Anonymous Pacers player contemplating opting out of NBA restart
Per ESPN's Eric Woodyard , an unknown member of the Indiana Pacers is considering opting-out of participating in the 22-team model to crown a champion for the 2019-20 NBA season that was suspended on March 11 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Per Woodyard, Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard said the club wouldn't judge the player, whom he wouldn't name, for remaining home this summer.
Pritchard added:
"We're giving him all the information, we're updating him and then it's gotta be his decision because once you make the decision, you have to jump in both feet. You can't be straddling. You either have to be in or you have to be out. Again, no judgments on either way."
Guard Malcolm Brogdon returned a positive coronavirus test last week and is quarantining, but Indiana expects he will join teammates at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex on or around July 9.
Fellow guard Victor Oladipo is still evaluating his fitness and repaired torn quad that he suffered in January 2019. Oladipo made only 13 appearances for the Pacers earlier this year before the league paused the campaign.
Already this week, Brooklyn Nets players Spencer Dinwiddie and DeAndre Jordan announced they recently tested positive for COVID-19. Jordan won't play in Orlando, while Dinwiddie's status is uncertain.
Also today, NBA commissioner Adam Silver reiterated he is willing to postpone or cancel the season if a virus outbreak occurs within the Florida bubble site.
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