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With the NBA on hiatus until at least mid-June in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, speculation arose that injured Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant could make his debut in a Nets uniform in time for the postseason.
Durant was ruled out for the season after rupturing his Achilles during last year's NBA Finals, meaning a postponed first-round matchup could coincide with KD's 12-month recovery timetable.
Washington Wizards guard Bradley Bealāwho will almost certainly not be going to the playoffs under any circumstanceāreacted to the idea of a Durant return for the 2020 postseason.
Damn š³š¤ https://t.co/MhSk01ZDTZ
ā Bradley Beal (@RealDealBeal23) March 16, 2020
Ā
KD's business partner Rich Kleiman downplayed the idea with Golic & Wingo, though didn't entirely shut it down. Kleinman said the hopes of Durant playing in the summer are ānot very realistic from my standpoint, and not even spoken about.ā
But as Kleinman pointed out, the uncertainty around the virus has made long-term thinking impossible right now. āI think just like the rest of the world, it's hard to take anything more than day by day. I think that Kevin is going to figure out the space that he needs to be in to continue to rehab during this time. But even that is hard to answer at this point.ā
Durant was spotted playing some 4-on-4 in Los Angeles last week.
Kevin Durant has progressed to 4-on-4 in his rehab. Here he takes rookie Nic Claxton off the dribble. First time Iāve seen Kevin Durant dunking since his injury.
This confirms that KD is in LA with the Nets for start of their west coast trip.pic.twitter.com/fXUgtkGjVQ
ā Billy Reinhardt (@BillyReinhardt) March 10, 2020
Brooklyn's other star, Kyrie Irving, was ruled out for the season in February and could be facing shoulder surgery. It's unclear when he'll be able to hoop again.
The Nets (30-34) hold the no. 7 seed in the East, and would face the Toronto Raptors (46-18) if the playoffs started today. Beal is averaging a career-high 30.5 points per game, but his Wizards (24-40) trail the Orlando Magic (30-35) by 5.5 games for the final playoff spot.
