The Pan-American games are set to kick off this week, and while many Canadian fans are eager to see how their basketball team fares, they may need to lower their expectations as the result of insurance restrictions.
This is because Canadian NBA superstars Cory Joseph and Tristan Thompson will not be allowed to compete, because “the national program won’t be able to get insurance for them since they aren’t officially with a team yet,” reports Sportsnet.
The insurance challenge arises because the two athletes are considered restricted free agents, and would need to sign a deal before Canada Basketball could acquire their accompanying insurance policies.
Although the stars would serve as a tremendous asset to the national team, head coach Jay Triano is sympathetic to the situation.
“[Thompson] in the middle of a big negotiation right now, so I’m just going to let him (be),” Triano told the Toronto Sun. “We’ve communicated throughout the year quite a bit. After going into the Finals the way that they did, and then him being a free agent right now, I’m sure his plate is full so we’ll address the Canada Basketball issues later on in the summer.”
Joseph, who most recently acted as point guard for the San Antonio Spurs, is also currently engaged in contract negotiations.
Several other notable players, including NBA Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins, will also be absent from the competition, choosing to focus their attention instead to the 2016 Summer Olympics.
