As the July 1 deadline for rosters to be finalized for the NBA restart approaches, a handful of players have made their intentions of opting out of the restart. Players were allowed to opt out with no penalty beyond missing out on the game checks for however many games they miss (1/92.6 per game), with a minimum of eight games each.
Davis Bertans, Trevor Ariza, and Avery Bradley have all made their intentions of skipping the Orlando restart known for various reasons. On Sunday, Wilson Chandler of the Brooklyn Nets joins that list, informing the Nets he will opt out, per ESPN’s Malika Andrews. Chandler told Andrews that he wanted to spend more time with family and ensure their health and safety by not joining the bubble in Orlando.
“As difficult as it will be to not be with my teammates, the health and well-being of my family has to come first,” Chandler told ESPN Sunday afternoon. “Thank you to the Nets organization for understanding and supporting me in this decision, and I will be watching and rooting for our team in Orlando.”
Chandler, who missed the first 25 games of the season due to testing positive for a banned substance, averaged 5.9 points and 4.1 rebounds per game for the Nets and will become a free agent this offseason.