Brooklyn Nets: Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant not returning when season resumes
Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant won’t be returning to the Brooklyn Nets this season
Chalk it up to wishful thinking or perhaps too much time on our hands during quarantine, but it’s official. When the Brooklyn Nets resume their season in the Orlando playing bubble, it will be without Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
The two could eventually make their way into the bubble, but it will be as a support to their teammates. They have no plans of returning this season.
Kyrie Irving suggested on the NBPA conference call today that it's possible he could join the Nets in Orlando this summer --- as an inactive player supporting his teammates, sources said. Irving had season-ending shoulder surgery on March 3. https://t.co/MKrfaGQhwy
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 6, 2020
Earlier this week, the NBA made it official – it will be working towards the resumption of the 2019-20 season with a July 31 restart target in mind. The restart will consist of 22 teams (13 Western Conference and nine Eastern Conference), eight “seeding games,” the possibility for a play-in tournament to determine the final seed in each conference, and traditional seven-game series playoffs.
The logistics are still being ironed out and finalized, and an announcement on those should come within the next week or so. Nevertheless, the great news is that basketball is officially returning. As for the Nets, that will look a lot like it did this season.
Even though there was some encouraging news about the possibility of the return of Kyrie and/or Durant as the season resumes July 31 – with most of that just being speculation on the part of the media and fans – the decision to not return is probably the safest and most thought-out for Kyrie and KD.
Despite the great possible storyline, it would bring to the NBA, bringing back Kyrie and Durant never really made great sense.
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With this decision, this now gives Durant (who is recovering from an Achilles injury) and Kyrie (who had season-ending shoulder surgery in March) roughly four extra months of recovery before they have to report to training camp amid the new schedule that has been rumored for the 2020-21 season.