Silver's memo to NBA owners: Resting stars 'an extremely significant issue'

The NBA has heard the gripes and complaints over teams resting star players during the regular season, and it appears ready to make changes to prevent that from happening as often as it has.

Commissioner Adam Silver sent a memo to league owners Monday concerning the ongoing problem, referring to it as "an extremely significant issue for our league," according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne.

Silver went on to mention that the issue will be discussed heavily during the next NBA Board of Governors meeting scheduled for April 6 in New York.

Furthermore, "significant penalties" will be handed down to teams that don't obey the league's rules for providing "notice to the league office, their opponent, and the media immediately upon a determination that a player will not participate in a game due to rest."

Silver also hopes owners get more involved in those types of decisions, as they need to be aware of the impact sitting stars can have on "fans and business partners," as well as the "perception of our game."

Cleveland Cavaliers general manager David Griffin was recently given grief by the NBA after it was announced that LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love would be held out of last Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

The San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors have also been guilty of sitting their best players, which was never more apparent than during a March 11 meeting when Stephen Curry, Andre Iguodala, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson all rested on the second night of a back-to-back.

Related: Fans disappointed by star shortage in Spurs-Warriors affair

Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich has never shied away from sitting key guys, especially in years past with the likes of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker. He was fined $250,000 by former commissioner David Stern for resting his Big 3, along with Danny Green, against the Miami Heat on Nov. 29, 2012.