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Report: Agents, prospects, execs bracing for delayed NBA draft

Nathaniel S. Butler / National Basketball Association / Getty

Draft prospects, player agents, college coaches, and front-office executives are all bracing for the NBA draft to be delayed due to the coronavirus outbreak, according to ESPN's Jonathan Givony.

As of now, the 2020 NBA Draft is still scheduled for June 25. However, it's possible that many of the usual events that precede the draft, such as the combine and team-hosted workouts, won't go ahead, sources told Givony.

College prospects and NBA team officials might be limited in their ability to travel due to the pandemic, which could force front offices to watch more video footage than usual in order to garner information on players, Givony adds. Multiple executives reportedly also brought up likely difficulties in carrying out medical examinations on potential draft picks.

One NBA team executive says the league's next Board of Governors meeting may provide a more definitive answer on the fate of the draft, but there has been no information passed down from the NBA as of yet while the campaign is on hiatus.

"The draft is the last thing on their list," the executive told Givony. "We saw it in the collective bargaining agreement negotiations in 2016. They never even got to (the draft).

"Revenue drivers will come first, and then we'll see what happens with the draft after all that gets figured out," the executive continued. "It might be a while."

There is still no timeline for the NBA season to resume. The league is said to be targeting a return in June following the CDC's recommendation against gatherings of more than 50 people for eight weeks.

The NBA may not be the only professional North American league to have its annual draft be affected by the outbreak. Major League Baseball is reportedly considering abandoning its event entirely this year.

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