The Miami Heat may get starters Jimmy Butler and P.J. Tucker back for Sunday’s game against the Orlando Magic, but another starter has been added to the injury report.
On Saturday’s 5:30 p.m. NBA injury report, the Heat announced that starting point guard Kyle Lowry has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols. Lowry is listed as out for Sunday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic (3:30 p.m. Bally Sports Sun).
With contact tracing no longer keeping vaccinated players out, Lowry’s entrance into protocols likely means he tested positive for COVID-19. Every Heat player has been vaccinated and the belief is that most of the roster has received a booster shot.
The current NBA policy requires players — whether they’re fully vaccinated or not — to either quarantine for 10 days or return consecutive negative PCR tests at least 24 hours apart while not having any symptoms in order to return after testing positive for COVID-19.
But, amid an outbreak around the league, the NBA and National Basketball Players Association are reportedly in discussions to shorten the quarantine period for players who test positive for COVID-19 from 10 days to six days.
If Lowry is forced to miss 10 or more days, he’ll be unavailable for at least six games. That means Lowry won’t be with the team for the start of its upcoming seven-game trip that begins Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs.
Along with Lowry, the Heat also ruled out Bam Adebayo (thumb surgery), Dewayne Dedmon (left knee sprain), Markieff Morris (whiplash) and Victor Oladipo (right knee injury recovery) for Sunday’s game against the Magic.
Butler, who has missed the past eight games with a tail bone contusion, is listed as questionable. Tucker, who has missed the past two games with left lower leg nerve inflammation, is also listed as questionable.
Heat two-way contract wing Caleb Martin is not on the injury report and is expected to be available Sunday after COVID-19 protocols kept him out for the last seven games. Before Lowry, Martin was the only Heat player who had entered the league’s health and safety protocols this season.
Lowry, 35, has missed only two games this season. He missed the Heat’s Oct. 23 loss to the Indiana Pacers with a sprained left ankle and also was held out of a Nov. 17 win over the New Orleans Pelicans for rest purposes.
Lowry, who signed a three-year, $85 million contract with the Heat this past summer, has averaged 13.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 8.2 assists and one steal in 31 games this season.
The Heat is allowed to sign a player to a 10-day contract as a COVID-19 replacement for Lowry without the move affecting the team’s salary cap or luxury tax situation, according to recently modified rules agreed upon by the league and the Players Association. Forward Zylan Cheatham was signed by the Heat on Wednesday to a 10-day deal as a COVID-19 replacement for Martin and can now remain with the team as a replacement for Lowry unless the Heat opts to waive Cheatham to bring in another replacement player.
With Lowry entering protocols on Saturday, the expectation is that the rest of the Heat’s roster will be subject to enhanced COVID-19 testing on Sunday.
The Magic, the Heat’s opponent on Sunday, has five players currently in health and safety protocols — Mo Bamba, Ignas Brazdeikis, Mychal Mulder, Terrence Ross and Moritz Wagner.
