Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant has confirmed that he won't be returning for the rest of the 2019-2020 NBA season, ending persistent speculation. 

In a recent interview with Marc Spears of The Undefeated, Durant explained that he had no plans of playing at all this season.

“My season is over,” Durant said. “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.”

Speculation grew that Kevin Durant could return this season when the league was put on hiatus; however, it seems that Durant is taking the safe approach by waiting until the 2020-21 season. Durant tore his Achilles in Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals then underwent surgery on June 12. Since he'll be waiting for the 2020-21 season, which is expected to start in December, he'll have a full 18 months of recovery.

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Prior to the NBA shut down on March 11, Durant was seen working out teammates and assistant coaches in 5-on-5 scrimmages. As for the Nets, they currently lead the Orlando Magic by 0.5 games for the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference. It's still unclear whether Kyrie Irving will be ready by July 31, when the NBA resumes. Irving underwent shoulder surgery on March 3.

Nevertheless, Durant is obviously looking at his long-term health, rather than taking the risk and returning too early. We'll see Durant and Irving team up in Nets uniforms, but for now, we'll have to wait until the 2020-21 season.