NBA News: Kyrie Irving to return to Nets for away games

Kyrie Irving who has been sitting out games this season due to New York's COVID Vaccine law as well as the fact that the Nets didn't want him to play just part time (in road games) will be returning to the team for half their games.

Nets owner Joe Tsai, GM Sean Marks, Coach Steve Nash and key players were fully supportive of the idea --- and Irving has been eager to return to play in the team’s away games. He can start practicing at team facility.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 17, 2021

The Nets who have been decimated by losing players to the league's Health and Safety Protocols of late, will allow Irving to play in away games. He was getting paid for away games whiles sitting at home. Irving will continue to lose salary due to missing the team's home games.

There was a feeling/worry around the Nets that they didn't have enough to win a title with just Kevin Durant and James Harden (who's not playing like a superstar anymore this season) and that they'd need Irving come playoff time. The guess is here that the Nets hope that come this spring for the NBA playoffs, New York's vaccine rule might become relaxed which would allow the team to play Irving in every game.

Or maybe they think he will eventually get vaccinated? Who knows. But the team is paying Irving handsomely for road games, so might as well play him. Now I have no desire to give Steve Nash and the Nets advice, but playing him as the 6th man would seem to make the most sense due to his in and out availability. Keep the starting 5 as is, and have a much more explosive bench for road games. Also will give Nash the chance to lessen the workload on Harden and Durant when on the road.

In case you're wondering, the Celtics won't host Irving and the Nets again until March 6th. By that time, Brooklyn could very well have their playoff spot locked up and just come up with some lame excuse to keep Irving from playing in Boston.