NBA moves one step closer to pre-Christmas start

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The NBA is one step closer to a pre-Christmas start for next season. 

The Board of Player Representatives for the NBPA voted Thursday night to tentatively approve a 72-game season beginning on Dec. 22.

The Athletic's Shams Charania first reported the news. 

There’s still other business to iron out, including what precautions the league will take against COVID-19 and official salary cap and luxury tax figures.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports the trade moratorium is expected to be lifted shortly before the Nov. 18 NBA draft. Multiple reports have indicated Dec. 1 is the likely start date for training camps under the Dec. 22. plan. When will free agency start? The NBA and NBPA plan to discuss moving it up "as early as possible," per Wojnarowski.

That means we can anticipate an accelerated first offseason in Philadelphia for new Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey. 

“We’ve got some important windows coming up with the draft and free agency,” Morey said Monday, “and also a trade window in there before whenever we play our first game. The thing is you want to do great moves when they’re available, but often the best move is not a move that’s not right around. We want to increase our understanding before we start to make these moves.”

The Sixers have an NBA-high five draft picks. They’re set to pay the luxury tax and therefore will be limited in free agency, but Morey’s background as a star hunter makes it seem that almost anything could be on the table.

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