Avery Bradley’s absence a major blow to the Lakers

On Tuesday night, the Los Angeles Lakers were dealt a major blow with the news that Avery Bradley will not participate in the NBA’s restarted season.

As the NBA prepares to restart its coronavirus-suspended season in late July, we’ve had some developments. One of the most significant involves players who are opting to sit out of the restarted season. So far, we’ve seen players from teams unlikely to make the playoffs opt out, particularly players on the eve of a big payday like Davis Bertans, or players rehabbing from injuries like Kelly Oubre Jr. We had not yet seen a player from a contender opt to sit out, until late Tuesday night when Avery Bradley of the Los Angeles Lakers made it known he wouldn’t play.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Bradley will not participate in the NBA’s Orlando restart with the Lakers. This is largely due to wanting to spend time with his oldest son, who at the age of six years old suffers from respiratory illness and would almost certainly not be able to join him in the Walt Disney World bubble.

While no player can be faulted for opting to sit out of the NBA’s experiment, Bradley’s decision is especially noble. Particularly in these times, basketball can’t come first, and he should be lauded for making the right decision for himself and his family.

In a statement released through ESPN, Bradley stated: “As committed to my Lakers teammates and the organization as I am, I ultimately play basketball for my family.”

This will, of course, increase the burden on the Lakers’ guard core. More will be asked of Alex Caruso and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and given that there is almost a week remaining in the NBA’s transaction window where free agents can be signed, the Los Angeles Lakers may yet make another addition or two to make up for the absence of Bradley.

No matter the case, the Lakers’ path to an NBA championship just got tougher.