Trail Blazers' Trevor Ariza opts out of NBA resumption amid custody battle
On the same day it was learned that Davis Bertans won't rejoin the Washington Wizards when the NBA resumes play in July, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted that Portland Trail Blazers forward Trevor Ariza also won't report.
Wojnarowski added that a custody case over Ariza's 12-year-old son and one-month visitation period left Ariza with no choice but to decline to travel to the Orlando bubble site:
One issue that has caused some to question whether or not to play this summer is that family members won't be welcomed to Orlando hotels until after the first round of the playoffs. Pockets of players have reportedly voiced concerns about quarantining away from family members for weeks during the uncontrolled virus outbreak and amid tensions that arose across American cities following the killing of George Floyd.
Earlier this month, Wojnarowski reported that players who don't wish to play this summer won't be punished outside of lost salary. He wrote that Ariza could be out between $1 million and $1.8 million depending upon whether the Trail Blazers compete in the postseason tournament.
Ariza started for Portland in all 21 of his appearances after the Sacramento Kings traded him in January. The 34-year-old averaged 11 points and 4.8 rebounds in those outings.
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