Source: Mavs Player Tests Positive for COVID-19, Additional 2 Also Remain Quarantined in Denver

Guard Trey Burke didn’t travel with the Mavericks to Denver because of an illness, which Rick Carlisle said he believed was not related to COVID-19

By Callie Caplan | The Dallas Morning News • Published January 8, 2021 • Updated on January 8, 2021 at 6:31 pm

Exterior views of Ball Arena before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Denver Nuggets on Jan. 7, 2021 at the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. — Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images

The Mavericks have encountered their first significant COVID-19 issue as the NBA attempts to play this season outside of a quarantined environment.

Before their flight Friday from Denver to Dallas, the Mavericks learned a player on the trip had tested positive for COVID-19, a source told The Dallas Morning News’ Brad Townsend on Friday. The Athletic first reported the news.

Two more players who were exposed to the virus have tested negative but are expected to face seven-day quarantines due to the NBA’s contact-tracing protocols.