Well, it happened. The NBA has been ravaged by COVID-19 in recent weeks and months, and until Sunday night, the OKC Thunder have stayed clear of the damage done as other teams have played games with box scores that feature more hardship players than opening night roster players.
After the Oklahoma City Thunder tabbed Darius Bazley as out due to Health and Safety Protocols before the Pelicans game and pulled Tre Mann off the court after warm-ups placing him in the NBA Health and Safety Protocols, we knew that would not be the end of it.
OKC Thunder now have a COVID-19 outbreak on their hands
As the OKC Thunder prepares for what will be a jam-packed week, one of the longest weeks of the year for the Thunder organization they will be without Darius Bazley, Tre Mann, Aleksej Pokusevski, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, and Aaron Wiggins as they enter health and safety protocols. The organization also lists Vit Krejci as out on a G-Leauge assignment. An important note here, Krejci left the NBA G-League Showcase Championship game early due to an ankle injury (right ankle sprain), so it is unlikely he is recalled as a replacement player.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have to play a back-to-back on Tuesday and Wednesday taking on the Kings and Suns before returning to the Paycom Center in downtown Oklahoma City to battle it out with the New York Knicks for the annual New Year’s Eve tilt, and Sunday against the Dallas Mavericks in the same venue.
Sam Presti told the media at Media Day before the season starting that every player on the OKC Thunder roster has been vaccinated, with the NBA changing the protocols that now fully-vaccinated players and coaches can clear quarantine in six days. It is unclear if every player has received their booster shots, or are eligible for their booster given the timeline of each vaccine.
The Oklahoma City Thunder will need to sign some hardship player replacement on ten-day contracts, especially to get through this heavy work week. Stay tuned to Thunderous Intentions for updates regarding this developing story.