NBA, NBPA Agree On Penalty For Players Who Miss Games Due To Vaccine Mandates
The NBA and NBPA have agreed that unvaccinated players who can’t play in games due to local governmental vaccine mandates will be docked 1/91.6th of their salaries for each game missed, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, Bobby Marks, and Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Typically, when a player is suspended, he loses 1/145th of his salary per game or 1/110th of his salary per game if the suspension exceeds 20 games, so this penalty is a little harsher than that. It appears that last season’s fine for games missed due to COVID-19 protocol violations was used as a guideline for determining this rate — missing a game during last year’s 72-game season for violating COVID-19 protocols cost a player 1/81.6th of his salary.
For now, New York and San Francisco are the two primary municipalities worth monitoring, since each city has a vaccine mandate for individuals entering indoor venues. The Knicks are reportedly fully vaccinated and Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins recently became vaccinated as well. That leaves Nets guard Kyrie Irving as perhaps the lone unvaccinated player on the three teams based in those cities — it’s possible he’s not the only one, but no others have been reported to date.
Irving’s cap hit for the 2021/22 season is just over $35MM, so he’d lose about $383K per home game if he remains unvaccinated and can’t play in Brooklyn.
Those executive orders in New York and San Francisco aren’t expected to apply to unvaccinated visiting players, who will receive an exemption. The one exception would be Nets vs. Knicks games — since both teams are based in New York, they’d both presumably be subject to local restrictions.
As we noted last week when we first wrote that players would lose salary for games missed due to local vaccine mandates, it was also crucial to determine whether a player’s lost salary would reduce his team’s tax bill for the season, since the Nets and Warriors are both far over the tax line. However, according to Marks (Twitter link), teams won’t receive any tax savings for any players who miss games due to vaccine mandates.
Nets Notes: Carter, Aldridge, Jordan, Millsap
The Nets will open their preseason Sunday afternoon against the Lakers, but most of their big names won’t be playing, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. The expected starting five of Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Joe Harris and Blake Griffin will all be held out of the game, along with offseason additions Patty Mills and James Johnson. Coach Steve Nash explained that he didn’t want to put his best players on the court six days after the opening of training camp.
“The game came so quickly, preseason, and we have three more,” Nash said. “We’ll hold back some guys, and other guys will get more opportunity.”
Among the players who will see more court time is fourth-year guard Jevon Carter, who was acquired from the Suns in an offseason deal. Carter averaged just 12 minutes per game with Phoenix last season and is aiming for a spot in Brooklyn’s rotation.
“I’m just expecting to go out there and just do my job, honestly. Whatever comes with it comes with it,” Carter said. “They told me just keep doing what I’m doing. They just kept telling me that they like what I’m doing, and just go out there, stay aggressive and lead the group.”
There’s more from Brooklyn:
- Sunday will mark the first game action for LaMarcus Aldridge since he received medical clearance to start playing again, Lewis adds. “I think LaMarcus will play,” Nash said. “Nobody’s going to play a ton, so we’ll spread it around pretty evenly. We don’t want anyone doing too much and exposing themselves this early. Hopefully he plays enough that he feels good about it, and at the same time isn’t playing too much.”
- The Nets will have a quick reunion with DeAndre Jordan, who spent the past two seasons in Brooklyn before being traded last month, notes Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. Jordan says he still has a lot of friends on the team, but he’s concentrating now on helping the Lakers. “I got a lot of love for those guys over there,” he said. “So I’m not thinking about ‘Oh, I should’ve stayed.’ I’m not thinking about that. I’m thinking about where I’m at now and my focus is here with this group of guys.”
- Free agent addition Paul Millsap is willing to accept a reduced role to help the Nets win a title, per Tom Dowd of NBA.com. The 36-year-old was fully aware of what would be expected when he chose to sign with Brooklyn. “This team is not going to need me to get out there and go to work on the block and score 15, 20 points,” he said. “I understand that. Knowing my role on this team is going to be big and crucial and everybody knowing their role is going to be big and crucial to winning.”
Atlantic Notes: Harden, Knox, Rivers, Birch
Nets superstar James Harden is still working on getting his conditioning back to 100%, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post. Lewis notes that Harden has fully healed from a hamstring injury sustained during the playoffs — but that his next challenge is getting back into shape.
“He hasn’t really played since the Boston series, and before that, he hadn’t played for a long time either,” head coach Steve Nash explained. So he hasn’t played a lot of basketball, period, since the [2020] bubble. It’s been stop-start for him. He still wants to get his legs under him, and then can feel a few new levels for him to go.”
Brooklyn is poised to re-add Harden to a starting five of Kyrie Irving, Joe Harris, Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin this season. The 32-year-old played 44 games with the Rockets and Nets last season, averaging 24.6 points and 10.8 assists per contest.
Here are some other notes from the Atlantic Division:
- Kevin Knox‘s future with the Knicks remains cloudy entering the season, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Knox only played in 42 games last season (11 minutes per contest), and sources told Berman it was largely due to his low motor and lack of defensive toughness. Knox was drafted by the franchise with the No. 9 pick in 2018.
- Sixers head coach Doc Rivers helped recruit Andre Drummond and Georges Niang to the team in free agency, Gina Mizell of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Both Drummond and Niang are expected to provide depth in the frontcourt as bench players this season. “That was the swinger in me wanting to be here,” Niang said of his phone conversation with Rivers. “Just simply because that’s the guy that’s taking me in and out of the game. He had a vision for me, and it aligned with [how] I thought I fit in. He wants to win right away, and so do I. I want to be in a good culture, and that’s what he’s building here. Obviously, when I got off the phone, I was real excited because I thought, before I even made the decision, I had a home here in Philly.”
- Raptors big man Khem Birch has missed the start of training camp due to health and safety protocols, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet tweets. Birch appeared in 19 games with Toronto last season, averaging 11.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 30.4 minutes per contest.
New York Notes: Harden, Durant, Irving, Gibson
Nets owner Joe Tsai is hopeful that James Harden will finish his career in Brooklyn, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post. Harden has yet to sign an extension but Tsai believes Harden is in it for the long-term. “The way I look at it is he’s already said I want to play and finish my career in Brooklyn: He’s actually said that. And our job is to make sure that he continues to feel that way,” Tsai said. “Obviously, if we win a championship and also have the chance to win multiple championships down the road, that’s going to be even more convincing, more compelling.“
We have more from the New York City teams:
- Nets perennial All-Star forward Kevin Durant, who has already signed a four-year extension, says he’s still evolving as a player and is focused on being as good as ever, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN writes. “I really feel like I have been growing every single day and I am starting to understand the game a little bit more,” Durant said. “I kind of simplified it for myself. I try not to chase anything outside of just being the best that I can be on the floor … Yeah, it’s made me at ease a little bit.”
- While Tsai respects Kyrie Irving‘s feelings regarding his reluctance to be vaccinated, he wants to remind his star point guard about the team’s ultimate aim, Lewis writes. “What is our goal this year? What’s our purpose this year? It’s very, very clear: Win a championship. And the championship team needs to have everybody pulling the same direction,” Tsai said. “So, I hope to see Kyrie play fully and win a championship together with everybody else, with all his teammates. That’s the best outcome for everybody.”
- Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau is very happy Taj Gibson re-signed with the team on a two-year, $10.1MM deal, as Mark Sanchez of the New York Post notes. “Whether he’s [in or] not in the rotation, he’s practicing hard, helping his teammates, helping the team any way he can,” Thibodeau said. “If you have to play him off the bench, he can handle that. If you want to plug him in as a starter, he can handle that. He’s played two positions his entire career. He’s invaluable to us.”
New York Notes: Harden, Irving, Korver, Knicks, Bullock
Speaking to Malika Andrews of ESPN (video link), Nets guard James Harden reiterated a stance he expressed on Media Day, indicating that he’s willing to be patient in his contract extension talks with the team. Even though he has said he has no desire to go anywhere else, Harden hinted that he may end up waiting another year before locking in a long-term deal with Brooklyn.
“Over the course of my career, I’ve never been a free agent before. I’ve always just been loyal, just signing contract extensions, just being there, being there, being there,” Harden said. “I just want to take my time with it. It’d be a very, very difficult thing to leave here, or to leave Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. But I think this season I just want to focus on winning a championship and everything else will work itself out.”
Based on the structure of his contract and the rules surrounding veteran extensions, Harden is eligible to sign a three-year contract extension up until October 18. Once the season begins, he wouldn’t become eligible to sign a new deal until next offseason, when he could either pick up his 2022/23 player option and sign a four-year extension or turn down the option and sign a five-year contract as a free agent. The opportunity to receive a more lucrative deal a year from now will be a factor Harden considers as he weighs his options.
Here’s more on the NBA’s two New York teams:
- Some team executives around the NBA have wondered if Kyrie Irving might be placed on the trade block if he refuses to be vaccinated and becomes ineligible to play in the Nets‘ home games this season, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report. However, Fischer says several sources with knowledge of the situation “strongly” disputed the idea that either the Nets or Irving will seek a trade. “I’m sure (general manager) Sean Marks and (head coach) Steve Nash aren’t thrilled with the situation, but despite all the s–t that goes on, they still treat him really well there,” one source said to Fischer. “They hear him out. They make the effort to try and communicate with him. That’s why Brooklyn is a special place.”
- Alex Schiffer of The Athletic takes a look at the role Kyle Korver will play as a player development coach for the Nets this season.
- Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau “lobbied hard” for the team to re-sign Reggie Bullock, a source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post. Bullock and Elfrid Payton were big parts of New York’s top-five defense last season, so Thibodeau will be hoping to avoid a significant drop-off with Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier taking their spots.
- Following a second consecutive shortened offseason, the Knicks may benefit from their increased depth, especially if their rookies are ready to contribute right away, writes Fred Katz of The Athletic.
Players Won’t Be Paid For Games Missed Due To Local Vaccine Mandates
The NBA confirmed today that players who miss games due to governmental vaccine mandates in certain municipalities won’t be paid for those games, as Shams Charania of The Athletic relays (via Twitter).
“Any player who elects not to comply with local vaccination mandates will not be paid for games that he misses,” league spokesperson Mike Bass said in a statement.
This is especially relevant for players based in New York and San Francisco, the two NBA cities that have implemented COVID-19 vaccine mandates for indoor venues. Players for the Nets, Knicks, and Warriors who don’t receive the vaccine – and don’t receive an exemption – won’t be permitted to play in home games in those cities. Based on how the executive orders were written, the same restriction doesn’t apply to unvaccinated players on visiting teams.
Nets guard Kyrie Irving and Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins, who are both reportedly unvaccinated, are among the most notable players affected by these local mandates. Irving is owed nearly $35MM this season, while Wiggins has a $31MM+ salary, so missing out on game checks for 41 games would result in significant financial losses.
As ESPN’s Tim Bontemps explains, New York’s executive order permits individuals who have received one vaccination shot to enter indoor venues, so Irving and any other unvaccinated Nets would become available virtually immediately if they opt to receive the vaccine. The Knicks have said their roster is fully vaccinated.
San Francisco’s executive order, which requires individuals to be fully vaccinated in order to enter indoor venues, goes into effect on October 13. That means Wiggins is still permitted to practice and play with the team for now, but wouldn’t be by the time the regular season gets underway if he hasn’t been fully vaccinated.
It remains unclear exactly what percentage of a player’s salary he’d lose if he misses a game due to not complying with a vaccine mandate. While teams play an 82-game schedule, the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement docks a player 1/145th of his salary per game when he’s suspended, or 1/110th if the suspension covers at least 20 games. However, there was a stricter per-game penalty in place last season for players who were sidelined due to COVID-19 protocol violations.
The amount of the per-game fine is still being discussed, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter links), who notes that we’ll also need clarity on whether the fines are coming from the league or the teams — if it’s the league issuing the penalty, it would create tax savings for the Nets and the Warriors. A team-issued fine would not.
Here’s more on the COVID-19 and vaccination situations around the NBA:
- There’s growing tension between staffers around the NBA – who face vaccine mandates from the league – and unvaccinated players, reports Baxter Holmes of ESPN. Some vaccinated staffers are concerned about the health risks of being exposed to unvaccinated players, while others are upset that players aren’t subject to the same mandates as coaches, referees, and other personnel. Mike Bass said in a statement his week that the NBA has proposed vaccine mandates to the NBPA, but the players’ union has “rejected any vaccination requirement.”
- NBPA executive director Michele Roberts put out a statement on Tuesday confirming that over 90% of the NBA’s players are vaccinated (Twitter link via Mark Medina of USA Today). In Roberts’ view, there should be more focus on that vaccination rate – which is far higher than the national average – rather than the league’s unvaccinated players or lack of a vaccine mandate for players.
- The NBA and NBPA are close to finalizing the COVID-19 protocols for the 2021/22 season, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press, who reports that the league sent out a tentative version of those protocols to teams on Tuesday. As previously outlined, unvaccinated players will face far stricter guidelines.
Atlantic Notes: Kyrie, Knicks, Vildoza, Bassey, Sixers
Kyrie Irving declined to offer any details on his vaccination status or his plans going forward when asked about the subject on Monday. However, sources believe that the Nets guard will ultimately take the COVID-19 vaccine, says Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports.
According to Goodwill, those sources believe that Irving’s teammate – and good friend – Kevin Durant will help influence that decision. If Kyrie remains unvaccinated and doesn’t receive an exemption from the city of New York, he’d be ineligible to play in the team’s home games, which likely wouldn’t go over especially well with Durant and the rest of Irving’s Nets teammates.
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said today that the team will make a decision on its 15th roster spot after the preseason, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News (Twitter link). The team has 14 players on guaranteed contracts, plus Luca Vildoza on a non-guaranteed contract, so Thibodeau’s comments suggest Vildoza certainly isn’t locked into that spot. The Argentine guard, who is coming off a right foot injury, is still in a walking boot, according to Thibodeau.
- Charles Bassey‘s new three-year deal with the Sixers is worth the minimum and is fully guaranteed in year one, reports Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). As previously reported, year two is partially guaranteed, while year three is non-guaranteed. Bassey’s first-year salary ($925,258) and his second-year guarantee ($74,742) add up to exactly $1MM in total guaranteed money, which is almost certainly less than he sought, but isn’t bad at all for a No. 53 pick.
- The Sixers issued a press release today confirming the previously-reported hire of assistant coach Jamie Young and announcing a few more coaching changes for the 76ers and the Delaware Blue Coats, Philadelphia’s G League affiliate. Dwayne Jones has been promoted to assistant coach/skill development at the NBA level, while Coby Karl will coach the G League team.
- We passed along several Raptors-related items earlier this afternoon.
Nets Notes: Irving, Harden, Millsap, Aldridge
Nets guard Kyrie Irving, who reportedly hasn’t received the COVID-19 vaccine, deflected questions about his vaccination status when he spoke to reporters on Zoom today, as Brian Windhorst and Zach Lowe of ESPN write.
Irving presumably wasn’t able to attend Brooklyn’s Media Day in person due to New York’s regulations prohibiting unvaccinated individuals from indoor venues, but he repeatedly requested privacy when asked about that issue, telling reporters he’d provide more information at a later date.
“I know that I’ll be there every day no matter what and just be present for my teammates as one of the leaders on the team and be there for my growing tribe off the court,” Irving said. “I know the focus has to be at an all-time high, no distractions. This is the last thing I wanted to create, was more distractions and more hoopla and more drama around this. I’m doing my best to maintain this with good intentions and a good heart.”
The Nets’ training camp is taking place in San Diego, so Irving will be able to take part in it. However, once the team returns to New York, he won’t be able to practice at Brooklyn’s facility or play in home games unless he gets vaccinated or receives an exemption.
Here’s more on the Nets:
- Both Irving and James Harden confirmed they’ve talked to the Nets about potential contract extensions, but indicated they’re not rushing into new deals. “I’m focused on trying to bring a championship to the city. But as far as an extension, I’m just being patient with it,” Harden said, per Adam Zagoria of Forbes. “I went through a lot last year and I want to make sure I’m in the right mind set and knowing long-term that ultimately I want to be in Brooklyn for the rest of my career. So it’s no rush.”
- Irving offered the following comments on his own extension talks, according to Zagoria: “I’m just taking it one day at a time, and I’m same as James, just being patient and we’re still openly communicating and just wait and see. We know that the future is on our side, just being able to maximize our potential in these next coming years.”
- Speaking today to reporters, Paul Millsap said he chose to sign with the Nets in free agency because earning a championship ring is his top priority and he believes it’s “definitely possible” in Brooklyn (Twitter link via Zagoria). Millsap drew interest from a handful of teams as a free agent, including some that might’ve given him a larger role.
- LaMarcus Aldridge said he talked to one other team in free agency, but preferred to return to the Nets, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Aldridge added that he announced his retirement in the spring following his health scare because he didn’t want to leave the Nets hanging while he figured out his situation (Twitter link via Brian Lewis of The New York Post). Once he had more time to evaluate all his options this summer, he realized he wanted to resume playing.
New York Notes: Irving, Nets, Rose, Kemba, Lessort
Nets guard Kyrie Irving won’t be in attendance at the team’s Media Day on Monday, according to Zach Lowe and Brian Windhorst of ESPN (Twitter link). However, Lowe and Windhorst say Irving will accompany the team to its training camp in San Diego, and Malika Andrews of ESPN (Twitter link) cites a team spokesperson who says Kyrie will talk to reporters via Zoom later today.
Irving’s status will be an important storyline to follow this preseason. A report last week indicated that Irving remains unvaccinated against COVID-19 — that’s especially problematic in New York, where the city requires individuals to be fully vaccinated in order to gather in indoor venues. Those regulations may prevent Irving from practicing or playing with the Nets in Brooklyn.
As Matt Sullivan of Rolling Stone detailed in a fascinating report over the weekend, Irving has emerged as one of the NBA’s most high-profile anti-vaxxers and seems unlikely to easily budge from his stance. However, his teammate and good friend Kevin Durant didn’t convey any concern during his Media Day appearance on Monday morning, telling reporters that the team trusts in Irving and expects to have the whole roster available “at some point” (Twitter link via Brian Lewis of The New York Post).
Here’s more on the NBA’s two New York teams:
- The Nets‘ new jersey sponsorship agreement with brokerage platform Webull will be the most lucrative such deal in the NBA, according to Jabari Young of CNBC, who hears that it’ll pay the team about $30MM per year. The club put out a press release today announcing its partnership with Webull.
- Derrick Rose isn’t expecting any sort of training camp battle for the Knicks‘ starting point guard job, telling reporters today that newly-added veteran Kemba Walker will enter the season as the starter. “I’m not worried about minutes,” Rose added, per Steve Popper of Newsday (Twitter link).
- French big man Mathias Lessort, a 2017 second-round pick, has signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv, the Israeli team announced in a press release. The Knicks currently hold Lessort’s NBA rights, having acquired them from Minnesota in a 2020 trade.
Nets Notes: Marks, Big Three, Aldridge, Two-Way Slot
The Nets welcome their role as favorites as the new season approaches, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Brooklyn was expected to win the title last season after acquiring James Harden to go with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but injuries made it rare that all three were on the court at the same time. With a deeper bench to to back up the Big Three, the Nets are honest about what they hope to accomplish.
“Our goal is to be the last team standing,” general manager Sean Marks said. “There’s probably, six, eight, 10 teams that have that same similar goal, and a realistic one. For us it’s about owning that and not shying away from it and doing everything we possibly can … to try and accomplish that. We’ve also got to take into account that it’s a long season. Anything can happen, as we’ve seen over the course of last year.”
Marks has been hoping to negotiate extensions with all three stars to give the team a championship window that will last for several years. He reached a four-year deal with Durant last month and would like to have similar arrangements soon with Harden and Irving.
“We’re looking forward to sitting down with them over the course of the next week, two weeks, and furthering those discussions,” Marks said. “Those guys know exactly how we feel, and they’ve been vocal about wanting to be part of this and build this together. We’ve got an opportunity to hopefully build something special here for the foreseeable future. … They want to collaborate, they want to come here together, they want to build this together.”
There’s more from Brooklyn:
- The Nets were thrilled to bring back LaMarcus Aldridge, who received medical clearance this summer after being forced into retirement last season with a heart condition, per Greg Logan of Newsday. Aldridge provides some familiarity for a team that returns just eight players from last year’s postseason squad. “I thought he added a lot to our room,” coach Steve Nash said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see much of him on the floor, but he was an experienced, skilled, versatile big that knows how to play and was adding a lot to our collective IQ. So we’re excited to have him back.”
- Brooklyn got a grade of B-plus for its offseason moves from Zach Harper of The Athletic. The addition of Aldridge, along with Patty Mills and Paul Millsap, gives the Nets a collection of low-cost veterans who can complement their stars, Harper states.
- The battle for an open two-way slot will be one of the intriguing things to watch in training camp, writes Tom Dowd of NBA.com. Rookie free agent David Duke Jr. and recently signed Devontae Cacok will be among the candidates, but the Nets could decide to leave the position open and wait for cuts from other teams, like they did when they signed Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot in 2019.