Update: Scottie Barnes and Precious Achiuwa have joined five others in the league’s health and safety protocols, pushing Toronto’s number to seven players.
Toronto's Scottie Barnes and Precious Achiuwa have entered the league's Covid protocols, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/XhzPWEpcwB
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 21, 2021
The Toronto Raptors are the latest team to be dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak. Guards Fred VanVleet and Malachi Flynn are the newest additions to the NBA’s health and safety protocols. Those two join Pascal Siakam, Gary Trent Jr. and Dalano Blanton in protocols. That makes five players total and we could see more by the end of the day.
The Raptors have had two games postponed the past week due to COVID protocols, but it hasn’t been because of them. Their games against the Chicago Bulls last Thursday and Orlando Magic over the weekend were moved because outbreaks on those teams. Now, the Raptors are in danger of having more games pushed back if this doesn’t get under control.
Toronto faces the Bulls on Wednesday night in Chicago. The Raptors then don’t play until Sunday against the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are another team who has dealt with a COVID-19 outbreak. There’s a chance those games get moved, but there’s nothing being reported or official as of now.
So with FVV, Flynn and Blanton all out, the Raptors are bringing in former Celtics G Tremont Waters on a 10-day contract. Scottie Barnes is the only player who could maybe qualify as a PG. Svi Mykhailiuk is the only player not in protocols who could qualify as a guard on the active roster. We’ll see if Waters is joined by anyone else on a short-term deal until FVV and/or Flynn can return.