The National Basketball Players Association wants to use a chunk of its share of the league’s impending television revenue windfall to cover health-care insurance costs for former players, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports writes. The plan will cost an estimated $10MM-$15MM a year and will be voted on during the membership meeting later this month, Wojnarowski continues. The union’s 30 team player representatives are expected to pass the plan, Wojnarowski adds.
In other news around the league:
- California’s 13.3% state income tax, the highest in the nation by a large margin, is a factor why the Lakers and Clippers are having trouble attracting free agents and keeping their own, Tony Nitti of Forbes.com reports. No-income tax states like Texas and Florida essentially nullify any inherent advantage teams in high-tax states have in re-signing their own free agents, Nitti adds.
- Bucks president Peter Feigin urged Wisconsin lawmakers on Monday to pass legislation that would make taxpayers split the costs for a proposed $500MM arena, according to Todd Richmond of the Associated Press. Feigin told them if construction did not begin this year, the NBA would move the team, possibly to Las Vegas or Seattle, the story continues. The Bucks, who currently play in the 27-year-old Bradley Center, have been warned by the league that if they don’t have a new arena by 2017, the league will buy the team and move it, the story adds.
- Free agent center Ryan Hollins has drawn interest from the Kings and Pelicans, a source told Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The Clippers are also looking at Hollins but haven’t made an offer, Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times tweets.
I’m not sure why Hollins would pick the Pelicans, since he’d be a certain third-stringer there behind Davis and Ajinca. Better to go with the Kings, where everything is in flux, or the Clippers if they make an offer.