Never did I ever think I would be saying that a team should not pursue Kevin Durant in free agency. After all, Durant is one of the best scorers this game has ever seen and is unquestionably one of the best players we have in the game today.

He is a two-time NBA champion. A two-time Finals MVP. A future Hall-of-Famer.

But in Game 5 of the NBA Finals earlier this month, the entire trajectory of Durant's career changed, as he suffered a torn Achilles tendon and will likely be out for all of next season.

However, that doesn't seem to be dissuading the Brooklyn Nets, who seem intent on trying to pair Durant with Kyrie Irving this summer.

Now, on paper, that obviously looks fantastic, especially when you take into account that the Nets have supporting pieces like Jarrett Allen, Joe Harris, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Caris LeVert.

But I'm not too sure that signing a 30-year-old coming off a torn Achilles to max dollars is the best way to allocate your resources.

Let's keep this in mind: Durant will be 31 by the start of next season, and he will almost surely be out all year. By the time he comes back, he will be 32, and chances are, that first year will be rough.

So, that is already two years out of what would be a four-year max deal.

Of course, there is the possibility that Durant comes back for the 2020-21 campaign and produces just fine, but judging from the history of guys coming back from Achilles tears, it will likely be a slow process, and the chances of Durant ever being the same again are slim to none.

If Durant were a bit younger, like, say, 27 going on 28, I would be a bit less concerned, but again, he will be 32 by the time he returns. Even without the torn Achilles, he would probably be starting to show some signs of a decline at that point anyway, and the injury just compounds it.

For a Brooklyn franchise that is starving for success and is entering its most pivotal summer since giving its entire future to the Boston Celtics back in 2013, giving Durant a max contract would be a scary move, to say the least.

It's not like Durant is the only other free agent the Nets can pursue, either. Should Brooklyn sign Irving, there are plenty of other really good players it can put alongside of him. Take Nikola Vucevic, for example. He would be a terrific fit in the Nets' front-court and would comprise a lethal two-man game with Irving. Plus, we know that Vucevic is healthy.

Obviously, the name “Kevin Durant” carries a whole lot of weight, and Durant's numbers speak for themselves, which is why some teams are still hellbent on trying to land him for a max deal this offseason. But sometimes, we allow a name to overshadow reality.

The fact of the matter is that it is unlikely Durant will ever be the again. That's not to say he will be a scrub, because he will still probably be pretty good, but the days of Durant single-handedly winning playoff series and being a top-three player in the league are almost surely over.

An offseason haul of Durant and Irving may look fantastic on the surface, but the Nets need to really think about what signing Durant to a four-year max would mean over the course of the next few seasons and beyond.