The days of load management could be coming to an end. At the very least, the NBA is making a concentrated push to force star players back onto the court.
According to reports from Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN and Shams Charania of The Athletic, the league is considering, and likely to approve a proposal that would establish restrictions on rest for star players.
Per Charania, the restrictions would be for two star players resting in the same game. A star player would be defined by an All-NBA or All-Star appearance in the last three seasons.
For the Warriors, that would include Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green. It would not include Klay Thompson or Anthony Lamb.
That could be a significant issue for an older team, especially if they want to ensure that Paul stays healthy for the majority of the year.
As for the punishments, Wojnarowski reports that the league would employ an increasing fine system.
Teams would start off with a $100,000 fine, then a $250,000 fine, followed by a $1.25 million fine, with another $1 million for each additional fine.
Wojnarowski’s report says the Board of Governors is “expected to vote Wednesday to pass the measures,” meaning the Warriors, and other teams with multiple stars, or recent stars, will have to be much more strategic about finding rest for key players.