It appears a number of executives and agents are worried the NBA bubble will lead to a super team, a.k.a. the Orlando four.
“I have heard on more than four occasions, agents or executives complaining about how in a year or two...next year, when we have a loaded 2021 free agent class, whether bonds have been formed in this bubble, with teams that are clustered together, will, you know, play out,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on the network’s show Get Up!
He continued, “In a year, we’ll be talking about the formation of the Orlando Four. Now I’m not sure it’s going to play that way because the reason people think about this is because of what’s happened with Team USAs over the years… in this case, the players are still playing with their teams.”
The NBA has experienced similar moments like this in the past, when big names came together. The Miami Heat’s Big Three was a comparable supergroup composed of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. The Heatles trio took their team to the NBA Finals during each of their four seasons together from 2010 to 2014, with them winning back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013.
Prior to the NBA season resuming on July 30, 22 teams are now in an NBA bubble together, where they will be taking over the Walt Disney World sports complex in Orlando. At the end of the month, the teams will begin playing in their first of eight “seeding” games that will give a better idea of who will play in the 2020 NBA playoffs. The season was shut down in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
