The Nets are now allowing Kyrie Irving to return to the team as a part-time player, which means he’s only allowed to participate in road games.
Irving, who is still reportedly unvaccinated against COVID-19, is ineligible to participate at home games in Brooklyn.
Because of Irving’s ineligibility, the Nets decided to send Irving home until he was eligible to be a full-time participant, as they believed having him around only part-time would mess up their continuity.
However, because of injuries and the nature of so many players being placed into the health and safety protocols, the Nets decided to bring Irving back, which has been met with plenty of criticism.
But with so many players heading into the health and safety protocols, and the load Kevin Durant and James Harden have had to carry, Durant believes the Nets made the right decision.
“With us getting ravaged by COVID, and us down so many bodies, it felt like the perfect time to add a fresh body back into the equation,” Durant said of Kyrie’s return. “Adding Kyrie to the equation just makes us so much better as a team. He was down, we were down, it was pretty simple, to be honest.” (Via Boardroom)
At some point, the Nets hope Irving decides to get the vaccine, with sources within the Nets organization telling Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated that they hope having him around will ultimately sway him into making that decision.
As of right now, it appears unlikely that New York City will lift its mandates any time soon.
