Although John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins tested negative for the coronavirus on the morning of the Houston Rockets season-opener on Wednesday, they could still be absent for the start of the team’s season, sources told ESPN.
Contact tracing protocols caused the Rockets to send home three players Wednesday after rookie teammate Kenyon Martin Jr. returned a positive for the coronavirus and needed to be tested again for more conclusive proof, sources said.
Wall, Cousins and Martin were among Rockets players gathered on Tuesday evening at a player’s apartment away from the team facility getting haircuts, sources said. The Rockets listed Martin as “not with the team/self isolating” for the opener against Oklahoma City Wednesday night in Houston, and sources told ESPN that he was awaiting further test results to affirm the original positive.
Rockets rookie Jae’Sean Tate is also among the group of players who was sent home on Wednesday morning because of contact tracing, sources tell ESPN.
The NBA’s new protocol on contact tracing gives the league the ability to make decisions on possible timelines for return to play if they continue to test negative.
The Rockets already had one player, Ben McLemore, away from the team for a few days with the coronavirus, sources said. And the NBA is investigating whether Rockets star James Harden violated league protocols based on a video circulating in recent days.
The Oklahoma City Thunder had not been immediately informed on the status of any Rockets players, or Wednesday night’s game, sources said.
Martin was self-isolating at his hotel, and so far not feeling any typical coronavirus symptoms, sources said.
Information from ESPN’s Tim Bontemps was used in this report.
