The Brooklyn Nets are losing players left and right. Taurean Prince is the latest name to pull out of the NBA’s restart.
Another one bites the dust. The Brooklyn Nets are going to be down another starter in Orlando following the Tuesday night news dump involving Taurean Prince. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Prince has tested positive for coronavirus and is choosing to opt-out of the NBA restart.
The combo forward becomes the fourth Net to opt-out of the restart for coronavirus-related reasons, joining Spencer Dinwiddie, DeAndre Jordan, and Wilson Chandler. In addition to those four, three Nets—Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Nicolas Claxton—are sitting out while they recover from various surgeries.
There isn’t much more to say that I haven’t said in the various “(Insert Nets player) opts out of NBA restart” articles that I’ve written.
On one hand, it sucks that the Nets and their fans are going to watch a skeleton squad take part in the bubble in Orlando. On the other hand, this is an unprecedented opportunity for guys like Justin Anderson, Chris Chiozza, and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot to make a name for themselves.
Basketball is better than no basketball, but it’s hard to get excited about the league’s return to play with the backdrop of COVID-19 looming. Yes, the NBA has taken significant steps to ensure the safety of its players and personnel, but we’re seeing that even with all the precautions and safety measures, there are going to be players who go down with the virus when the season resumes.
The list of Nets—and NBA players in general—who are opting out continues to grow. Hopefully, any player who comes down with COVID-19 can make a speedy recovery.