The NBA is reportedly “close” to finalizing a plan that would create a second ‘bubble’ league exclusively for the eight eliminated teams. It will be separate from the one that’s about to start on July 31 (Manila time), and the probable venue would be in Chicago.

Here’s ESPN senior insider Adrian Wojnarowski breaking the news:

The eight squads would be the Golden State Warriors, Chicago Bulls, New York Nicks, Detroit Pistons, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Charlotte Hornets.

The main purpose of the second ‘bubble’ league is to help the said teams avoid an extended time away from an in-season routine. Should the 2020 calendar stay as it is, which currently lists the 2020-21 season to start in December, the eight teams will have a nine-month lay-off.

While the deal is deemed to be nearing fruition, though, one Cavs insider claimed that one of its pending approvals are from the NBPA (National Basketball Players Association), which may signal that it’s not actually as close as the league think it is. Since it’s not mandatory, there’s also a good chance that a handful won’t participate if it does push through.

Players and coaches have since shared their thoughts on the new plan, and it’s not being received well so far. Fedor wrote that a Cavs veteran is not likely to play, and that he believes his teammates won’t sign up either:

“I probably won’t play if it gets approved … Doubt many vets will.”

Cavs forward Larry Nance Jr. could be among the ‘vets.’ He recently chimed in on the news via Twitter, and he chose to poke fun at the idea:

Elsewhere, Marc Berman of the New York Post tweeted that the Knicks aren’t interested as well. In fact, they were the only invited team not to be in the conference call.

The Knicks are currently busy in their search for a new head coach. Jackie McMullan’s article mentioned that during the meeting, the team was in the process of interviewing Los Angeles Lakers assistant Jason Kidd and San Antonio Spurs assistant Will Hardy, thus the absence.

Pistons coach Dwane Casey, meanwhile, talked about a safer idea for everyone. He said teams might prefer holding training camps on their own, instead of going through all the hassle and stress of living in a ‘bubble.’

“We’d rather do [local camps] than go to the bubble … because unlike those teams in Orlando, we wouldn’t be playing for the same reason … The reason we want these mini-camps is to get our team together, to have that camaraderie, to improve and enjoy some competition. We feel we can do that safely in our own environment.”

One of the few guys to have some semblance of interest, at least for now, is Warriors general manager Bob Myers. McMullan’s report quoted Myers in saying that the Dubs may participate if the players are invested or if the plan is good enough.

“Our position is, ‘Let us know what’s possible,‘ .. Until we really know, it’s hard to say. If we can get the majority of our players to go. And if it’s beneficial, then we’ll do that. If we can’t, we’ll take what we can get. This whole thing is about balancing health and safety. From a team standpoint, what solutions check as many boxes as it can?

The other is Hawks All-Star guard Trae Young. While the majority scoffing at the idea of a charity case-like league, which Twitter hilariously dubbed as the ‘Delete 8,’ Young expressed what many ballers are thinking of right now.

We know, Trae. We know.