Willie Cauley-Stein joins the list of players who skip the NBA restart at Disney World.
The Dallas Mavericks center expects a newborn with his partner and will not join his team in Orlando, reports Sharan Charania of The Athletic. Charania also reports that the Mavericks are signing veteran free-agent guard Trey Burke.
Players are not required to attend
When the NBA announced its reboot amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it told players that they will not be required to attend the Disney World Bubble League. Players who opt out will not see their wages reduced for games lost unless they are at risk of serious illness. They will not be subject to fines or penalties.
Willie Cauley-Stein and his partner have a newborn on the way. (AP Photo / Brandon Wade)
Players who have been excluded so far
Washington Wizards forward Davis Bertrans was the first player to unsubscribe. He had a great season and is online for a great payday in free agency. Meanwhile, the Wizards are 5.5 games from a playoff spot with eight games remaining.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Avery Bradley retired, citing his family. Before choosing not to participate, Bradley teamed up with Kyrie Irving to argue that playing basketball interferes with the Black Lives Matter movement.
Portland Trail Blazers forward Trevor Ariza has also chosen not to participate, prioritizing focusing on a custody case and visits with his 12-year-old son.
Of course, these foreclosure options are only relevant if the NBA can start its bubble league. Florida is an epicenter of the nation’s resurgence in COVID-19 cases, jeopardizing the planned restart of Disney World in the NBA in late July.
Since Governor Ron DeSantis withdrew shelter-in-place guidelines and played sports that faced restrictions elsewhere in May, the state has seen an increase in coronavirus cases. The state recorded its two highest cases of new confirmed cases on Wednesday and Thursday, with more than 5,000 new cases each day.
