Despite ongoing speculation about the possibility of Kevin Durant making his Nets debut this summer when the 2019/20 NBA season resumes, multiple sources tell Anthony Puccio of NetsDaily that Durant won’t return for the rest of the season.
Puccio’s report is the most definitive update we’ve gotten yet on Durant, but it aligns with everything we’ve heard over the last few months about the star forward’s recovery from an Achilles tear suffered last June.
Durant’s manager and business partner Rich Kleiman has repeatedly stated that it’s unrealistic to expect KD to play this summer; after initially leaving the door open to the possibility of Durant’s return, Nets general manager Sean Marks seemed to close that door last month; and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski stated in a podcast nearly a month ago that Brooklyn wouldn’t be playing the two-time Finals MVP this summer.
This week alone, several more updates have indicated that Durant still isn’t expected to suit up for the Nets until the 2020/21 campaign begins. As Greg Logan of Newsday notes, teammate Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot recently told a French outlet that he didn’t think KD would be back this summer.
Appearing this morning on ESPN’s Get Up (video link), Brian Windhorst said the Nets’ official stance is that Durant won’t play this summer, adding that the compressed nature of the tentative schedule make it an even unlikelier proposition. And following up on Puccio’s report, Chris Mannix of SI.com tweeted that the idea of Durant returning this summer was “never a serious idea.”
Getting Durant and Kyrie Irving back for July 31 would have made the Nets an intriguing challenger in the Eastern Conference playoffs, even though they won’t be higher than a No. 7 seed. However, with Durant’s return apparently off the table and Irving’s status still up in the air, according to Puccio, the idea of Brooklyn making a deep postseason run looks like a long shot.
It makes sense that the Nets would prefer to play it safe with Durant, given the unusual nature of the summer schedule and the fact that he’ll likely be very rusty upon returning. The optics of KD’s Finals return and subsequent re-injury for the Warriors a year ago may also be in the back of the Nets’ minds. And even with Durant on the court, Brooklyn probably isn’t a serious title contender this season, so there’s little upside in risking another setback.
As Durant continues to rehab and work toward his return to the court, he’s also been busy off the court. Mark J. Burns of SportsBusiness Daily reports that the 31-year-old has become a stakeholder in the Philadelphia Union, a Major League Soccer franchise. Durant’s share is believed to be worth between between one and five percent, according to Burns.
Ok Brooklyn let’s get to work on getting a coach
Heard the Nets are close to hiring Gary St. Jeannas their next HC
It would be good for the sport to bring KD and Kyrie back this season, but I understand why they wouldn’t. Well, they said not this summer… So, theoretically, he could return if the Nets go insane and make the conference finals which could be in progress on 9/21/20. LOL
Never happen dude. KD will be a shell. Kaylee will always be a shell. Hope I’m wrong about KD but it’s a tough injury to get past, both mentally and physically
It’s no surprise that KD won’t be coming back this season, even with the 3 1/2 month delay. But it should help him out the longer they delay the start of next season giving him more time to heal from his injury. He will be 32 by then and he won’t have nearly the same level of talent around him that he did in Golden State, or even OKC for that matter.
People will watch; ratings gimmicks are unnecessary; there is a pandemic to consider.
Ratings gimmicks can be the difference between making a lot of money and a hell of a lot of money. Don’t be surprised if some teams get shameless in trying to pull in more money.
I think the Aimless Eight will be putting their heads together to form some plans.
Think of the ad possibilities for televising the Tied-up-22. All the TV screen space that has been allocated to showing about 10 rows of fans above the court?– Well now, no fans, and empty seats are not broadcast-worthy. I’m sure sponsors will be willing to supply a billboard for a background! Or some CGI messages like in Europe. Better than a blue plastic curtain!
The Big3 League was planning to have cameras and produce shows featuring players behind-the-scenes, separately from the games. There’s no word on that yet but somebody’s going to go there.
The gimmicks I was referring to are like making sure rules were bent to get Zion’s team in, pacifying Sarver & Leonsis, and including Silver’s favs like a play-in tournament and an elite league (here of 22).
Even provided this statement, it would be very KD to still return if it looks like his team has a chance. If his team gets a couple wins in the first round… he magically discovers he can contribute while he’s been working himself out all this time.
Ha! Like in the last finals. Doctors were shrugging & inventing explanations for Durant.