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Report: NBA Targets July 31 Restart; Early Playoffs Under Discussion

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Miami Heat guard Andre Iguodala (28) passes the ball next to Washington Wizards forward Rui Hachimura (8) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, March 8, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

After suspending the season over coronavirus concerns, the NBA is aiming to get back on the court at the end of July, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

He reports that NBA commissioner Adam Silver and the league office have set a target date of July 31 for the season to return.

Last week, the league announced that it was having discussions with the Player’s Association regarding a plan to resume the 2019-2020 season with all games and practices to potentially be held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney World.

The plan also involves housing players there for the rest of the season.

Charania also says the league is in discussions on how to resume play. Options discussed reportedly include immediately going to the playoffs featuring the top 16 teams at the current standings, returning 20 teams for group/stage play, returning 22 teams with games played to determine tournament seeds, or returning all 30 teams to finish a shortened 72-game regular season.

The NBA suspended its season on March 11, after Utah Jazz’s Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19.