Nets General Manager Doesn't Rule Out Kevin Durant's Return If Season Resumes

With the coronavirus pandemic delaying the season, the NBA is reportedly toying with a summer start date to resume play.

Kevin Durant looks on during a game at the Staples Center
Getty

Image via Getty/Chris Elise/NBAE

Kevin Durant looks on during a game at the Staples Center

Brooklyn's front office isn't shutting down Kevin Durant's possible return. 

With the coronavirus pandemic delaying the season, the NBA is reportedly toying with a summer start date to resume play. The extra time has insiders wondering if KD would be ready to play for the rest of the season. 

"That's a $110 million question," Nets general manager Sean Marks told New Zealand's Newshub. Marks went on to explain that the organization isn't rushing KD back into competition. 

"In all seriousness, we've tried not to talk about his timeline a lot," Marks said. "He knows his body better than anybody. Our performance team and training staff have done a tremendous job getting him to this point, but I just don't know how coming out of this pandemic will affect anybody, let alone Kevin."

Yet, even those within KD's camp are optimistic about his recovery. When talking to The Washington Post in February, Durant's business partner, Rich Kleiman, said that it was "definitely a possibility" that KD could play in the Summer Olympics. At the time, the Olympics had been pushed back to July before being postponed until 2021. 

KD tore his Achilles in June during last year's Finals. Normally, it takes a year or more to return from this type of injury. A mid-summer start date for the NBA would be on track with his recovery time depending on how he's adjusting to rehab. Still, the Nets aren't interested in pushing the issue. 

"When you've got enough invested in a player like Kevin, we're never going to push him to come back," Marks continued. "When the timing is right, he'll be 100 percent when he gets on the court. ... I can tell you this though -- before the pandemic, he looked like Kevin Durant and that's a good thing."

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