NBA roster changes for league restart in Disney World
With the league restart quickly approaching, teams have been making the necessary changes to be prepared.
The NBA is set to resume the 2019-2020 season on July 30, in Disney World, Florida. Contrary to traditional league rules, the league management allowed teams to make roster changes after the trade deadline due to the special circumstances. Here are some of the known changes announced by the 22 remaining teams still competing for the 2019-2020 NBA championship.
Brooklyn Nets
- Nets signed guard Tyler Johnson
- Nicholas Claxton, out due to shoulder injury
- Kevin Durant, opted out
Dallas Mavericks
- Willie Cauley-Stein, opted out
- Mavericks signed veteran Trey Burke.
- Courtney Lee, out for the season due to calf injury
Denver Nuggets
- Nikola Jokic, COVID-19 positive may opt-out
Houston Rockets
- Rockets signed swingman David Nwaba
- Rockets waived center Isaiah Hartenstein
Indiana Pacers
- Malcolm Brogdon, COVID-19 positive may opt-out
Los Angeles Lakers
- Avery Bradley, opted out
Memphis Grizzlies
- Anthony Tolliver, locked to play for Grizzlies
Miami Heat
- Derrick Jones Jr., COVID-19 positive may opt-out
Oklahoma City Thunder
- Thunder signed Canadian rookie Luguentz Dort
Philadelphia 76ers
- 76ers signed Australian sharpshooter Ryan Broekhoff
Phoenix Suns
- Kelly Oubre Jr. still injured and has not recovered from surgery (since February)
Portland Trail Blazers
- Trevor Ariza, opted out
Sacramento Kings
- Alex Len, COVID 19 positive may not play
- Buddy Hield, COVID 19 positive may not play
- Jabari Parker, COVID 19 positive may not play
- Kings re-signed veteran Corey Brewer
San Antonio Spurs
- Spurs signed center Tyler Zeller
- LeMarcus Aldridge, out due to shoulder injury
Utah Jazz
- Bojan Bogdanovic, still not recovered from a wrist injury
- Donovan Mitchell, plans to opt-out
Washington Wizards
- Davis Bertans, opted out
According to NBA.com, while most of the roster changes are relatively minor, several teams will feel a significant impact due to it.
For the Brooklyn Nets, since Kyrie Irving is injured and will likely opt-out even if he is healthy, losing Kevin Durant takes the entire team out of contention. Without Irving and Durant, the Nets will not likely survive the first round of the playoffs.
It's the same case for the Denver Nuggets with Nikola Jokic. The 25-year-old Serbian plays a major role for the Nuggets, and losing him will likely remove their chance to advance into the second round.
The Kings having so many players infected with the coronavirus, including starter/scorer Buddy Hield is a nail in the coffin. With five teams in the Western Conference competing for the eighth playoff spot, The Kings will likely be eliminated after the round-robin games.
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