With the Miami Heat and NBA getting set to start back up, some wanted protection. Well, they may actually just get the deals they were trying to protect.
The Miami Heat are getting set to resume play. That is news worth getting excited about.
With the NBA continuing to release details as the days pass on a potential restart, we are starting to move closer and closer to the nuts and bolts section of the process. While there are many aspects of this part of the process that have reared their heads, one thing always sits above all others.
As the old saying goes, you always follow the money.
With that in mind, we recently detailed here how some younger NBA stars were seeking protection. With the chance for injury exacerbated due to such a long layoff and with the risk of contracting coronavirus exponentially higher in the NBA’s resumption plan, some players ask for assistance in acquiring protective insurance policies on future contracts and potential earnings.
The Miami Heat and the entire league are about to start playing again. Will they protect their young guys?
This group of players included Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum, De’Aaron Fox, and the Miami Heat’s very own, Bam Adebayo, among others. It seems as though their message was heard there though, as we now have another development. Here is that development, in the form of a tweet from Yahoo Sports’ Keith Smith.
Per a league source: Some are pushing the NBA/NBPA to allow players potentially in line for a max contract extension (Bam Adebayo, Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum, etc.) to sign that deal prior to the resumption of this current season vs having to wait for the offseason.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) June 17, 2020
With the promise of their maximum contract salaries in tow, beyond this season, none of the young players mentioned in those talks would have a thing to worry about. Not only should they be done now, but the teams shouldn’t have any hesitation about doing something that will eventually be done anyway.
Most of these guys are top two players on their teams, if not the very best on their units. You also look at the notion as an act of good faith or confidence-building in the relationships between the players, their franchises, and the league.
It’s only right to ensure that they won’t be negatively affected by coming back, in unfamiliar times, to continue to keep the league going. This would be the right thing to do and let’s hope the league gets it done.