Kyrie Irving is rejoining the Brooklyn Nets, who need help and will settle for using the guard on a part-time basis.
The Nets decided on Friday that Irving will come back to practice and play in road games, even though he remains unable to play at home because he doesn’t meet New York City’s vaccine mandate.
The Nets originally determined that Irving wouldn’t play with them at all until he could play in both home and road games. But worried about the heavy workload on Kevin Durant and short-handed with seven players unavailable because of the NBA’s health and safety protocols, the Nets decided they couldn’t pass up the chance to add the All-Star guard.
“We arrived at this decision 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,” general manager Sean Marks said in a statement. “We believe that the addition of Kyrie will not only make us a better team but allow us to more optimally balance the physical demand on the entire roster.”
Members of New York’s pro and college teams must be vaccinated against the coronavirus to be able to play in public arenas. Irving refused to get vaccinated and hasn’t practiced with the Nets since October.
Given that layoff, it’s unclear how soon he will be ready to play. But the Nets, despite leading the Eastern Conference with a 21-8 record, are in need of healthy bodies. Starters James Harden, LaMarcus Aldridge and DeAndre’ Bembry are in health and safety protocols, along with Paul Millsap, Bruce Brown, James Johnson and Jevon Carter.
It has forced Durant, the NBA’s leading scorer, to play far more minutes than the Nets would like. Coach Steve Nash said on Thursday he wanted to give Durant a break, and the Nets have said he will rest a sore right ankle on Saturday against Orlando in the opening night of a back-to-back.
The Nets figure to face some criticism for bringing Irving back now, as coronavirus cases rise and more players are testing positive and being forced into protocols. But with Harden still struggling at times after a hamstring injury in June, the Nets have been unable to come close to the offense that last season was one of the NBA’s most potent. Irving, who averaged 26.9 points last season, should help get them back close to it.
Irving will face stricter rules if he remains an unvaccinated player, though additional mask-wearing and testing are returning anyway later this month due to the emergence of the omicron variant.