Nets forward Kevin Durant and point guard Kyrie Irving have cleared health and safety protocols and are set to join the team, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
Along with Durant and Irving, power forward LaMarcus Aldridge has also been cleared to return.
Irving, of course, will still need to work on his conditioning before making his season debut. He remains unvaccinated and therefore is only eligible to play in Brooklyn’s road games. Nor can he play against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
“Irving hasn’t officially been with the team since the preseason, when Brooklyn decided to send him away rather than playing him in only road games,” Bontemps wrote. “The Nets changed their minds recently, however, saying the circumstances of the season — and with so many players being out due to COVID-19 sweeping through the league — led them to reverse course.”
The Nets reached the decision to allow Irving to return after a series of positive tests among vaccinated players depleted the roster.
Durant is averaging 29.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.9 assists in what has been an NBA MVP type of season.
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