While the NBA’s hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic may have bought Kevin Durant more time, it is reportedly not enough for the Brooklyn Nets star to be ready to return from the ruptured right Achilles tendon injury he suffered in last year’s NBA Finals.
In a wide-ranging interview with The Undefeated‘s Marc J. Spears, the 31-year-old Durant said he will not suit up for the Nets if and when the league hits unpause on its 2019-20 season at the proposed Disney campus bubble site near Orlando, Fla.
“My season is over. 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 said, per Spears.
Durant, who signed with the Nets in the off-season after three seasons and back-to-back titles with the Golden State Warriors (2017 and ’18), said he is working out every day, but is not ready for the rigours of the NBA — yet.
“I’m moving. I’m feeling like a normal player again. I’m just in my summertime routine. I’m working out every day and going to the gym in the morning. So, I feel good,†he said.
“It’s just best for me to wait. I don’t think I’m ready to play that type of intensity right now in the next month. It gives me more time to get ready for next season and the rest of my career,†he continued.
