Anonymous NBA Agent: Not All Players Are Enthusiastic About Return-to-Play Plan

The NBA's Board of Governors is expected to approve the league's plan for a 22-team format and a return to play on July 31 at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

While that's good news for fans, not all players are going to be thrilled with the decision. One agent told Sean Deveney of Heavy.com that some players are wary of returning during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic:

"Most of the guys are excited, fired up, they want to get back out there. Those are 95 percent of the conversations I have had. But then there are guys who are saying, 'Well, nothing has changed, there is no cure, there is no vaccine, why are we playing now?' If you’re answering honestly, it's for money. That's what is driving this for owners and players. And there may be players who will say, 'It's not worth the money for me.'"

Per Wojnarowski, the NBA plans to play games with no fans, 13 teams from the Western Conference and nine teams from the Eastern Conference. Each team will play eight regular-season games, and there will be a play-in tournament between the Nos. 8 and 9 seeds in each conference for the final playoff berth if the No. 9 seed finishes within four games of the No. 8 seed. 

Wojnarowski added that "the NBA and National Basketball Players Association are negotiating details of the return to play's safety protocols and competition."

"Life in the NBA bubble will be governed by a set of safety protocols," he added. "While players and coaches will be allowed to golf or eat at outdoor restaurants, they will also need to maintain social distancing, sources told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne."

There is also expected to be daily coronavirus testing, and any players that test positive would be quarantined and treated away from the team. Additionally, "no staff will be allowed into players' rooms, and hallways will be carefully managed to avoid crowding." 

Those protocols should help alleviate some concerns. But it may not be only the players who have concerns. In early May, several general managers anonymously expressed concerns about older coaches, who may be at a greater risk of death if they contracted COVID-19 than the players.

"I don't want to put them in harm's way," one general manager said, per ESPN's Baxter Holmes.