DeAndre Jordan has tested positive for COVID-19 and will not join the Brooklyn Nets at Disney, he announced on Twitter on Monday. The virus was spread while he was in Brooklyn with the Nets, who are not scheduled to travel to Orlando until July 7. The Nets will sign a replacement player for Jordan, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Jordan is the fifth Nets player to reveal that he will not make the trip to Orlando with the team when the season resumes. Wilson Chandler decided not to do it to spend more time with his family. Rookie great man Nicolas Claxton underwent surgery that will keep him away. And of course Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were ruled out with injuries of their own. The previous Monday, Spencer Dinwiddie also revealed that he had tested positive for coronavirus, but his status for Orlando is not yet known. Losing him would also leave the Nets without possibly their four highest-profile players.
Losing the playoffs at Disney would not be the worst for the Nets. They owe their first-round pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves, but not if it lands in the top 14. If they keep their pick this offseason, they would send their pick to Minnesota next season, when the availability of Durant and Irving would likely reduce the value of their choice. An additional young player or commercial asset would be a decent consolation prize for a Nets team focused on the upcoming season anyway.
However, missed reps are not ideal for Jordan. After leaving the bench for most of the season, interim coach Jacque Vaughn elevated him to the starting lineup after replacing fired Kenny Atkinson. While Jordan is likely to have the support of his close friends Durant and Irving, he is almost a decade older than his competition at the center, Jarrett Allen. Now Allen will have a chance to impress the organization at Disney and potentially regain his starting role for the upcoming season.
Next season is ultimately what matters to Brooklyn. With Durant and Irving out, the Nets had little to gain by playing Jordan in Orlando anyway. His hope, for now, is surely a speedy recovery for both Jordan and Dinwiddie.
