Report: Kevin Durant will not return for remainder of 2019-20

There was reason to think Kevin Durant might make his return to the court after the NBA’s hiatus. It appears that won’t happen.

When the NBA was forced into a hiatus by the novel coronavirus pandemic after Utah Jazz All-Star big man Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19, Brooklyn Nets fans had reason to hope for Kevin Durant’s return once the league resumed play.

Although the forward had already ruled him out for the remainder of the 2019-20 season, a stoppage in play allowed Durant more time to recover. Throughout the hiatus, neither Durant, the Nets, nor Durant’s business manager, Rich Kleiman, have ruled out the Brooklyn superstar publicly — though, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski has expressed on multiple occasions that the Nets won’t play Durant in 2019-20.

Well, the latest report from NetsDaily’s Anthony Puccio backs Woj’s words. According to Puccio, Durant “will not return for the remainder of the 2019-20 season.”

Kyrie Irving’s return is still up in the air. When he initially received right shoulder surgery back in March, the point guard was expected to be sidelined through the summer.