Wizards cleared to practice after missing over one week due to coronavirus outbreak

The Washington Wizards announced on Wednesday that the team was cleared by the NBA to practice. Practice is being held on Wednesday at their practice facility in Congress Heights and a press conference will be held afterward with Scott Brooks and Bradley Beal at around 8 p.m. ET per a team release.

The Wizards have missed five games because of a team-wide outbreak of coronavirus cases. Seven players tested positive, six of whom first tested positive last week and one staff member tested positive.

Their next game is scheduled for Friday Jan. 22 against the Milwaukee Bucks when they would begin a four-game road trip across the country. Based on this news (and this piece was written before the press conference), it seems like they are going to play at least some of the games on this trip. I think this is insult to injury, given that six players are at least technically recovering from the coronavirus. And the last thing any team should be doing after a mass outbreak is go on a road trip.

But as we’ve seen this season, the NBA is trying to keep operations going at nearly all costs. So, expect to see Wizards basketball once again this weekend. However, we’ll find out later tonight how many players are actually available to play when games begin.