NBA Rumors: Vaccination Status Interfering With Multiple Trades

Kyrie Irving is not the only player whose vaccination status is causing NBA teams headaches. The eclectic point guard has refused to get vaccinated and as a result, he cannot play home games for the Brooklyn Nets due to the local government policies. While Irving hasn't been mentioned in any serious trade talks, there are several players that teams would be interested in if their vaccination status wouldn't cause potential problems down the line for the team. If an unvaccinated player is not allowed to play games in the city that happens to be the home of a team you are playing in the playoffs, you could be shorthanded for half - or even more than half of the series if you don't have homecourt advantage. Vaccination mandates are in place in New York and San Francisco, which would directly affect teams who could potentially play the Knicks, Nets, or Warriors in the playoffs at any point.

Justin Holiday's name has come up in trade rumors over the last several weeks, but Bleacher Report says that his vaccination status is a major hurdle in getting any deal done for the 6'6" swingman:

Holiday is one of the many players the Pacers are believed to be shopping in trade, but his vaccination status could make a team (such as the Los Angeles Lakers) less inclined to make an offer.

One league source on a top-10 team guessed that Holiday might get vaccinated if he had a chance to join a contender. But a source close to Holiday acknowledged that vaccination status could be an impediment.

Holiday and Irving aren't alone either, as the article goes on to highlight the Orlando Magic's Jonathan Issac and the Denver Nuggets' Michael Porter Jr. as players that are thought to be unvaccinated as well, although that isn't confirmed as the league is not keeping an official tally. One Western Conference executive reportedly doesn't even know if Ben Simmons is vaccinated, and Simmons has been involved in trade rumors all season long.