Around The NBA

Every player who has opted-out of Orlando (Updated)

Posted on

As Florida faces record-setting cases of the Corona virus daily and the Black Lives Matter movement continues to protest the murder of George Floyd, some NBA players are questioning whether basketball should be a priority. On top of that, living in a hotel room for months on end sounds pretty terrible.

Wednesday marked a “soft-deadline” for NBA players to opt-out of finishing the regular season in Orlando. Teams will also have until July 1st to finalize rosters, giving players a little wiggle room to weigh their options.

While there hasn’t been an outpouring of players who will forgo the remainder of the season, several significant names have announced they will not be finishing the season. It’s worth noting that every member of the Sixers seems to be planning to play in Orlando, meaning the team will be at full strength when the season resumes. I know, it’s weird.

Here’s the full list of players who have decided to opt-out of Orlando (so far):

Kevin Durant

This was the first chip to fall.

It was rumored that the NBA’s suspension had given Kevin Durant enough time to properly rehab his torn achilles from last season Finals. Vegas even gave the Nets’ title odds a healthy boost, causing many to speculate over potential Durant’s return.

The speculation was short lived however as Durant quickly shot down the rumors citing that he was not physically ready to return to competition. The former NBA MVP was the one of the first players to officially announce they would not be playing in Orlando.

Kyrie Irving

Kyrie Irving was shut down for the season prior to the NBA’s suspension, but many questioned whether the extra time off had been enough to fully rehab his shoulder injury. Irving then announced he would not be returning to play shortly after his teammate, Kevin Durant.

Since announcing he would not be playing in Orlando, Irving has been a vocal leader, encouraging players to follow in his footsteps and not play in Orlando. The six-time All Star believes that returning to play would take eyes away from the Black Lives Matter movement and act as a distraction for the cause. Irving hosted a 80-player conference call to discuss the matter, which has sparked a lot of controversy around the NBA’s return. Well, that and the possibility everyone in the NBA might get COVID-19

Demarcus Cousins

There are some conflicting reports on this one.

Multiple teams have come forward and shown interest in signing four-time NBA All-Star, Demarcus Cousins. Cousins, who had signed with the Lakers this offseason, was waived after tearing his ACL prior to the start of the season. Much like Durant and Irving, many believe that Cousins has had sufficient time to rehab from his torn ACL. John Wall has been one of his biggest spokesmen, encouraging the Wizards to sign the former All-NBA big man.

While the are reports that he is still weighing his options, the Athletic has reported that Cousins will not sign with a team and focus on rehab. Credible sources are reporting both sides of this story, so it’s difficult to tell which side is true. Tuesday the 30th, marks the last day for teams to sign free agents. If Cousins does in fact wish to play, he has until then to pick a team.

Davis Bertans

It’s simply business for Davis Bertans. After posting career numbers across the board, Bertans is going to see a nice payday in free agency this offseason. That’s pretty much all he has to look forward to as the Washington Wizards head into Orlando as the ninth-seed, eight and a half games behind the eighth-seed, Orlando Magic.

So rather than risk injury, or a potentially smaller payday, Bertans has decided to forgo the reminder of the season and prepare for free agency. Some people may give Bertans flack for leaving his team *cough* *cough* Evan Fournier, but I respect his decisions. Go get that money, honey.

Avery Bradley

First and foremost, Avery Bradley is a family man. The Lakers’ wing announced he will not be playing in Orlando over concerns for his three children, the oldest of which being only six-years old. That’s Dad of the Year type stuff.

Bradley had carved a nice role for himself with the Lakers, starting 44-games for the purple and gold. But his children come first. Bradley’s oldest child, Liam, struggles with respiratory illness and likely would not be permitted into the Orlando bubble. Bradley simply couldn’t leave his family given the current climate.

Now that he won’t be playing basketball, Bradley has vowed to use his time to help make positive changes in his community. Bradley has joined Kyrie Irving as a vocal leader in an attempt to dissuade players from Orlando in order to promote social justice.

Trevor Ariza

For Trevor Ariza, the choice was either basketball or his 12-year old son. The Trail Blazers’ wing has been involved in a custody case over his 12-year old son. He was granted a court-ordered one-month visitation window, but it fell during the NBA’s Orlando quarantine. He ultimately decided that he needed to be with his son more than he needed to be with the Trail Blazers.

This move could ultimately be a costly decision for Ariza. He’s looking at a loss of somewhere between $1-1.8 million in salary, in the event the Trail Blazers manage to make the playoffs. The Trail Blazers are caught in the middle of a three-way tie for the ninth-seed and sit just three and a half games behind the eighth-seed, Memphis Grizzlies. While playoff basketball would be fun, I’m sure Ariza is happy just to get time with his son.

Update (as of July 2nd):

Wilson Chandler

 

 

 

 

 

Like many others on this list, Wilson Chandler is putting his family before the NBA. Chandler informed the Nets last week that he is forgoing the remainder of the NBA season to spend time with his three children and his grandmother, who raised him.

Chandler isn’t giving up much money as he’s signed to a one-year vet minimum deal, but he will miss some playing time. He was playing a solid 21 minutes per game before the NBA’s suspension and even started three games for the Nets. Brooklyn has already signed Justin Anderson to replace Chandler in Orlando.

Willie Cauley-Stein

 

 

 

 

 

The Cauley-Stein family is about to get even bigger. Willie Cauley-Stein and his partner are expecting their first child in July. As a result, Cauley-Stein will not be traveling to Orlando in order to be with the mother of his child. This puts the Mavs in a tricky position.

While Cauley-Stein has an option for next year to rejoin the Mavs, they’ll be without him and his injured front court running mate, Dwight Powell, for the remainder of the season. This is a serious dent in Dallas’ front court depth and could be costly in the playoffs. We might be seeing a lot of Boban Marjanovic in Orlando.

Deandre Jordan

 

 

 

 

 

The fourth Brooklyn Net on this list, Deandre Jordan is the first player to pass on Orlando due to testing positive for COVID-19. Jordan contracted the virus after returning to Brooklyn and quickly took to Twitter to announce that he would not be traveling to Orlando. In addition to Jordan, teammate Spencer Dinwiddie also tested positive for COVID-19, but he has yet to decide on whether or not he will travel to Orlando.

Thabo Sef0losha

 

 

 

 

 

Thabo Sefolosha has unique perspective as an NBA player who has directly been abused by the police. In 2015, five police officers used excessive force to wrongfully arrest Sefolosha outside of a Manhattan night club. Sefolosha would go onto to sue the NYPD and settle for $4 million. As part of the settlement, all police officers involved were absolved of any wrong doing. He has seen first hand how brutal the police can be and how crooked the entire system is.

Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news that Sefolosha will not be traveling to Orlando. He had previously stated reservations about being away from his family for so long and distracting people from the racial injustices going on in America. Considering he was buried in the Rockets rotation and wouldn’t see much playing time, skipping Orlando gives Sefolosha an opportunity to share his experiences and help further the Black Lives Matter movement.

Related Items:, , , , ,

Recommended for you

To Top