New York City Mayor Eric Adams said that the city's vaccine mandates will lift on March 7, provided there are no surprises with case numbers over the next week. That puts Kyrie Irving one step closer to being able to play in home games.

However, there is still a private sector mandate in place that would prevent Irving from playing. Essentially, employees who do work in the presence of other employees in the private sector must have at least the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to work on-site. There hasn't been an indication of when that mandate may change.

Still, with the loosening of some mandates, it appears Irving is closer to being able to play in Nets home games. Brooklyn recently announced that newly acquired forward Ben Simmons is going to continue to be out as he rehabs a back injury. Kevin Durant also remains out, as he recovers from a knee injury.