As restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic continue to ease all over the world, some NBA teams will soon be able to return to practice.
The Miami Heat are among those teams, with one report indicating that the Heat may return to their practice facility as soon as this upcoming Monday.
“The NBA is targeting Friday as a potential date to reopen team practice facilities in cities and states where local governments have loosened stay-at-home orders amid the COVID-19 pandemic,” Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald wrote. “But the Miami Heat does not plan to allow players to start working out at AmericanAirlines Arena until Monday at the earliest, a league source confirmed to the Miami Herald.
“NBA practice facilities will only be allowed to reopen if permitted by orders from local government. Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said Friday during an interview with South Florida radio personality Andy Slater that the Heat will be allowed to hold workouts at its downtown Miami arena if the NBA reopens practice facilities Friday.
“The Heat is still finalizing details for its plan to reopen the arena to players with hopes of starting to allow use of the practice facility on Monday, as the NBA has strict guidelines teams must follow.”
While very little about the new practices will seem normal compared to what they were like prior to the pandemic, this is likely fantastic news for Heat players.
More than anything, players surely miss simply being around one another. Based on the new restrictions established by the NBA, four players will be permitted at the facility at one time.
At the moment, veteran leaders Jimmy Butler and Andre Iguodala are living at their respective California homes. The expectation is that they will return to South Florida when facilities begin reopening.
