The Los Angeles Clippers are in the NBA bubble in Orlando as they prepare for the season restart. However, a player is no longer with his teammates. Montrezl Harrell recently had to leave the bubble due to a family emergency.
Shams Charania de The athletic He first reported the news, citing sources from the team. He said it was an “urgent family situation” but had no further details. Charania also said that Harrell plans to return to the team in the future. There is no current target date for his return to the team, and the Clippers have not provided any details on the nature of the emergency.
When Harrell returns to Orlando, he will not immediately join his team. Any player who abandons the bubble must be quarantined upon return. For example, Sacramento Kings player Richaun Holmes briefly left the bubble to pick up a food delivery. He had to go through a mandatory 10-day quarantine due to an “unapproved departure”.
According to ESPN, the NBA has a separate set of protocols for approved exits, especially those related to family emergencies. If the player has been gone for less than seven days and tests COVID-19 negative every day, he is out of the bubble, his quarantine time is much shorter. The player would only have to stay away from his teammates for only four days.
The Clippers do not have a game scheduled until the first day of the season restart. The Los Angeles Clippers will face the Los Angeles Lakers on July 30 as part of a doubleheader. The Utah Jazz will kick off the action first with a game against the New Orleans Pelicans.
While Harrell has already dropped out of the bubble due to the family emergency, two other players may soon move as well. Gordon Hayward (Boston Celtics) and Mike Conley (Utah Jazz) expect their wives to go into labor. Hayward’s wife has an expiration date in September, while Conley’s wife has an August 27 date. Both players are likely to leave the bubble to be with their loved ones.
“It’s a pretty easy decision for me about that,” Hayward told ESPN. “I’ve been to the birth of each of my children, and I think there are more important things in life. So we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. I know the NBA has a protocol for that kind of thing and hopefully I can quarantine and test the appropriate amount of time and then return to the children. “
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