The NBA and National Basketball Players’ Association are negotiating a mechanism for replacing players who test positive for COVID-19 or are otherwise seriously injured during the resumed 2019-20 season and subsequent playoff report ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Bobby Marks.
The single-site location in Lake Buena Vista, Florida was selected out of a concern for safety in the midst of the pandemic that forced the suspension of the season in the first place.
Still, it is unlikely that there will be no positives tests among invited players, to say nothing of the coaching and other staff needed to host the season resumption.
Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca speaks on pandemic, return to play https://t.co/vu6shzRTnH via @thecelticswire
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) June 7, 2020
Teams will need to have a means of replacing players who test positive for the virus, and at present there is an assumption there will be no limit on teams to replace players heading into the training camps and remaining regular-season games.
There may be a limit on the pool of available players to replace them, however.
There will also likely be a limit on such players having had to have been in the NBA, G League or a training camp contract this season to be eligible to participate, meaning no international players or players who have not signed with a team in one of the above capacities at some point this season.
There may be provisions introduced which will allow two way players like Tacko Fall and Tremont Waters participate fully, as well as a requirement of any player who is replaced due to a positive COVID-19 diagnosis to be ineligible to return to action.
Celtics, top seeds may hope for other perks after losing home court https://t.co/rwsE4HFHwo via @thecelticswire
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) June 6, 2020
Pushing back against the notion of allowing two way players to play is that it could add up to an additional 44 players and their families once players are allowed to bring family members to the “bubble” campus.
The league has its hands full with a monumental balancing act between maintaining the future fiscal solvency of the league and its many global projects and being a responsible business in terms of protecting the health of its employees and partners.
No enviable task, that the NBA has even gotten this far is a testament to the strength of relationships between the league, it’s players and its business partners. With luck, this and many other issues facing the league before the restart will be resolved favorably for all affected parties in the coming weeks.
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