2021 | Hoops Rumors

2021/22 NBA Health And Safety Protocols Tracker

December 17th, 2021 at 12:20pm CST by Luke Adams

[UPDATE: This tracker is no longer being updated as of February 14, 2022.]

After finishing the 2019/20 season in a Walt Disney World bubble in Florida and spending much of the 2020/21 season playing in front of empty or half-full arenas, NBA teams had hoped to recapture a sense of normalcy in ’21/22.

However, while the season got off to a promising start, an increasing number of players have been affected by COVID-19, resulting in clubs playing shorthanded as outbreaks impact rosters around the league.

Players who test positive for the coronavirus have been required to remain in the NBA’s health and safety protocols for at least six days or until they return two consecutive negative tests at least 24 hours apart. Players who are unvaccinated have also been required to enter the protocols when they’re deemed to be a close contact of someone who tested positive — they can exit the protocols after a certain number of consecutive negative tests across multiple days.

We’re hopeful that in a matter of weeks, the number of players in the health and safety protocols will decrease significantly, rendering a tracker unnecessary. But for the time being, there are so many players in the protocols that it makes sense to compile the full list in one place in order to monitor which teams are most affected.

A few notes about this tracker:

Our goal will be to update the list multiple times per day (if necessary) on weekdays, and at least once per day on weekends.
The list will only include players, not coaches or other staffers.
We’ll remove names from the list once they’ve “cleared” the health and safety protocols and reported back to their teams, even if they haven’t yet met the conditioning requirements and passed the cardiac tests necessary to return to game action.

The players currently in the NBA’s health and safety protocols are listed below. If you have any questions or corrections, please leave a comment below or use our contact form.

Updated 2-14-22 (9:42am CT)

Atlanta Hawks

None

Boston Celtics

None

Brooklyn Nets

None

Charlotte Hornets

None

Chicago Bulls

None

Cleveland Cavaliers

None

Dallas Mavericks

None

Denver Nuggets

None

Detroit Pistons

None

Golden State Warriors

None

Houston Rockets

None

Indiana Pacers

None

Los Angeles Clippers

None

Los Angeles Lakers

None

Memphis Grizzlies

None

Miami Heat

None

Milwaukee Bucks

None

Minnesota Timberwolves

None

New Orleans Pelicans

None

New York Knicks

None

Oklahoma City Thunder

None

Orlando Magic

None

Philadelphia 76ers

None

Phoenix Suns

None

Portland Trail Blazers

None

Sacramento Kings

None

San Antonio Spurs

None

Toronto Raptors

None

Utah Jazz

None

Washington Wizards

None

Wolves’ Edwards, Prince Placed In Health And Safety Protocols

December 17th, 2021 at 12:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The Wolves have confirmed Wojnarowski’s report and added that Taurean Prince has also been placed in the protocols (Twitter link).

Edwards played nearly 34 minutes for the Wolves in Denver on Wednesday night, scoring 38 points on 14-of-21 shooting. Prince hasn’t played in either of Minnesota’s last two games.

If Edwards and Prince tested positive for COVID-19, they’ll be out for the next 10 days or until they record two consecutive negative tests at least 24 hours apart. The team figures to test the rest of its roster now, so it’s possible more players could enter the protocols in the coming days.

Half of the league’s 30 teams now have at least one player in the health and safety protocols. The Wolves are the ninth team with multiple players in the protocols.

New York Notes: Quickley, Robinson, Durant, Ennis

December 17th, 2021 at 11:42am CST by Luke Adams

Immanuel Quickley has become the latest Knicks player to enter the NBA’s health and safety protocols, the team announced today (via Twitter). Quickley joins RJ Barrett, Obi Toppin, Kevin Knox, and Quentin Grimes in the protocols, as COVID-19 continues to drain New York’s roster of available players. If Quickley tested positive for the virus, he’ll be out for the next 10 days or until he can return two consecutive negative tests at least 24 hours apart.

Here’s more on the NBA’s two New York teams:

Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News interprets a recent Instagram story from Mitchell Robinson as the Knicks center once again cryptically griping about his role. Robinson, who scored two points in 14 minutes on Tuesday vs. Golden State, said in his Instagram story that he was “literally running for cardio,” insinuating that he wants the ball more, according to Bondy.
Nets head coach Steve Nash badly wants to find a way to reduce Kevin Durant‘s workload, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Durant is averaging 37.0 minutes per game this season, including 41.0 MPG over his last nine games with the team shorthanded. “I know he’s enjoying playing at the rate he’s playing at and trying to bring his teammates along with him and all the responsibility that he’s accepted and crushed, basically,” Nash said. “It’s just been incredible. But, at the same time, it’s not safe or sustainable to lean on him like that. There’s gonna be a lot of consideration and we’ll have to figure out ways to give him breaks.”
Blake Griffin, who played with James Ennis in Detroit, is happy that the Nets are signing his former teammate. “Great guy, plays hard, great defense,” Griffin said of Ennis (Twitter link via Brian Lewis of The New York Post). “Kind of just one of those guys that can do a little bit of everything.”

Three More Magic Players Enter COVID-19 Protocols

December 17th, 2021 at 11:14am CST by Luke Adams

After placing forward Ignas Brazdeikis in the health and safety protocols on Thursday evening, the Magic canceled their morning shootaround and have had three more players enter the protocols today, per Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter links). A source tells Price that Terrence Ross, Moritz Wagner, and R.J. Hampton have joined Brazdeikis in the protocols and will be out on Friday vs. Miami.

Since vaccinated players haven’t been required to undergo daily testing for COVID-19 this season, those players have only been tested when they show symptoms of the virus or when they’ve been in close contact with someone who has tested positive. If Brazdeikis tested positive on Thursday, it likely prompted a round of testing for the entire roster.

Assuming Brazdeikis, Ross, Wagner, and Hampton have tested positive for the coronavirus, they’ll be out for the next 10 days or until they register two consecutive negative tests at least 24 hours apart.

Orlando becomes the seventh team to have at least four players currently in the health and safety protocols, joining the Nets, Bulls, Lakers, Bucks, Knicks, and Kings. Orlando is also missing several players due to longer-term injuries, including Jalen Suggs, Markelle Fultz, Jonathan Isaac, Michael Carter-Williams, and E’Twaun Moore, raising questions about whether tonight’s game vs. the Heat may need to be postponed.

It’s possible the Magic will have the minimum number of players available, but their current group of eight players includes Cole Anthony, Mohamed Bamba, and Gary Harris, all of whom are listed as questionable due to various ailments. Although the team is eligible to sign multiple free agents via the hardship exception, there may not be time before tip-off on Friday night to incorporate any new players.

Meanwhile, over in the Western Conference, Nuggets forward Bol Bol has reentered the health and safety protocols, according to Mike Singer of The Denver Post (Twitter link). Bol spent several days in the protocols earlier this month.

Warriors’ Poole, Two Celtics Enter Health And Safety Protocols

December 17th, 2021 at 9:48am CST by Luke Adams

Warriors guard Jordan Poole is among the latest players to enter the NBA’s health and safety protocols, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Jared Weiss of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that Celtics forward Grant Williams and one other Boston player have also been placed in the protocols. Shams Charania of The Athletic says (via Twitter) the second Celtic is Al Horford.

If Poole, Williams, and Horford have tested positive for COVID-19, they’ll be sidelined for at least 10 days or until they return two consecutive negative tests at least 24 hours apart.

The Warriors hadn’t had any players in the health and safety protocols prior to today’s update on Poole, but they faced the Knicks on Tuesday. New York has been experiencing a minor COVID-19 outbreak and placed Kevin Knox in the protocols on Thursday after he logged 20 minutes vs. Golden State.

The Celtics, meanwhile, put Jabari Parker in the protocols on Thursday, so they now have three players affected.

The Warriors and Celtics are scheduled to play on Friday night in Boston, so they’ll likely test and retest all their players today to make sure there are no more positives before they tip off.

Eric Gordon On Knicks’ Radar

December 17th, 2021 at 9:10am CST by Luke Adams

Rockets shooting guard Eric Gordon is among the players the Knicks have discussed internally as potential trade targets, a source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post.

Berman cautions that the Knicks’ list is a long one, so there’s certainly no guarantee that the club will actually pursue Gordon, who turns 33 on Christmas Day.

However, Berman contends that the Knicks could use more three-point shooting and notes that point guard Derrick Rose has tried to recruit Gordon to New York in the past — the two veterans have a long history, having played AAU ball together.

Gordon has played well for Houston this season, averaging 14.7 PPG and 3.1 APG on .477/.434/.712 shooting through 24 games (29.9 MPG). He probably doesn’t have a long-term future with the Rockets though, since he’s a holdover from the pre-rebuild version of the squad and his timeline doesn’t fit with the organization’s new young core.

Still, it’s hard to envision the Knicks making a serious play for Gordon, who has a guaranteed $19.6MM cap hit in 2022/23 and a non-guaranteed $20.9MM salary in ’23/24. Pairing Gordon with Evan Fournier, another shooting guard in the same salary range, doesn’t seem like the best use of the club’s resources, and the Rockets almost certainly wouldn’t have any interest in Fournier, whose contract doesn’t expire until 2025 (guaranteed through ’24).

NBA, NBPA Agree To Adjust COVID-19 Protocols

December 17th, 2021 at 8:05am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association have reached an agreement to adjust the league’s COVID-19 protocols amidst a wave of positive tests among players and coaches, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. ESPN obtained a memo stating that the NBA will increase testing and face mask use for players and staff during the holiday season.

Beginning on December 26, players and staffers – besides those who received their booster shot at least 14 days ago or those who recently recovered from the virus – will be tested for COVID-19 on game days. For most of the season, vaccinated players haven’t been tested unless they showed symptoms or were a close contact of someone who contracted the virus.

Additionally, as Wojnarowski details, players and staffers will be required to wear face masks on the bench, in their team’s workout facility, and while traveling with the team.

With so many teams shorthanded and taking advantage of the hardship provision to sign extra players, sources tell Wojnarowski that there’s been some league-wide discussion about finding an easier way to expand rosters.

The Magic added forward Ignas Brazdeikis to their injury report on Thursday night due to the health and safety protocols, making Orlando the 12th team to have at least one player currently in the protocols. A 13th team – Indiana – has its head coach, Rick Carlisle, in the protocols.

Of course, that number seems very likely to change in one direction or the other by the end of the day, since players are entering and exiting the protocols with increasing frequency this month. Lakers guard Malik Monk was the latest player to test out of the protocols on Thursday, per Wojnarowski and ESPN’s Dave McMenamin (Twitter link).

De’Aaron Fox, Two Other Kings Enter Protocols

December 17th, 2021 at 6:45am CST by Dana Gauruder

DECEMBER 17: Kings center Alex Len and two-way forward Louis King were also placed in the health and safety protocols on Thursday evening, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. The team now has five players in the protocols.

DECEMBER 16: The Kings’ top player, guard De’Aaron Fox, has entered health and safety protocols, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

As we noted earlier, the Kings canceled practice on Thursday and closed their practice facility due to concerns about a COVID-19 outbreak. There is an expectation more positive tests will be revealed among both players and staff members.

Head coach Alvin Gentry, forward Marvin Bagley III, and guard Terence Davis all entered the protocols on Wednesday with indications both Gentry and Bagley have tested positive for COVID-19.

Fox is averaging 21.3 PPG and 5.0 APG this season. He scored 28 points against the Wizards on Wednesday when the Kings snapped a three-game losing streak and 29 against the Raptors on Monday.

As Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press tweets, approximately 7% of the league’s players are now under protocols.

There’s some concern that the team’s game vs. Memphis on Friday could be in jeopardy.

Devin Booker Does On-Court Work, Close To Return

December 16th, 2021 at 8:41pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Suns star Devin Booker is getting close to returning to action, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic reports.

Booker did individual on-court work with Suns assistant Jarrett Jack after the morning shootaround at the team’s practice facility on Thursday. Booker didn’t play in Phoenix’s night game against the Wizards, the seventh consecutive game he’s missed due to a left hamstring strain.

Booker was running, dribbling and shooting as he showed progress from the injury he suffered on November 30 against Golden State.

Prior to the workout, Booker had been limited to weight lifting and shooting. He said earlier in the week he’d like to undergo some contact in practices before he suits up again.

“Get some up-and-down, check all the boxes,” Booker said.

The Suns have two days off before Sunday’s game against Charlotte and Booker could come back in that game. Heading into the game against Washington, Phoenix was 4-2 since Booker was injured.

Pacific Notes: Ibaka, Lakers Trades, Christie, Kuminga

December 16th, 2021 at 7:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Serge Ibaka hasn’t received regular playing time as of late for the Clippers, Mirjam Swanson of the Orange County Register writes. Ivica Zubac and Isaiah Hartenstein have received the bulk of the minutes in the post since Ibaka returned to action after recovering from back surgery.

“Especially with that second unit, not having guys who can create shots from that second unit, Isaiah pretty much becomes our point guard and so we kind of run our offense through him,” coach Tyronn Lue said. “He makes great passes, and just I think we need him with that second unit – so he’s been great.”

Ibaka has extra incentive to get a boost in playing time — he’ll be an unrestricted free agent after the season.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

The Athletic’s John Hollinger and Bill Oram are skeptical the Lakers can make a significant move before the trade deadline due to the configuration of their roster, plus luxury tax issues. Even combining the salaries of Talen Horton-Tucker and Kendrick Nunn along with a first-round pick isn’t all that enticing for potential trade partners, Hollinger opines. Nunn hasn’t played this season due to a mysterious injury and Horton-Tucker has an opt-out after the 2022/23 season. The Lakers can’t offer a first-round pick earlier than 2027 due to the picks owed to New Orleans in the Anthony Davis trade.
Doug Christie has been mentioned as a head coaching candidate for the Kings even though Alvin Gentry was named interim head coach. Christie, an assistant with the club, is non-committal regarding his interest in the job, according to Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee. “If you know me, you know I’m more of an in-the-moment person, like this is where I’m at,” Christie said. “I don’t think like that. AG (Alvin Gentry) has done a hell of a job and he’s been so productive with helping me try to be better, and that’s really all I’m going to try to be. If they see more and they want more and that opportunity presents itself, that’s what you have to face when the opportunity comes and you deal with it, but I like to stay in the moment and I don’t say that tongue in cheek. That’s just kind of how I try to live.”
Steve Kerr’s tendency to lean on his veterans has made it tougher for Jonathan Kuminga to gain a rotation spot. However, the Warriors could use more of what the lottery pick brings, Tim Kawakami of The Athletic opines. Kuminga can be a force defensively and on the offensive glass. Offensively, he can muscle his way to the basket and has a nice finishing touch.

Year: 2024