It appears the NBA will allow some leeway with its rest policy for games that are not televised nationally.
According to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, teams playing in back-to-back games or “other possible scenarios” can “rest a key veteran player who played a substantial role on a team that advanced deep into the 2020 Playoffs, or to rest a player who is still returning to full strength after recovering from COVID-19.”
LeBron James is no stranger to resting due to load management, but his Los Angeles Lakers did just win the NBA title Oct. 11 against the Miami Heat. So James, Anthony Davis and Jimmy Butler certainly fall under a “team that advanced deep in to the 2020 Playoffs.”
Both the Lakers and Heat return to play just 71 and 72 days, respectively, after their Finals game.
As for games that are nationally televised? The memo, according to Bontemps, states that “teams are prohibited from resting healthy players for a ‘high-profile, nationally-televised game.’ They’ll be fined a minimum $100,000 for doing so.
The 2020-21 season begins Dec. 22.
