Durant out vs. 76ers due to safety protocols, can rejoin Nets on Friday

Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant was ruled out of Saturday's game against the Philadelphia 76ers due to health and safety protocols, the team announced.

However, Nets head coach Steve Nash said Durant could rejoin the team on Friday, according to ESPN's Malika Andrews. In addition to Saturday's tilt against Philadelphia, Durant will miss games against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday and the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.

Durant came off the bench midway through the first quarter during Friday's loss to the Toronto Raptors after initially being held out of the starting lineup due to an inconclusive COVID-19 test.

However, the 32-year-old was removed from the game after 19 minutes of play when it was reportedly confirmed that someone Durant had contact with earlier in the day tested positive.

"Under the league's health and safety protocols, we do not require a player to be quarantined until a close contact has a confirmed positive test," the league said in a statement Friday, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.

Durant tested positive for COVID-19 in March 2020. He missed three games last month due to contact tracing.