The NBA and NBPA reached an agreement on Sunday night. They agreed to allow teams to sign additional replacement players when dealing with players entering the league’s health and safety protocols, according to Adrian Wojnarowski.
Under the agreement, teams can sign a replacement player for each positive COVID-19 case. For example, if the team suffers from five positive cases of COVID-19 that same team can sign five replacement players. The horrific virus has decimated teams all over the league. Several teams have had to postpone games due to a lack of available players.
The recent COVID-19 surge has affected the sports world dramatically. Not only is the NBA having to make-up rules halfway through the seasons to accommodate teams. The NFL, NHL, MLB all also have been struggling to contain and maintain the virus.
The pandemic nearly decimated The NBA of its best players. They were not being able to play on a given night because this virus has forced the NBA’s hand to make proper accommodations. One of the clauses in the agreement is that the player must be available by the start of the team’s first game. After, the allowance to sign by the NBA.
Additionally, the signed replacement players won’t count towards the team’s yearly salary. This is a huge difference for teams like the Brooklyn Nets who are one of the many teams dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak. Many believe the NBA may be headed back towards the bubble if the surge continues to grow rapidly.
Some of the NBA’s key players
As part of the NBA and NBPA agreement, they will remove the game limit for two-way players on a team’s roster. In the previous agreement, there was a 50 game limit. As of now, that limits seizes to exist, according to ESPN. So far, the NBA has postponed five games due to the outbreak. This has robbed thousands of fans from experiencing their favorite player, as well as, affected the NBA’s revenue.
NBA stars one may recognize who’s suffered from the outbreak are Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Trae Young, Los Angeles Lakers coach Frank Vogel.
The Chicago Bulls were the first team affected by the recent outbreak. Many teams have around eight players available. Nonetheless, we hope to see improvements within the next couple of weeks. Rumors regarding the potential chance of a new “bubble” may reappear.
