Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins Not Joining Warriors in Toronto
The Toronto Raptors are getting a little lucky.
Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins, and Otto Porter will all be sidelined for the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night, the team announced. That'll give the Warriors nine available players, most notably Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody, the seventh and 14th picks in the 2021 NBA Draft, respectively.
According to The Athletic's Anthony Slater, the four missing players will not even fly to Toronto, instead, they'll return from Boston to San Francisco, "allowing them to avoid all the logistical COVID protocols and hurdles getting in and out of Toronto during a pandemic."
While Canada has yet to impose its upcoming vaccine mandate prohibiting unvaccinated athletes from coming into the country (that won't happen until January 15), it's possible some teams follow Golden State's decision and opt to rest their stars instead of traveling to Toronto. All Warriors players are fully vaccinated.
The same, however, cannot be said about the Brooklyn Nets who are welcoming back the unvaccinated Kyrie Irving this season in a part-time position. Irving will only be allowed to play road games due to his vaccine status, though he will be prohibited from coming to Toronto when the Nets take on the Raptors on March 1.
Further Reading
OG Anunoby shares how he suffered his injury & Khem Birch discusses his injury outlook
Raptors ready to 'fall in line' with whatever new COVID protocols are coming
MLSE will prioritize season ticket holders, non-season ticket holders will get refunds
