NBA
NBA to allow teams to sign replacement players amid covid-19 outbreak
To prevent the postponement of games, the NBA and NBPA are discussing plans that require teams to sign replacement players for those infected with covid-19.
The NBA postponed a total of seven games in the past few weeks due to the coronavirus outbreak that has forced out multiple players in safety protocols.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the NBA and the NBPA agreed on Sunday to allow teams with more than one player out due to covid to add replacement players via “hardship” 10-day contracts.
These new rules take effect immediately through Jan. 19, after which the league will further update its protocols.
Wojnarowski and Tim Bontemps shared the details, “Under the agreement, teams will be allowed to sign a replacement player for each positive COVID-19 case that crops up across its roster. So if a team has five positive cases of COVID-19, for example, it could sign five replacement players.
Meanwhile, teams will have to sign at least one replacement player if they have two positive COVID-19 cases; at least two if they have three positive COVID-19 cases; and at least three if they have four or more positive COVID-19 cases.”
Unlimited games for two-way contract players
In the past, players who have signed two-way contracts could only play a maximum of 50 games out of the 82 regular season games. Now, there will be no cap on the number of games a two-way player can play throughout the rest of the season.
While there have been some calls for the league to take a pause for a few weeks until the situation improves, the NBA is pushing through this, and G-League players are standing by.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, the reigning Finals MVP of the Milwaukee Bucks and former league MVPs James Harden and Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets are just a few of the several players who have entered the league’s health and safety protocols.