Well before the novel coronavirus pandemic forced the NBA into a hiatus, Kevin Durant had ruled himself out for the remainder of the 2019-20 season. From the start of the season, the Brooklyn Nets had expressed that they didn’t expect the superstar forward to play this year. But until he gave the definitive answer, there was still room to question Durant’s status.
Then came the league’s hiatus, which once again opened up room for speculation about the possibility of Durant playing for the Nets in 2019-20. Initially, the league stopped play for a month, but halt lasted much longer, with the league recently deciding to restart the season in a modified format in Orlando on July 31.
With the NBA, the NBA Board of Governors and the NBPA agreeing on the format, the ball was in Durant’s court to make his decision. Based on what he told Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, Durant never deviated from his initial plan of not playing in 2019-20:
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.
That being said, Durant’s rehab process is still going well:
I’m doing well. Working out every day. 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.
And the Nets forward made sure to let Brooklyn fans know he’s ready for them:
I miss the locker room. I miss preparing for games. My teammates. I’m looking forward to playing in front of the Barclays (Center) crowd for the first time. I miss the locker room a lot and that camaraderie.