaborative discussions and input from constituents around the league.
The NBA’s 22-team format at Orlando’s Disney World would bring the 16 teams currently in a playoff spot, six additional teams, and include a play-in tournament for the eighth seed, sources said. The play-in tournament would work as follows, according to sources: If the ninth seed is more than four games behind the eighth seed, the eighth seed earns the playoff spot; if the ninth seed is four or fewer games behind, then the eighth and ninth seed will enter a play-in tournament that is double-elimination for the eighth seed and single-elimination for ninth. ESPN first reported the league was working on 22-team models.
Adam Silver…
