Report: NBA GMs creating association to support execs amid Olshey probe

General managers across the NBA are set to form an association that would grant them support with access to legal defense funds, lawyer referrals, and public relations professionals, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne.

The interest in making the association is reportedly reinforced by the Portland Trail Blazers' investigation into president of basketball operations Neil Olshey. However, planning first began in March, well before the inquiry was launched, according to Wojnarowski and Shelburne.

Several front-office executives reportedly fear the Olshey investigation will provide team owners a template to fire them for "cause" as a roundabout way to annul the remaining salary owed on their contracts amid the league's shrinking attendance numbers and diminishing revenue.

The professional association is planned to operate in a similar manner to the National Basketball Coaches Association (NBCA), sources told Wojnarowski and Shelburne. The NBCA was founded in 1976 and supports current and former head coaches and assistant coaches in the league.