NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 27: Kevin Durant #7 of the Brooklyn Nets speaks to media during Brooklyn Nets Media Day at HSS Training Center on September 27, 2019 in the Brooklyn Borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)
Kevin Durant dashed any hopes that he’d return to the Brooklyn Nets when the NBA resumes next month.
The NBA is coming back, but Kevin Durant is not.
At least not this season.
The Brooklyn Nets forward said on Friday that his season is over, thus ending any hopes Nets fans had that he’d return for a playoff push.
“My season is over,” Durant told The Undefeated. “I don’t plan on playing at all. We decided last summer when it first happened that I was just going to wait until the following season. I had no plans of playing at all this season.”
Durant was slated to miss the entire season after rupturing his Achilles in the NBA Finals last season. Brooklyn signed Durant last offseason, along with Kyrie Irving, in the hopes of setting the foundation for future seasons of dominance in the Eastern Conference.
No one expected Durant to return this season. Then the pandemic happened and basketball was halted.
As soon as the idea of the season restarting later in the year was kicked around, many wondered what this meant for Durant. He wasn’t supposed to play this season, the Nets knew that when they signed him, but basketball wasn’t supposed to be played in July either.
Durant putting the kibosh on him returning for the playoffs is a bummer for fans, but it’s not something that should surprise anyone. We are a year removed from Durant returning to the Warriors earlier than he should have, which resulted in him losing his entire 2019-20 season. While it’s a nice thought to imagine what a lucky break for the Nets it would be to unexpectedly get him back this year, it clashes with what Durant learned from his experience rushing back with Golden State.
Brooklyn will still be in the playoffs, and there’s still a glimmer of hope at a miraculous Finals run. But a miracle return by Durant won’t be happening, and fans should support him in that decision for both his health and well-being and for the opportunity, it presents for future chances at winning an NBA Final.