In news that should be greeted with joy, the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement between the league and the players association will shorten the preseason, sources told The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor.
The NBA has been attempting to reduce the number of regular season back-to-backs and four-games-in-five-nights scenarios for a few years. This season, for instance, more games are routinely being played on Thursdays, a date in the past that was traditionally limited to the TNT doubleheader and one or two other contests.
Related: New CBA reportedly expected to be finalized in early December
Yet, given the near-universal unpopularity of the preseason - about three weeks long with teams usually playing seven exhibition games - both sides appear willing to create more time to pad regular-season schedules by starting the campaign earlier.
Other new CBA features include a more detailed domestic violence policy and modifications to the NBA's drug policy. The current agreement calls for a 10-game suspension for players convicted of a violent felony crime, but the new CBA is expected to clarify discipline in regards to domestic violence policy violations.
In terms of the drug policy, the NBA already employs fairly lenient rules in regards to marijuana (a five-game suspension after a third positive test result). However, "tweaks" are expected to the policy with several states and Canada having effectively legalized cannabis.
