According to Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash, Kevin Durant is expected to rejoin the team next Friday after the forward was placed under quarantine in compliance to the NBA's health and safety protocols.
While KD has not tested positive for COVID-19, he was exposed to the virus by an unidentified team employee who had contracted the coronavirus. The Nets will also be without point guard Kyrie Irving on Saturday night against the Philadelphia 76ers due to a sprained right index finger, though the team hopes his injury will heal quickly.
#Nets coach Steve Nash on Kevin Durant: 'We found out he can re-join the team Friday. I assume that's the 7-day contact tracing protocol.'
— Tom Moore (@TomMoorePhilly) February 6, 2021
After the league created confusion regarding Durant's clearance to play against the Toronto Raptors on Friday–removing him from the starting lineup, then allowing the forward to play only to pull him out in third quarter–the NBA decided to put him in quarantine as he was exposed three times to a Nets employee who tested positive for the dreaded disease.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Durant and the individual were around one another at KD's home, the team's practice facility, and the arena without wearing facemasks. Though the team employee initially took an inconclusive test, the said person later returned a positive result that necessitated the league to pull Durant out from the ongoing match.
Sources: Kevin Durant had exposure three times Friday with a team employee who tested positive — to facility for testing, home from testing and to arena for game — and the two were believed not to be wearing facemasks.
Thus, seven days of quarantine.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 6, 2021
Should Kevin Durant experience no setbacks during his quarantine period, he would be eligible to practice with the Nets on Friday before participating in their game against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday, February 13th. Without their superstar big man for the next seven days, Brooklyn will face a trio of Eastern Conference opponents in the Sixers, Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers.
Considering that this is the second time in two months that Durant has undergone an isolation period due to exposure to the virus, it's likely that the Nets have had enough of the league's protocols.
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