When the NBA announced its plan for 22 teams to resume play on July 31 at Disney World in Orlando, it raised the tantalizing possibility for the Nets that they might get their first look at Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving playing together this season with a playoff berth on the line. No one from the Nets immediately was available for comment following the NBA announcement on Thursday, but a stoppage of more than four months because of the COVID-19 pandemic easily might alter the timetable for Durant and Irving to return to health.
Durant has missed the entire season while recovering from Achilles tendon surgery last June 12, and Irving appeared in only 20 of the 64 games played so far by the Nets because of a variety of injuries before undergoing shoulder surgery on March 3. Although both were presumed out for the season, they were on the list of candidates to play for the U.S. Olympic team in July and August before the Tokyo Games were postponed to 2021.
Nets general manager Sean Marks repeatedly has said that Durant will not play this season, there is no pressure from the organization for him to return and, ultimately, the decision will be up to him. In a recent interview with SkySport from his native New Zealand, Marks said, "How does Kevin look when he comes back? I can tell you now he looks pretty damn good, and I'm excited about him being back on the floor at Barclays."
