Tyreke Evans cleared to return from drug ban

The NBA announced on Monday that it has cleared Tyreke Evans to return from a drug ban handed down nearly three years ago.

The NBA “dismissed and disqualified” Evans on May 17, 2019 for “for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA anti-drug program.” He was eligible to reapply for reinstatement on May 17, 2021, two years from the date of his ban. Per the league, Evans has since requested and been granted reinstatement.

Will Evans find a new NBA team?

Evans, 32, is now an unrestricted free agent. He’ll be eligible to sign with any team starting Friday. Evans won Rookie of the Year in 2009-10 with the Sacramento Kings after being selected No. 4 overall out of Memphis. A versatile 6-6 wing with ball-handling abilities, Evans averaged 15.7 points, 4.8 assists and 4.6 rebounds in nine-plus seasons before his ban. He played for the New Orleans Pelicans, Memphis Grizzlies and Indiana Pacers in addition to the Kings

He played for the Pacers when his ban was handed down. It’s not clear what substance he was banned for, but the penalty fell under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement’s “drug of abuse” policy rather than its performance-enhancing drug policy.

Per the CBA, drugs of abuse include:

• Amphetamine and its analogs (including, but not limited to, methamphetamine and MDMA)

• Cocaine

• LSD

• Opiates (Heroin, Codeine, Morphine)

• Phencyclidine (PCP)

The CBA lists “marijuana and its by-products” under “prohibited substances,” but not not as a “drug of abuse.”