Reports: NBA teams could soon recall players for in-market quarantine, resume games in July

NBA teams reportedly could host training camps in their own facilities. Then, the hope is the league resumes games in a centralized location (most likely Disney World).

How will that plan be executed? When?

Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe of ESPN:

NBA teams are expecting the league office will issue guidelines around June 1 that will allow franchises to start recalling players who’ve left their markets as a first step toward a formal ramp-up for the season’s resumption, sources tell ESPN.

The NBA is discussing a step-by-step plan for a resumption of the 2019-20 season that includes an initial two-week recall of players into team marketplaces for a period of quarantine, one to two weeks of individual workouts at team facilities and a two- to three-week formal training camp, sources told ESPN.

Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic:

It remains unclear when the games would begin, but multiple sources say the prospect of players fully training in mid-June and playing by mid-July has been the most popular and possible scenario discussed.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver still has more time before his reported self-imposed deadline to decide on whether or not to return. But it looks like the league is proceeding with plans to play.

This plan sounds great on paper. Of course, there are complications amid the ongoing coronavirus.

How easy will it be to recall players who left the United States? There are still international travel restrictions.

Would players still have to quarantine upon reaching the bubble, tooo? Travel – with the number of people involved – is generally a more risky activity. It could be safer if teams have already gathered, quarantined, had everyone continue to test negative then fly privately. But if families will be joining the bubble, that opens more potential exposure points.

Does this leave enough time for players to train? There’s obviously plenty of variance in the timeline.

Eventually, we’ll get more specific dates – and maybe learn the tolerance for delay if things don’t go smoothly. But the NBA very much appears like a league planning to finish its season this summer.