Kevin Durant found himself in a bizarre situation on Friday night as the Brooklyn Nets took on the Toronto Raptors. Prior to the game, it was revealed that Durant would not be allowed to play due to COVID-19 protocols and contact tracing. Interestingly enough, Durant was eventually allowed back on the court, where he played all the way until the third quarter. That's when Durant was pulled from the game, once again, with COVID-19 protocols as the main reason.
This led to a whole lot of confusion on social media, especially from Durant himself who at one point tweeted "free me." Durant also replied to a confused fan, noting that the league's PR jargon has completely convoluted the entire system when it comes to COVID safety.
The NBA ended up releasing a statement about Durant's situation in which they said that Durant had tested negative for the virus although had been in contact with someone who had an inconclusive test. Eventually, Durant was allowed to play in the interim but when a second test for Durant's contact came back positive, they immediately took him out of the game.
Despite the explanation, the confusion has set a very bad precedent as the NBA should have just sat Durant out of the game from the start. Now, numerous players have been put at risk, all because the NBA couldn't decide what the best course of action was.
As the season goes on, this is something the league will need to fix sooner rather than later.
Kevin Durant Speaks Out After NBA Flip-Flops On COVID Protocols">