Jayson Tatum is going to get a max contract extension from the Celtics. Same with Donovan Mitchell from the Jazz. Brandon Ingram will get a max extension or close to it from the Pelicans, who also may extend Lonzo Ball. Bam Adebayo is going to get paid by the Heat. Same with De’Aaron Fox in Sacramento. Kyle Kuzma is up for an extension with the Lakers.
That’s just a partial list of players expected to get hefty extensions to their rookie contracts this coming offseason. It’s the kind of money that will set their families up for generations.
Which is why some of the young stars of the NBA want insurance in case they suffer an injury at the NBA’s restart, reports Adrain Wojnarowski of ESPN.On the cusp of hundreds of millions of dollars in contract extensions, several of the NBA’s top young stars had a Friday call with Players Association officials about the possibility of league-financed insurance policies to protect against career-threatening injuries in the bubble restart in Orlando, sources tell ESPN...
The increased risk of injury, based on a three month-plus league shutdown and a shortened training camp, has intensified concerns that the players are taking on heightened personal risk with the season’s resumption.
Mitchell reportedly talked about this and his concerns about an injury during the restart on a players-only Zoom call Friday night, led by Kyrie Irving.
The league and players union have talked about insurance or some other form of security for players heading to Orlando who could either suffer from COVID-19 or an injury. Exactly what that would look like is still being figured out (like many things around the restart).
Players take a risk every time they step on the hardwood to play. However, the three months without games followed by a relatively quick ramp-up to playoff intensity has more than just players concerned about injuries, team trainers are as well. Conditioning and getting players in game shape will be the focus of coaching and training staffs from the start of camps.
Providing the young stars of the NBA insurance to protect a future payday seems fair. As always, the devil is in the details, but the league needs to find a way to make this happen.