The Brooklyn Nets superstar duo of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving has entered the NBA's health and safety protocols, the team announced Saturday. They will be joining teammates James Harden, Bruce Brown, LaMarcus Aldridge, James Johnson, DeAndre' Bembry, Jevon Carter and Paul Millsap, who are all in protocols already.
With players in and out of the lineup all season due to protocols and injuries, Durant has kept the Nets atop the Eastern Conference at 21-8. The 11-time All-Star is averaging a league-best 29.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game.
Irving, meanwhile, was just welcomed back to the fold on Friday to participate in games and practices which he is eligible to play. Irving hasn't appeared in a game this season for the Nets because of his refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine, which is required by New York City mandates for him to play in home games at Barclays Center.
Irving has been eligible to play in road games aside from the ones at Madison Square Garden, and prior to his entry into the league's protocols on Saturday, the expectation was he'd play in such games while also practicing at home in Brooklyn upon his return.
General manager Sean Marks said the decision to bring Irving back was made "with the full support of our players and after careful consideration of our current circumstances, including players missing games due to injuries and health and safety protocols."
The Nets play a back-to-back Saturday and Sunday against the Magic and Nuggets and have five games in the next eight days, including a Christmas Day tilt against the Lakers.
The Nets plan to sign forward Wenyen Gabriel of the G League's Wisconsin Herd to a 10-day hardship exemption, sources told The Athletic.
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