Six Washington Wizards players have tested positive for COVID-19; three other protocols

The Washington Wizards have six players who have tested positive for COVID-19, making it a total of nine players who remain within NBA health and safety protocols.

The Wizards have had their next two games against the Cleveland Cavaliers originally scheduled for Sunday and Monday postponed Friday. Washington has had four consecutive games postponed since it last met on Jan.11 in Phoenix.

“It’s just an unfortunate set of circumstances,” Wizards chief executive Tommy Sheppard said during a video call with reporters. “If you follow our lead really going back to when we were playing in Chicago [Notes:on Dec. 29 and 31] , almost every team we’ve played, a player has tested positive. The next day [and] the next day, several players in some places. It was inevitable.

“The NBA pointed out that time for a while that it was going to be really tough. And they weren’t kidding. Every town we went to, it seemed like more and more. You never mean well we got escaped or nothing has gone wrong for us yet because you know inevitably something is going to be your turn and unfortunately it was our turn. “

The Wizards called off training on Tuesday before the league’s decision to postpone Wednesday’s game against the Utah Jazz. The Wizards then listed forward Rui Hachimura and center Moe Wagner as questionable due to health and safety protocols on the injury report.

Sheppard said the team learned they reached six positive player cases on Friday. The team are hopeful that if there are no further positive cases on Saturday, Wizards players who are not in quarantine and security protocols will be able to re-enter the facility for some individual training.

Even though the Wizards were allowed to return to the field and train now, they don’t have enough players to field a training with so many injured players, like Russell Westbrook (quad), or in quarantine or safety protocol. .

Westbrook is due to be reassessed early next week.

“In terms of activity, we’ve been very limited, zero, in terms of going back to the facility,” Sheppard said. “Certainly the players who are in quarantine, the players with COVID cannot even train … If there is no positive test tomorrow, we can bring the guys back to the gym 1 on 0.”

“I think four teams missed multiple games,” Sheppard added. “And so far I think it’s a small victory considering what’s going on there … and what might become.”