CLEVELAND — This upcoming Thursday, NBA owners are expected to approve commissioner Adam Silver's recommendation on a format to restart the season in Orlando, Florida according to multiple reports.
The Cleveland Cavaliers may not be invited.
ESPN has reported that there's growing support for a plan to bring 22 teams to Disney's ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in July. The format that will be voted upon would likely include regular season and play-in games to compete for playoff berths in both the Eastern and Western Conferences.
It is believed the NBA is pushing to only invite teams that have a mathematical chance to make the postseason. Despite having 17 games left in their 2019-2020 regular season, the Cavs sit just 19-46 on the season, which is the second-worst record in the NBA.
A recent report from ESPN indicates smaller-market teams are urging the NBA to include their franchise's due to a possibility of "nine months without games -- March to December -- having an impact on developing players, cultivating sponsorships and selling tickets in markets where franchises struggle to gain a hold."
Thursday will give fans and NBA teams across the league a more clear vision on what to expect when action resumes near the end of July in Orlando.