The end of the basketball drought is (possibly) in sight -- with NBA commissioner Adam Silver targeting a July 31 return to the 2020 season.
The league notified team owners about the goal date on Friday ... in hopes to finally continue action after suspending the season on March 11.
It's a bit of good news for NBA fans, but one big question that still remains -- will the Association skip straight to the playoffs, or will it allow teams to earn their spots in the postseason?
According to Shams Charania, the league is considering 4 possible scenarios ...
Option 1 -- Go straight to the playoffs with the 16 teams that are currently at the top of each conference
Option 2 -- Allow the top 20 teams to compete in group/stage play
Option 3 -- Have 22 teams continue the season and have a play-in tournament to determine final seeding
Option 4 -- Bring all 30 teams back and have a 72-game season with play-in tourney
Of course, most NBA players (like LeBron James) want the season to come back ... but Blazers superstar Dame Lillard recently said he won't play if Portland doesn't have a "real shot" at earning a postseason berth.
Bottom line -- this is a step in the right direction for folks who want the NBA back.