Report: Wizards 'hopeful' to resume practice Wednesday after massive COVID-19 outbreak

Ryan Young
·Staff writer
·2 min read

The Washington Wizards are dealing with perhaps the worst COVID-19 outbreak of the season and have now had five straight games postponed.

Yet despite seven players reportedly testing positive for the coronavirus, the team is apparently eyeing a return to practice by Wednesday — which would be nine days after their last game.

Though they are “hopeful” that practice can somehow resume by Wednesday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the franchise would have to get through Tuesday and Wednesday without returning any new positive tests.

That, given how the last week has gone, could prove to be difficult.

Wizards have had 5 games postponed

The NBA postponed yet another game on Monday, this time canceling the Wizards’ matchup with the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday.

The league has now postponed 15 games so far this season, all but one of which have come within the last 10 days. The NBA introduced new health and safety protocols last week, too, which require players and coaches to isolate whenever they aren’t competing, among other things.

The Wizards had matchups with the Utah Jazz and Detroit Pistons postponed last week, and then back-to-back games against the Cleveland Cavaliers before Wednesday’s postponement was announced. They last took the court a week ago, when they beat the Phoenix Suns — though that matchup is believed to have exposed the Suns to the virus, which prompted the NBA to postpone three of their games in the days that followed.

It’s unclear which players specifically have tested positive for the coronavirus, though both Rui Hachimura and Moe Wagner entered the league’s health and safety protocols last Tuesday. A seventh player tested positive on Monday, as did another staff member, bringing their total to eight, according to The Washington Post.

The team has held small individual workouts sporadically since their last game. However, they have not had any official practice or team meetings. They are next set to take on the Milwaukee Bucks in Milwaukee on Friday.

If that game is going to happen, the Wizards almost certainly have to return to practice by Wednesday — though even that may be a bit of a stretch, considering the length of their time off.

For now, it seems, the team will just have to wait and see how the next two days go before it can officially plot any solid return plan.

Washington Wizards coach Scott Brooks
Seven Wizards players have reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus in the past week. (AP/Andy Clayton-King)

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