NBPA executive says majority of NBA players 'really want to play'

As more momentum builds for the NBA season to resume, NBPA executive director Michele Roberts says the league owes it to players to give them a definitive timeline for basketball to return.

"It's time. It's time," Roberts told ESPN. "It's been 2 1/2 months of, 'What if?' My players need some level of certainty. I think everybody does."

Roberts is planning to speak to players from all 30 teams to see how they are feeling about games starting again. She says that of the players she's spoken to, the overwhelming sentiment is they want the NBA to return.

While nothing has been confirmed, most insiders believe the season will restart in late July and all the games will be played at a single location, most likely Orlando, Fla. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe reported the league will issue teams guidelines for resuming play by June 1.

According to Roberts, the player's association is making sure that players are on board with any plan put forward by the league. She also said the NBPA does not necessarily need to hold a vote in order to approve the league's proposal.

"If we thought we needed a vote, we would. If we're ratifying a CBA, we need a vote," she said. "But our preferred method is talking to people or just having them talk to us. Then if we get a sense of what the sentiment is then we can move forward. We talk to our players and figure it out."

Ultimately, Roberts says what the players are looking for is some sort of assurance that basketball is coming back. Since the season's status has been in the air for so long, players are simply looking for concrete answers.

"Let's just get it out there because our guys need to know," she said. "Certainty will be good. But the players really want to play."