Kevin Durant was a last-minute scratch of the starting lineup, then inserted late into Friday night’s game in Brooklyn and finally retired permanently, all due to the COVID-19 contact route. It’s not the first time the Nets star has wasted time on coronavirus protocols and was able to do so again.
The NBA uses the term safety and health protocols, but in essence, someone with whom Durant came in contact tested positive for coronavirus. And that contact that followed caused havoc with the Nets ’game against visiting Toronto, and could have a lingering impact in the future, if Durant is to be quarantined.
Durant will not travel with the team to Philadelphia on Saturday, according to ESPN.
Durant had the COVID-19 in May, after the 2019-20 NBA season had been suspended, but before the Orlando bubble or his return from Achilles surgery.
Then, last month Durant ended up having to watch forty-seven days and lose three games in a row – Utah, Philadelphia and Memphis – due to exposure to someone who had tested positive for coronavirus.
Durant has been negative for COVID-19 and has recently tested positive for antibodies. But, since the league’s COVID-19 protocols do not differentiate between players who have antibodies and those who do not, Durant was not exempt and ended up being needed.
This could chase the Nets back again. Durant had planned to start Friday against Toronto, but Brooklyn announced at 7:38 p.m. (about two minutes before the lineup call-up) that he would not be available to begin.
During the same Durant no other COVID test was done. There was additional evidence he contacted, along with clarifying contact tracking procedures for this case with the NBA. The league ended up calling and deciding he had permission to play, and he entered the game replacing James Harden by 4:13 at the end of the quarter and Brooklyn down, 26-17.
Still, Durant’s night didn’t last long: 19 minutes, to be exact.
Durant, who also picked up a couple of charges and was whistled for his fifth foul chasing that loose ball with 9:06 left in the third quarter. Nets coach Steve Nash defied the call and canceled it, but Durant, who had gone to the bench, ended up sitting the rest of the game down for safety and health protocols.
In the end, Durant finished with eight points, six rebounds and five assists. It was the first time he hadn’t hit double digits since Feb. 28, 2017, when he recorded just 1:33 for Golden State. It remains to be seen whether Durant will have to re-quarantine or for how long.