NBA cancels summer league as lockout looms

Publicly, players and the league are still staying positive about the possibility of averting a lockout by reaching a new collective bargaining agreement before the current deal expires on July 1. But behind the scenes, both sides are hunkering down for a long work stoppage.

As one player agent told Sporting News this week, “We’ve been preparing for this for a while. No big new purchases, make sure you have enough to meet your obligations for six-to-12 months. There’s never been a sense that there was going to be a chance that a deal would get done without at least a short lockout.”

Apparently, the league agrees. According to the New York Daily News, the NBA has canceled the annual Las Vegas Summer League, which usually gives teams their first looks at draftees and offers a chance for unsigned free agents to show their wares. Last year, the Vegas league featured 22 NBA teams and ran from July 9-18. It’s also an important meeting post for front-office executives looking to talk trade and agents hoping to make pitches for their clients.

The Daily News report, citing league sources, also said that the NBA is canceling its summer intern project and won’t be sending any teams abroad to conduct training camp or play preseason games.

Source from : SPORTINGNEWS.com