Soon headed into a life-changing offseason in terms of a likely max or near-max contract extension, Boston Celtics All-Star swingman Jayson Tatum is one of several young stars on the rise in search of more insurance from the NBA, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Along with Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat, De’Aaron Fox of the Sacramento Kings, Kyle Kuzma of the Los Angeles Lakers and Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz, the rising players inquired about NBA-financed insurance policies on a call with the National Basketball Players’ Association (NBPA) Friday.
Such policies, intended to protect against career-threatening injuries in any worst-case scenario sustained in the ‘Orlando bubble’ restart, were a topic of conversation on the call with NBPA executive director Michelle Roberts and senior counsel Ron Klempner, reports Wojnarowski.
ESPN Sources: On cusp of hundreds of millions in contract extensions, several of NBA’s top young stars had a Friday call with NBPA officials about possibility of league-financed insurance policies to protect against career-threatening injuries in Orlando: https://t.co/54btNpSp70
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 13, 2020
Concerns over the irregular nature of the hiatus and its ability to contribute to injury (to say nothing of the risks presented by COVID-19) loom as concerns for players across the league, and these players in particular — all eligible for considerable pay raises come the offseason.
The ESPN analyst reports the NBA and NBPA have been engaged in negotiations on this topic among the many on their slate needed to make the summer season restart possible.
Wojnaroski reports the price tag of insurance policies on contract earnings in the roughly $100 million range each, which will likely be necessary for every player participating in the restart who qualifies.
Who are best injury replacement shooters Boston could sign in Orlando? https://t.co/pMSoj25kWr via @thecelticswire
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) June 13, 2020
While an expensive bit of overhead in need of attention, it would be nothing compared to the cost of not having star talent available to drive fan interest.
It seems likely this bit of business will be resolved given the league’s progressive stance towards player protection, but it does shed a light on just one small aspect of all the challenges the league will have to resolve to actually pull this restart off.
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