Jayson Tatum among NBA players reluctant to play in Orlando: report
By 98.5 The Sports Hub Staff
According to a new report by Stefan Bondy in the New York Daily News, Celtics forward Jayson Tatum is among the contingent of players expressing reluctance to play under the NBA’s plan to resume the season in a “bubble” in Orlando. The reason, according to Bondy, is to protect himself from injury because he’s in line for a max contract in the offseason.
There are other potential reasons for why NBA players aren’t warming to the idea of the Orlando bubble, the COVID-19 spike in Florida among them. There’s also the matter of Kyrie Irving, who said he’s willing to give up everything he has to protest in the fight against injustice that the country is waging right now.
Despite Tatum’s reported concerns about his next contract, Bondy spoke with ESPN cap expert Bobby Marks about the grim financial implications of cancelling the NBA season altogether. Per Marks, the NBA and players have already lost $380 million in an Escrow account that was to be used to disburse income from revenue sharing.
Marks believes that, even with a completed season, the losses will total $580 million – and could balloon to $1.3 billion if the season is called off.
Florida has seen a sharp rise in coronavirus cases in the past two weeks. Compared to 966 new cases on June 8, the state reported 2,783 new cases on June 16 – an increase of 288 percent.
Indoor venues with controlled environments haven’t been immune. WWE recently had to postpone TV tapings after a developmental talent tested positive for COVID-19. The star was reportedly at the company’s training facilities on June 9.
It’s unclear at this point whether the growing player reluctance will affect the resumption of the season, expected in late July.
Follow the Boston Celtics and the NBA at 985TheSportsHub.com.
