Hawks GM: NBA planning shortened ’20-’21 season

A shortened 2020-21 season is part of the NBA’s plan to reduce the impact of a compacted offseason.

The league’s desire to get closer to the usual calendar, including ending next season in April with the playoffs running into mid-June, is also driving decisions around the makeup of next season.

“If you’re going from the middle of October to starting the season the first of December, if you are one of the teams in the Finals, that’s quick,” Atlanta Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk said on a conference call Tuesday. “But they want to try to stay as close to the historical timing as possible. So I don’t think this is something you’ll see stick. They’ve talked to us on one of our GM calls that it might be a condensed schedule next year. More so than in the past. As you know, there’s been a big drive to avoid back-to-backs and certainly…