Here's What Happens If NBA Players Don't Play in Orlando
By Michael Luciano
The NBA finally agreed on a resolution to get the regular season finished within the next few months, as the league will play games at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando. However, what seemed like a plan that was too good to be true has finally started to show some warts, as pointed out by players like Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving.
While several star players are ambivalent about playing the season in Orlando (reportedly up to 40% wouldn't play), they might have no other choice, as the NBA could use the "force majeure" clause in the CBA that effectively cancels the CBS and forces the players to lose a good chunk of money.
If the NBA uses the force majeure clause to cancel the CBA the players could lose $1.2 billion in salary per @wojespn.
— Laker Central Podcast? (@LakerCentral365) June 13, 2020
If you’re following Kyrie Irving you better have saved your money.
Players are already going to lose a large portion of basketball-related income due to a 10 percent escrow in the CBA and the fact they agreed to 25 percent salary reductions a few months ago.
If the NBA does use the "epidemics" trigger in the CBA to invoke force majeure, the league can recoup around 1/92.6th of a player's contract per game cancelled. For teams in Orlando, who will miss around nine games each due to the restart, and teams that were not invited, who will miss out on 16 games on average, that really adds up.
How viable and safe is the NBA's plan for Orlando? I talked to experts across several fields, including top epidemiologists, about the "bubble": https://t.co/shPQYLkzfe
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) June 13, 2020
The NBA is in a very precarious spot. They can either play games in a virtual bubble in Orlando with more health and safety concerns by the day amid major social unrest, or refuse to play and give owners negotiations to rip up the CBA and cost players dearly.