Atlanta Hawks v Brooklyn Nets
(Photo : Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 01: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets points during the second half against the Atlanta Hawks at Barclays Center on January 01, 2021 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Hawks won 114-96.

For the first time since January 5, Kyrie Irving's status leaves room for him to be available to play, as the star guard is listed as questionable and will suit up for the Brooklyn Nets against the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday

The Brooklyn Nets' guard, Irving, has missed the past six games of the organization.

If Irving will suit up for Brooklyn, it will be the first time that the Nets will have Irving, Durant, and newly acquired 'The Beard ' James Harden on the court together.

On Wednesday, the front office of the Brooklyn Nets made a trade that brought the scoring champ from Houston to Brooklyn.

Kyrie Irving's status was listed as out for personal reasons for the initial five games of his absence.

During the span of his absence, a video of him who appeared at a family birthday party started to circulate online which sparked rumors,Bleacher Report reported.

The video shows the Nets guard maskless at that time, dancing with his sister, and standing next to her as she blew out birthday candles.

Based on the COVID-19 safety rules of the NBA, the league emphasized that players are not allowed to go to bars, clubs, and lounges or even attend gatherings of 15 or more individuals.

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The Brooklyn Nets guard, Irving, was found to have violated those rules and the league fined Irving $50,000 and docked him over $800,000 in salary for the two games he had to miss in quarantine.

As part of the league's health and safety protocols, Irving was out for the game of Nets on Sunday against the Orlando Magic.

Moreover, the league rules allow for players who have had to quarantine to have a few days to ramp up on-court workouts before they can rejoin their respective teams in a game.

NBA Hall of Famer and player turned Nets' coach, Steve Nash shared on Saturday that he anticipated that based on Kyrie Irving's status, he would work out on Sunday with the 'stay ready' group of bench players of the team, ESPN reported.

Last week, the general manager of the Nets, Seans Marks mentioned in an interview that the Nets guard will have the opportunity to address his absence when he is ready to do so.

Blockbuster Trade

Aside from the absence of Irving and the rumors regarding the video, the Nets organization also made a buzz in the league as they made a stunning move after orchestrating one of the best trades in the history of the sport as they were able to land, James Harden in a four-team blockbuster trade, a move that experts considered as a gamble worthy of fist-pumping and celebration for Sean Marks and his front office.

However, on the other hand, for some sports analysts, this is only a coup for the Nets from the outside but it is still a gamble from the inside as they already put their chips all-in in order to acquire 'The Beard, to execute the trade, and to establish the newest Big 3 in the league, the Kyrie-KD-Harden trio, The Score reported.


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