No, the Nets suggested, they did not relent.

It is not that the Nets blinked in a staredown with star point guard Kyrie Irving, who would not meet theirs or New York City’s wishes. It is that the COVID-19 crisis has wiped out that staredown altogether.

“The overall environment has changed, as we all know — drastically,” GM Sean Marks said Saturday before his Nets hosted the Magic. “COVID has done a number on the team and on society in general.”

Upon returning to the team, Kyrie Irving became the ninth Net to be placed in the health and safety protocols, and Day’Ron Sharpe then became the 10th. The Nets felt they had to turn to Irving with the onslaught of COVID-19 cases and the wear on the legs of Kevin Durant, who is averaging 37 minutes per game.

Both Marks and coach Steve Nash said the Nets originally decided to keep the unvaccinated Irving, who cannot play games in New York, away from the team for cohesion reasons and not moral ones.

But the cohesion has been rendered useless by the pandemic that has begun taking players away from the team.

“Continuity has been thrown out the window,” Nash said.

The Nets announced Friday that Irving can return because of the “current circumstances,” which have left the team rushing to sign players on 10-day contract — three so far — just to avoid postponing games. They hoped he could be immediate help, but his immediately going into the health and safety protocols likely delayed that help.

The Nets said they did not know how soon physically he could return, wanting to see Irving on the court first before commenting about the shape he is in. But with Irving in the protocols, he cannot return to play before returning two negative tests 24 hours apart or waiting the full 10-day window. If he is in proper shape, he could be ready to play in Portland on Thursday or for the Nets’ Christmas game in Los Angeles against the Lakers.

In all, the Nets have 27 road games remaining, 24 of which a healthy Irving would be eligible for (excluding games at Madison Square Garden and in Toronto).

Without Irving, the Nets have relied upon Durant, Harden and nice complementary pieces, riding their defense to a start that has them atop the Eastern Conference. Irving might complicate the blueprint the Nets have laid, but Brooklyn immediately becomes the front-runners for an NBA title when he returns.

According to the Nets’ leaders, the locker room will welcome Irving back.

“One hundred percent we talked to our players about this,” Marks said. “Everybody was on board with the decision that’s been made.”

The next question will be whether a second decision gets made. What if the “current circumstances” change, the Nets’ health improves and they continue to have a star who refuses to get vaccinated and plays only in half their games?

Marks would not affirm that Irving would be around the Nets for the remainder of the season and postseason.

“That’s a little bit of a hypothetical,” the general manager said. “I don’t know what’s around the corner.”