We’re just over a month away from the 75th NBA season tipping off. The league has a pair of high profile matchups slated for opening night with the Milwaukee Bucks taking on the Brooklyn Nets, followed by the Los Angeles Lakers clashing with the Golden State Warriors.
Now that the flurry of offseason signings and trades has calmed down, here’s what’s making news around the league as we hit the midway point of September:
- The Houston Rockets and former All-Star point guard John Wall have agreed to work together to explore trade scenarios. Houston is in full rebuild mode and will be turning the keys over to Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green to form the nucleus of their backcourt in 2021-22.
Complicating matters is the fact that Wall is still owed $91.7M over the next two seasons. The astronomical figures still owed coupled with Wall’s injury history (he’s managed to suit up for only 113 games over the last four seasons combined) makes him one of the most difficult contracts to move in the NBA.
Typically in scenarios like this, one would expect Houston to have to throw in some “incentives” to make a deal happen. But reports suggest the Rockets are hesitant to include any first round picks in a potential Wall trade, which makes an already tepid market shrink even more. Both the Wall and Rockets camps have agreed that a bench role isn’t good for either party, so don’t expect the veteran guard to suit up for the team this fall.
- The Denver Nuggets and Aaron Gordon have come to terms on a 4 year/$92M contract extension. The soon to be 26 year old forward was dealt to the Nuggets this past season and averaged 12.4pts/5.7reb/3.2ast down the stretch in Denver.
The former number 4 overall pick is expected to play a big role in the Mile High city this season alongside Jokic, Murray, and Michael Porter Jr. The Nuggets finished 47-25, good for 3rd in the Western Conference, in the shortened 2020-21 NBA season.
- The NBA and the Players Association continue to negotiate COVID protocols around the 2021-22 season, however it appears as though the NBPA is refusing to budge on their stance that players not be required to be fully vaccinated.
The NBA has stated in the past that roughly 85% of the players are already fully vaccinated against the virus. The Player’s Association has been adamant that there be no mandate on vaccination for the upcoming season. The league already has protocols in place for referees and personnel who will come “within 15 feet of players”, and will require them to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 1st.
Both sides are currently going over protocols for unvaccinated players and are discussing travel and locker room distancing arrangements as a possible alternative to the vaccine.
The discussions may wind up being all for naught as cities such as New York and San Francisco are beginning to impose their own sets of requirements around vaccinations which will have impacts on players and citizens alike. President Joe Biden and his administration have also been increasing their push to get as many Americans vaccinated as possible in recent weeks with sweeping reforms set to come into effect later this fall.