As Kevin Durant continues to rehab his torn Achilles tendon, there’s a chance his return to the court might happen at the Summer Olympics, according to Ben Golliver of The Washington Post. Durant was among 44 finalists on a list released by USA Basketball earlier this month, and his business partner, Rich Kleiman, says the Nets star is giving it serious consideration.
“[Tokyo is] definitely a possibility,” Kleiman said. “He allowed his name to be in the group of finalists. But there are other benchmarks in front of him that are more important before he makes those decisions.”
Kleiman doesn’t specify what those benchmarks are, but one is presumably a return to full health. Durant has made “significant progress” lately, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post, who states that he has been holding regular workouts with teammates who aren’t part of Brooklyn’s rotation.
“I have no question he’ll be back better than ever,” Kleiman said. “By next season, I expect nothing but KD. Great things will happen. Injuries are a part of the game, and it’s obviously been a bit frustrating. The Nets are still in playoff position. The players are developing and getting better. I expect things to pick up. Everyone knows what [Durant and Kyrie Irving] can do when they’re playing and healthy.”
Durant is a two-time Olympian, winning gold medals at the 2012 Games in London and the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. Lewis notes that 2016 is when Durant, Irving and DeAndre Jordan formed a bond as Olympic teammates and began talking about playing for the same NBA franchise.
Golliver adds that Durant’s playing career may have been interrupted by the injury, but his business ventures are still on track. His video series titled “The Boardroom” returned this week for its second season on ESPN Plus.
This would be a stupid decision
He shouldn’t bother
Even if he were completely healthy, I doubt very much Pop would call someone who has not played a single game in the whole season.
Unless its one of the top 5 players in the world… then he would.
Even when you are one of the top players in the world, it takes some time until you shake off the rust and an Achilles injury is no joke (there’s absolutely no guarantee he will ever regain his previous form). I am pretty sure there are 12 better choices (from a pure basketball point of view) than KD to play in this year’s Olympics.
Durant hasn’t played all season.
He’d still be amongst the first few picks if the top 20 NBA players were in a gym for pickup games TOMORROW.
He’ll easily be on the Olympic team if he makes himself available.
Yeah, Durant would be great for a pickup game, not a championship team in the NBA without a ton of help. Even before his injury he was just a scorer who couldn’t carry a team. It will be interesting for a couple of weeks watching Durant and Irving try to coexist before that train wreck is old news. Both of those guys are thin-skinned and can’t handle criticism or pressure…relying on both of them to Carrey a franchise is not smart at all.
Also, no one is picking him up “Tomorrow.” Be realistic.
The point was that he’s one of the top 5 players in the world TODAY….
Clearly, he’s not playing TOMORROW.
And by “Carrey” I clearly did not mean “carry.” Thank you auto-correct.
It sounds like you use the same narrative for the players you don’t like. Hmmm.
I don’t think the USA team needs Durant at all, but if Durant views it as an opportunity to get back into shape while working out with some of the best players the U.S. has to offer, I think it would be good for him. I doubt Durant would view it that way, though.
Durant isn’t one of the top 5 now, nor will he be when he returns. He may go down as one of the top scorers in NBA history, but he is much closer to Harden than Jordan. One-trick pony who had to join a top team in order to win a ring, and even then came away whining.
“One-trick pony who had to join a top team in order to win a ring”
Sounds like LeBron.
Lebron doesn’t have any history of leading a trash team to the finals does he? Get your facts straight.. all superstars need help to win.. its not a one man team.. warriors had klay and steph and draymond, spurs Duncan, parker, Ginobbli, Cavs has love, kyrie, lebron.. even raptors had siakem, kawhi, gasol, ibaka.. that is just a dumb statement to say lebron joined to win.. Magic has 5 rings.. you think he’d have any without Kareem or worthy? lebron also led a couple trash teams to finals in Cleveland. you obviously don’t get basketball to not know lebron elevates his teams to overachieve because he’s that good.. lakers with ad wouldnt do anything without lebron.. instead of bagging, why can’t we just appreciate his greatness.. just like all the former greats before him..
KD not a top 5 player? HUH? Lay off the crack, dude.
You’re nuts/ don’t know basketball. KD is not “just a scorer”. No player wins without a ton of help. KD also proved to be really great on D. Idk if he’s gonna regain top 5 status but he certainly was before the injury
What a joke. If KD wants to play in that team then he plays on that team. He’s KD.
Durant’s not injured; he just has an undetermined benchmark.
I think it’s a good idea. He can ball all summer with his buds, guys who are going to look out for him, getting himself in game shape to hit the ground running by game 1 next year. Just because he’s in the team doesn’t mean he’ll play in games all that much.
Yeah balling all summer with his buds equals getting himself into game shape. A certain number 24 comes to mind who didn’t approach it the same way, and never piggybacked a stacked team to any rings.
Haters gotta hate.
Kobe has shaq and gasol.. everyone forgets that Kobe wanted out of la after lakers became his team because they couldn’t win.. that’s why they got gasol..
Who cares. Should be playing at MSG
he’s made it clear he had no intention of playing for that clown franchise
No one should be sentenced to playing for the Knicks as long as Dolan is around.
I don’t want anyone playing for our country that isn’t thrilled for the opportunity. If it is something he “will consider,” then I hope he just doesn’t bother.
If “allowed his name to be included” is a direct quote then I agree.
I should have said if that sentiment is correct, obviously it’s not a quote, no one would be arrogant enough to say that, I least I hope not lol.
Golliver’s the worst journalist ever. That’s half the reason so I wouldn’t blame it on the article, it’s just so wrong every single time
First, they have to decide there will be an Olympics before the teams are set to play in it…
There absolutely will be. Don’t fear, it’s just hype.
Quit talking about fear. You’re not a hero and you assure what you cannot control.
Durant needs a 3rd Gold Medal like he needs 12 toes and bigger shoes.
Makes Zero sense at all.
Nets should not release him to play. Just invested almost $40M in a year of rehab. Be a double dumb move for them.
Player should get a chance at a Gold Medal, then move on and let someone else who’s an up and coming Star have their shot. Only in the NBA is this level of pandering seen as some kind of positive and encouraged ego trip.