Help on way for Heat? Avery Bradley nearing return from COVID-19, and latest on Butler
There’s hope that the Miami Heat’s roster will be closer to full health soon.
Guard Avery Bradley, who has not played in a game since the Heat’s Jan. 9 road win over the Washington Wizards, said during a recent appearance on Chris Haynes’ Yahoo Sports podcast that he hopes to return for Wednesday’s home matchup against the Denver Nuggets after missing time because of the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
Bradley, who will miss his eighth consecutive game on Monday night when the Heat closes its four-game trip with a matchup against the Brooklyn Nets, also disclosed on the “Posted Up” podcast that he has been unavailable for the past two weeks because he tested positive for COVID-19.
“To be honest, I was upset because I come to work, I do the right things,” Bradley said on the Yahoo Sports podcast when asked what his immediate reaction was when he learned he tested positive for the virus. “I come to work every single day, do all the protocols to make sure that I’m protected so I can protect my family. So to come up with the news knowing that I got it at work, I was a little frustrated, man, to be honest. I was frustrated because I felt like it compromised my family’s safety. But I felt a lot better knowing that my family was safe and no one had it.”
Bradley spent last season with the Los Angeles Lakers, but he opted out of playing in the league’s Walt Disney World quarantine bubble primarily because his oldest child, 6-year-old son Liam, has a history of struggling to recover from respiratory illnesses.
While battling COVID-19, Bradley said on Haynes’ podcast that he quarantined in a guest room in his home, and interacted with his wife and children through a window. He added that he was able to begin in-person interaction with his family again on the 12th day of his quarantine.
“It has been hard, man,” Bradley said on the podcast. “Obviously, with me opting out of the bubble last year due to my family’s safety, it was frustrating at first when I found out. All I was worried about was my family. My family ended up being safe from COVID, so it made me feel a little bit better. But it’s tough. We’re all making adjustments to this, this new normal way everyone has to live. It has been frustrating, man, not being able to get on the court and play for two weeks. It’s hard.”
Bradley said he experienced COVID-19 symptoms, noting that “the first few days were a little rough for me, but I started feeling a lot better.”
Bradley also revealed on the podcast that he recently resumed workouts, meaning he has cleared the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
Bradley, 30, averaged 10 points while shooting 49 percent from the field and 44.8 percent on threes, 1.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists in seven games this season before his COVID-19 diagnosis.
Along with Bradley, All-Star wing Jimmy Butler is also expected to rejoin the Heat soon. According to a league source, there was optimism that Butler would clear the NBA’s health and safety protocols on Monday to resume basketball activity.
Butler, who will also miss his eighth consecutive game Monday, is a few days behind Bradley when it comes to clearing protocols, according to a source.
The timetable for Butler’s return to game action will depend on his conditioning after two weeks away from the court. Following Monday’s game in Brooklyn, New York, the Heat returns to Miami to begin a six-game homestand Wednesday against the Nuggets.
Butler, 31, has averaged 15.8 points on 44.2 percent shooting, 5.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists in six games this season.
The Heat and NBA do not announce players who test positive or who are kept out because of contact tracing. Instead, all players who fall under these categories are listed as out due to “health and safety protocols.”
While Bradley and Butler could be back soon, Miami begins the week very shorthanded.
In addition to Bradley and Butler, Heat forward Moe Harkless (left thigh contusion), guard Tyler Herro (neck spasms), and centers Meyers Leonard (left shoulder strain) and Chris Silva (left hip flexor strain) were ruled out for Monday’s game against the Nets.
The good news for the Heat: Forward KZ Okpala (left knee sprain), and guards Goran Dragic (right foot contusion) and Gabe Vincent (right knee soreness) were cleared to play Monday. Miami has 11 available players against Brooklyn.
This story was originally published January 25, 2021 at 1:42 PM.
