Kevin Durant will make return to Golden State for first time since signing with Nets

Kevin Durant has not played in a game yet for the Brooklyn Nets and will have to wait until next season to make his debut, but he is still planning to face the music when the team travels to Golden State this week to take on the Warriors.

Nets interim head coach Jacque Vaughn told reporters Durant will accompany the Nets for the remaining three games of their four-game road trip, which includes a stop in Golden State on Thursday night. According to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, the Warriors were previously told Durant would not be making the trip.

Warriors were previously told he wouldn't be there. Plans appear to have changed. But it's unsure if fans will even be in the building. https://t.co/eCo2uoRAMw

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 11, 2020

Durant has yet to visit the Chase Center, as the arena opened this year and Thursday will be the first time Durant returns to the Bay Area since he left the Warriors in free agency last summer. As Slater noted, it’s not a certainty that fans will even have an opportunity to express their feelings toward Durant. The NBA is still considering playing games without fans due to the coronavirus outbreak, which we now know could cost a team like the Warriors a ton of money.

If there are fans at the Chase Center, we can expect a mix of boos and cheers for Durant. It’s hard to imagine fans showing hostility toward a player who won two NBA Finals MVP awards with the team, but some may not appreciate the way Durant has complained about the treatment he received from his former teammates.