You may have seen something like this coming, but it looks like players are going to start utilizing the opt-outs that they’re allowed as part of the new NBA season. One of the first major players to make waves for dropping for health reasons is LA Lakers Guard Avery Bradley, who apparently has a history of struggling to recover from respiratory infections. If this dude gets Covid, he may be toast, so it’s good to see that he’s allowed to look out for himself and for his family.
Current list of key players who won't play when NBA season restarts:
LaMarcus Aldridge
Trevor Ariza
Davis Bertans
Bojan Bogdanovic
Avery Bradley
Kevin Durant
Kyrie Irving
Kelly Oubre
John WallPlayers were asked to notify teams of opting out by today, but actual deadline is 7/1.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) June 24, 2020
It might seem pretty obvious that Kyrie is on this list, as he already wouldn’t be able to play due to a shoulder injury, but he’s also been pretty vocal about his thoughts that the NBA shouldn’t even be holding a season in the first place. The current social climate in the US is such that basketball should take a back seat to social reforms and changes, Kyrie mentions, and even though it looks like his message hasn’t quite cut through to most of the league, he has a myriad of others players on his side.
Rumors of Nets players requesting to create their own league separate from the NBA-Disney Bubble have sparked backlash from all over, so it’s probably best that Kyrie stays out of it for drama’s sake on top of the health issues.
Who knows who we’ll see drop out in the next few days, but hopefully it’s nobody important! If we’re gonna get this whacky pseudo-season, it better be as entertaining as possible.
