NBA moving toward expanding rosters amid COVID-19 crisis

The NBA is attempting to navigate through a worrisome COVID-19 crisis that has caused 11 game postponements in the past week, and wants to do so without pausing the season or relocating personnel to secure bubble sites. 

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Friday that the Association is working toward expanding regular-season rosters. 

Wojnarowski added that it's expected the NBA and National Basketball Players Association will agree to increase roster limits at a time when multiple clubs are facing reported coronavirus outbreaks. NBA rules mandate that a team must dress a minimum of eight healthy and available players to compete, and increasing roster sizes could prevent at least some postponements even if contact tracing sidelines a group of players for up to a week or longer. 

The NFL relaxed standard rules for signing players to help teams deal with temporarily losing starters and backups because of positive tests and contact tracing during the 2020 campaign. Under the league's current system, veteran offensive tackle Jared Veldheer was permitted to spend time on the active rosters of both the Indianapolis Colts and Green Bay Packers during the playoffs. 

Veldheer was on track to become the first individual to play for two teams in the same postseason tournament until he tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week.