The lengthy postponement of the NBA season has led to some chatter that Kevin Durant could be far enough along in his recovery to play this year, but apparently the Brooklyn Nets are not considering that option.
During his podcast this week, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski spoke about the risk of star players getting injured if the NBA rushes into the resumption of the season after so much time off. Woj also touched on the idea of the interruption giving Durant more time to heal, insisting that Durant playing this season is “not happening.”
Full audio of The Woj Pod with @Rachel__Nichols and @BobbyMarks42: https://t.co/HtSoAT57RY pic.twitter.com/ZkWE6WRlhP
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 10, 2020
“What about in a shortened preseason (next year)?” Wojnarowski asked. “If you really want to hurt TV ratings next year? Let’s rush everybody back this year. Let’s get key players injured and now have to hold them off and have their starts pushed back … Guys, Kevin Durant is not coming back to the Nets this year. That’s not happening. They’re not playing him…”
Nets general manager Sean Marks recently made some comments about Durant’s recovery that fueled speculation of Durant returning this season, but that would be a risky move for the team. They have already committed to allowing Durant a full season to recover from his torn Achilles, and the safest approach for them would be to stick to that plan.
Durant tore his Achilles in the first place as a result of rushing back from an injury. We know one person close to him who thinks it would be unwise for him to play this season, and there’s a strong chance both Durant and the Nets agree.
