PORTLAND Trail Blazers small forward Trevor Ariza and Washington Wizards power forward Davis Bertans are the first National Basketball Association (NBA) cagers to officially opt out of the 2019-2020 Season which is set to restart action next month at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, United States.
According to the report of American sports columnist Adrian Wojnarowski, Ariza will not suit up for Portland as he will use a one-month visitation period granted by the mother of his 12-year-old son while the parents work through a custody case.
The 34-year-old Ariza – one-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers – could have been a huge lift for Portland which will be battling for a playoffs spot in the Western Conference.
Portland’s void, however, will still be filled as injured centers Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins were earlier given the green light by their doctors to return to play.
Bertans, on the other hand, will not be representing Washington after deciding to return to Latvia. The Wizards will be in a tight battle for a playoffs seat in the Eastern Conference just like Portland in the West.
“Bertans is entering free agency off of his most productive NBA season – with two ACL injuries in his past. His inactivity is a preventive measure and the Wizards view him as a top offseason priority in free agency,” Wojnarowski said.
Dallas Mavericks, for its part, have announced seldom-used veteran guard Courtney Lee has been ruled out for the rest of the season following a calf injury during the league’s hiatus.
Lee joined the growing list of NBA players who will not play in the league’s restart due to injuries aside from San Antonio Spurs’ Lamarcus Aldridge and Phoenix Suns’ Kelly Oubre.
In another development, the Los Angeles Clippers have beefed up its roster by signing Joachim Noah while the Sacramento Kings plan to sign free agent veteran Corey Brewer./PN
