UPDATE: The Raptors will play in Tampa to start the season.
I mean, nothing says COVID backdoor like Florida.
Because the United States has done such a bang-up job tackling this whole COVID-19 pandemic, the government of Canada has decided that they won’t open up their country to potentially virus stricken U.S. citizens making their way across the border, specifically speaking in reference to professional sports.
That means the Toronto Raptors — who are the lone Canadian team playing in the NBA — have had their plan to return to play denied by their host country.
A plan to have them start the 2020-21 NBA season with home games at Scotiabank Arena was dashed by the federal government on Friday, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation, who were granted anonymity in order to speak freely before an official announcement.
TheSun.com
So, as of now is the Raptors won’t be able to call Toronto home for the 2020-21 season, and that the franchise will have to find something temporary in the United States.
Now, from a completely shallow standpoint considering we as a society in no way, shape, or form deserve any kind of sports back in the United States given our lackluster response to the pandemic to say the absolute very least, the Raptors have somewhat prepared for this scenario, given what happened to the Blue Jays this past MLB season.
Doug Smith of The Sun continued saying the Raptors have worked at finding a new location for months with Tampa Bay seemingly being the frontrunner to step in and play temporary host. Other than that, Kansas City, Nashville, and Newark, NJ have also been mentioned as possible Raptors locations.