Kyrie Irving is apparently on the way back to the Brooklyn Nets.
According to NBA insiders Shams Charania, Irving has begun the process of ramping up to basketball activities and begun team-mandated COVID-19 testing, and the Nets are willing to bring him back as a part-time player as soon as he is ready:
Irving remains unvaccinated and cannot play in New York (or in Canada) with the Nets, but the team will be able to utilize him for road games, and he can practice at home with the Nets, as their team facility is not considered a business required to follow NYC's vaccine mandates.
The Nets are 21-8 after Thursday's win over Philadelphia, but currently have seven players in COVID protocol. Add in Irving's absence and Joe Harris' injury, and the team had the NBA-minimum eight players active earlier in the week before signing Langston Galloway to a 10-day contract on Thursday.
Depending on how long it takes Irving to ramp up, there is also the chance that he could gain further eligibility if New York City's mayor-elect, current Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, makes any changes to COVID-19 restrictions once he takes office on January 1.
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