Jimmy Butler #23 of the Philadelphia 76ers shoots the ball over Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors during Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on May 12, 2019 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The National Basketball Association sent a memo to teams on Friday night, urging officials to prepare game contingency plans should the coronavirus continue to spread.

The NBA said teams should identify "actions required if it were to become necessary to play a game with only essential staff present" without fans or media, according to a copy of the memo obtained by CNBC.

The memo said teams should also "prepare for the possibility of implementing temperature checks on players, team staff, referees, and anyone else who is essential to conducting such a game in the team's arena."

Teams were also advised to consider payroll and benefit implications for "non-essential staff" who would not work games closed to the public. The memo also stated teams should have plans in place to communicate with ticketholders and corporate partners should games be played privately.

One league executive told CNBC the league hasn't considered canceling or playing games without fans, but the memo was sent to organizations as a precaution.

Earlier Friday, Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta rejected the idea of playing games without fans in attendance, while also suggesting fans should stay calm.

"I don't think you ever want to play games in front no audiences," Fertitta told CNBC's "Power Lunch," adding he would instead prefer to suspend play "for a week, or two weeks or whatever. But you don't want to play games with no fans. That's never going to work."