NBA News Roundup: Gordon Hayward, Several Others Make Decisions on Player Options
The NBA 2020-21 season is only a few weeks away and as every offseason, the league has been saturated with trade rumors, free agency signings and player option discussions.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in the lack of ticket sales, the free agency market is very uncertain and many players are considering taking the safer route and signing with the team that owes them money. However, certain players are still risking free agency and hoping that teams will sign them for a decent paycheck.
Let's take a look at some of the players who have decided upon their player option in this offseason.
NBA News: Avery Bradley opts out of his player option and becomes a free agent
Avery Bradley, considered as a great perimeter defender, decided not to join the LA Lakers during the Orlando bubble in Florida. Many analysts speculated the absence of Avery Bradley will hurt the LA Lakers' defence, however, the team still won the 2020 NBA title and that left Avery Bradley's value questionable.
According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, Bradley will decline his $5 million player option and become a free agent.
Avery Bradley averaged 8.6 points, 1.3 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game while starting in 44 out of the 49 games he played with the LA Lakers.
NBA News: Gordon Hayward opts out of his player option and becomes a free agent
Gordon Hayward's player option was one of the most talked-about in this offseason. After being linked to several teams and having every option available to him, the Boston Celtics and Hayward mutually agreed to postpone his deadline on the player option from Tuesday to Thursday to evaluate every possibility.
However, after much speculation, the 30-year-old forward has decided to test the free agency market by declining his player option.
Gordon Hayward has been a crucial part of the Boston Celtics offense and the team will certainly feel his absence on the court. However, a player of his talent should find a new team to play with soon enough as many rosters would benefit from Hayward's presence.
Gordon Hayward averaged 13.9 points, 3.5 assists and 4.4 rebounds while playing for the Celtics and he started every game he played in the last season averaging a significant 33.5 minutes per game.
NBA News: JaMychal Green opts out of his player option and becomes a free agent
JaMychal Green was a part of the LA Clippers bench and averaged 20.7 minutes per game. The 29-year-old forward occasionally shot threes and scored 7.3 points per game while maintaining an effective field goal percentage of 56.7%.
Green had a $5 million player option for the 2020-21 season which he has reportedly declined and is testing his luck in the free-agent market.
NBA News: Enes Kanter will exercise his player option for 2020-21 season
Boston Celtics' center Enes Kanter was an important piece in rotation whenever their starting center Daniel Theis entered into foul trouble or was unable to play.
Even though the veteran center's numbers fell in Boston as compared to when he played for other teams, he still averaged 17 minutes per game and was considered a decent rim protector for the team.
Enes Kanter has reportedly exercised his $5 million player option and opts into the final year of his deal.